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teaching fly tying

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I have been asked to teach a 6 week course on fly tying. I have a couple of patterns to start, however that will not fill 6 weeks. There is going to be mostly newbies with a couple of intermediates thrown in there.

 

Any Idea of what to tie?

 

Michael

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You could do a progression of steps and how those steps lead to other flies, then move on to one or two examples of those other flies. Split your time between instruction and hands on. Keep it fairly simple because time is going to fly and you need to divide much of that time over multi students ! Good luck, I can be consumed by instructing just one person at a time. Say you have 6 people in your class and they all get a whack at starting thread on a hook, covering the hook and tying off. Take some time with that thread base though because as you know all materials will get a similar treatment. That can be three instructions in one day with demo and then hands on x 6 in the one day. You haven't tied a fly yet. Just sayin.

 

I do this with piano, I teach step by step, it's time consuming and it doesn't come naturally to everyone..

 

Flies ? Not necessarily in this order and just suggestions:

Woolly worm and or Bugger.

Hares ear nymph.

Bucktail Streamer with tinsel body

Adams Dry fly

Midge Emerger ( maybe size 12 or 14 so they get the idea but can handle a respectable size hook, explaining and maybe showing them the small hook size as a demo only)

Leech, zonker style

 

You probably can't get to all of these in 6 weeks, least not with everyone.

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Go to http://flyanglersonline.com/

 

Click on "Fly Tying" on the left hand side. "Beginners" and "Intermediate" will get you going on the right track. Obviously, you don't want to do exactly the same thing as Al Campbell did ... but the progression is valid. From tools and basic skills to more advanced patterns.

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When I was taking classes it wasn't done concentrating on a specfic pattern. Like you, this was done over a 6 week period.

 

I remember the first night. We went over tools and vises. Learned how start thread on the hook and a simple half hitch to finish the head. Whip finish came later. We learned how to attach marabou for a tail, wire for ribbing, hackle and chenille. We went home with a woolly bugger.

 

Each night we would concentrate on different aspects of tying, Different dubbed bodies and types of wings. Different types of tails. That is all we would do, tie it on and cut it off. With wings we tied on hackle tip wings. Just the wings and cut them off then on to hair wings and tent wings. They all were cut off just as soon as we got them on. But at the end of night we would tie a fly using the techniques we had just learned. Deer hair was a hoot.

 

I have used this method my self with scouts and beginners in our club. It works well.

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You could always start each session with terminology, and the basics ie. whip finish with hand and tool, materials and where to get them,, hook sizes, types. where they are best suited etc. Finish the last 1/2 session with tying a pattern. Maybe let the student pick their own pattern for the final session. A powerpoint presentation would also be awesome, but it is very time consuming if you have not started. I did this years ago but for the life of me can't find my presentation.

Hope this helps

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The patterns are actually less important, than one might think.

Just choose some patterns, that uses the techniques you wanna teach them.

 

A simple pheasants tail, Red Tag and wolly bugger can actually have quite a few thing in them, that can make for a lot of teaching.

 

the important thing is thread control, thread control, thread control and proportions.... ;-)

 

/H

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I have taught many classes of tyers over the years , the latest is an adult education course at a local school system ( for trout unlimited), and I'll say it can be quite frustrating when you have newbies and intermediates combined. I agree that technique is far more important and many tyers have bad habits, so rstaight has a great recommendation. Technique, technique, technique

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I've been teaching classes on tying twice a month for almost 7 years. I've done classes for clubs, and a handful of other shops when I travel. I always focus on the materials, and the various ways each can be utilized. Once a person becomes proficient with one material, the gears start turning. I always use readily available materials when helping out less experienced tyers. Bucktail 101 with a clouser/BTD tutorial would be a good place to start. Follow it up with a hackle class, seaducer/ muddlers are always fun and versatile.

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Iv taken a few classes here in western New York, and if it's a bunch of newbies they usually start with laying the thread base and whip finish and anatomy of the fly. Then we usually tie 3 patterns a night of the most productive flies for our area starting with the easiest to the more difficult, so for my area we start with egg sack patterns like salmon fleas, sucker spawn, fhramas, estaz, and scrambled egg. Then we do some caddis, stone flys, wooly buggers, muddlers, zonkers, baby rainbows, green butt skunk and Royal coachmen

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... thread control, thread control ...

 

 

... technique ...

 

 

... focus on the materials ...

 

Too funny. Like asking what the best pattern is for a small stream. Every pro has a different answer, but we're supposed to believe some people are MORE expert than others.

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... thread control, thread control ...

 

 

... technique ...

 

 

... focus on the materials ...

 

Too funny. Like asking what the best pattern is for a small stream. Every pro has a different answer, but we're supposed to believe some people are MORE expert than others.

 

This could be asking a lot, but if you take a second to think about it they all go hand in hand. One thing most teachers have in common is limitless patience, even with those who seem to be beyond help.

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Being a vocational instructor myself, I know what you mean. But my observation still stands. If you can't figure a lesson plan out, then you probably shouldn't be teaching.

Pick five top instructors and give them a subject (As was done here) and you'll get five different ways to teach the same information. None right or wrong, just different.

 

My main point is that you can't rely on "experts" to tell you how to do anything. All you can do is take it ALL in, and decide for yourself how YOU will do it.

 

My favorite quote, "Good judgement is the result of experience, which is usually the result of bad judgement."

 

If you can, you use other's bad judgement to gain your own experience ... but it usually doesn't work that way. We all feel we must try it our way, and when that fails, we learn.

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Checkout our club site. You'll found a list of flies they teach in class. He will show you how to tie the fly, it's projected up on a screen.

He will show you how to start the thread and then have you try to brake it. Do a whip finish. Then on to making a wooly. They do 2 flies a night. One of the biggest issues is crowding the eye.

 

http://mvff.us/

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My main point is that you can't rely on "experts" to tell you how to do anything.

 

You're the only one throwing that word around. There's a class, you can choose to participate, observe, or you can do the whole resentful child routine. We've never had one of those. Class is next Saturday at 1pm. It's free, all materials are provided. 1231 E. New Haven Dr. Melbourne.

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