How long to get "proficient" at tying?

[Philly 0]

As suggested, take a look at the swaps. If one interests you sign up for it. I think tying for swaps helped improve my tying. They are usually for seem to be for 12 people. I've been in several where I had to tie 20 or 30 flies. The most outrageous was called the Y2K Caddis swap. I had to tie 100 flies for that one. By the time that was done I knew how to tie the CDC and Elk blindfolded, plus a lot of not so good ones for my fly box. I just retired, so now I set an hour or so each evening to tie a few. Just tying a few Mop flies the past week or so. Nothing that difficult. Just experimenting with sizes and colors. Silver nailed it. Repetition and choice of pattern. You've now started down that slippery slope, enjoy it.

[cphubert 0]

You never stop learning or picking up new techniques. You are tying to make ​you​ happy take your time, speed and consistency will follow, if you tie to fish then make sure you fish your flies, the fish are great critics . You need to get to know your materials and what you want to achieve with them, hard to tie with poor quality material that do not meet your needs. Neatness counts for presentation, start with larger sized hooks in a pattern's size range, then drop a size or two. Time, practice and tie a fly every day or once a week if possible or read a book or watch video. The fish will let you know when your good, you will know then you are proudly willing to give someone a few of your flies to help them catch fish.

[Rocco 0]

Lots of good feedback so far and I'm not about to improve on it.

 

I just want to add to the discussion that there are also levels of enjoyment in the doing that are different than those determining technique achievement levels. And shear pleasure could be telling in terms of your commitment to the game once you get to the point of having more well-tied flies than you really will or even can use. .

 

So, as you grow in mastery let your creative juices flow. Adapt what you are learning from others to your needs and wants; play with new materials and try standard ones differently; reduce complex patterns to the essential features that make them effective on fish; and, hell, dabble in the outlandish and garish if that moves you.

 

And, once "good', there will be temptations but never, ever, tie commercially! It becomes a job and a hard one with few rewards as the table is tipped away from you.

 

Rocco

[JSzymczyk 0]

I find fly tying to be very easy and something I would not attach the word master to. If you can get material on a hook and it stays where you put it your an expert. If you look at the flies tied by the best master tiers the world has ever seen you will note that the fly looks absolutely nothing like what it imitates. So a fly tied by a piker like me that looks kind of like the fly tied by the masters but also looks nothing like what it imitates is considered an inferior fly? Why? If they both catch fish why is one fly perfect and the other not?

 

If you are into fly tying for titles such as master and expert then I would imagine it would take a few years to reach that status. If you tie flys to catch fish with then you can be a master in a manner of months.

 

very well put.

 

my flies and lures perform the way I want, look good, and catch lots of fish. Like others I don't have the perspective of "it took me this long" because I have been tying stuff on hooks since I was a little kid and now I'm creeping up on being old. No internet, no videos, just books from the public library and harsh critique from some grumpy old neighborhood men when I learned the basics. Contrast that to guitar playing- I've been goofing with that as a hobby for years and I still suck. I could have personal lessons with David Gilmour and Eddie Van Halen and I would probably still suck.

[RickZieger 0]

I am sure most of my flies would not win a contest for fly tying.

Since I have a large number of dumb fish in the area they seem to like the flies I toss.

As long as the fish like them, don't worry about people.

My 2 cents on this.

 

Rick

[NohackleHS 0]

One suggestion on trying to shorten the learning curve. After you've tied a fly, take the time to critique it. Assuming you have the right materials, there are two basic factors that go into tying a "good" fly, the right proportions and the right tying techniques. Look at the fly. Are the proportions correct? If not, make an adjustment on the next fly you tie. Second, look at what else is wrong with the fly. Is the dubbing messy? Is the rib not equally spaced? Are materials not securely tied in? Things like these are related to your technique. So if you have these types of problems, work on your tying techniques. You can't tie consistently good flies if your tying techniques are not fundamentally sound.

[FKROW 0]

With instruction, I have experienced some new tiers getting very good in a few months.

Most are average or below average after many years of part time interest.

 

It all depends upon the individual and the intensity of study applied.

 

We have a extensive resource of DVD and book detailed information available today.

 

Regards,

FK

[CADenali 0]

Jake,

I started as a teenager 40 years ago with an Orvis pattern book. The frustration for me was technique and understanding and following the material list.

With time it got easier and the flies looked better and better as skills improved.

We are now blessed with YouTube and magazines and places like this forum that provide far and away more information than was available previously. My boys are in their early twenties and have become very good fly tiers in a much shorter time without much input from me thanks to that information and really great fly shops here in Denver and Wisconsin.

As mikechell eluded to, fish are not nearly as picky as fisherman and the best thing I can say about early attempts - fish with them, you will be pleasantly surprised and it will provide good information to enhance and improve your techniques and confidence. And remember, fish don't laugh but they will fight which is the desired result.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I would agree with everything that's been said so far, and especially with those who advised practice and repetition. Once you've got an understanding of the techniques you need to use for the flies you want to tie, repetition is the thing that's going to cause your end results to improve.

 

Case in point: 2017 is my twentieth year as a fly tier. The patterns I tie most often -- a woolly bugger variation, a zonker/woolly bugger/matuka hybrid, and Hare's Ear soft hackle wet flies -- I can crank out quickly and they always look decent and work quite well, if I say so myself.

On the other hand, I hardly ever tie the Humpy (dry fly)--maybe a half-dozen a year, if that. My Humpies suck, as a rule. I might get one in three to turn out decent (i.e. fishable).

 

The more you tie of a given pattern, the better you will get at that pattern, period.

[Gene L 0]

I used to have problems with a Humpy until I saw Hans Weilenmann's video on it. It's perfect, helps you get the proportions right.

[Woolly 0]

New to it myself but I tie some relatively large flies. 1/0 to 4 for saltwater. Mostly sight casting to redfish. If it works, who cares what it looks like of what others think?

[retrocarp 0]

Depends what your definition of proficient is ...........

[Kimo 0]

Depends what your definition of proficient is ...........

Ditto.

 

Having hung out with Charlie Craven and the late Shane Stalcup. IMO they define proficient.

It comes from years of commercial tying. No wasted movement. No extra wraps.

So smooth they make it look easy.

I've been around some very innovative and creative tyers but sucked when it came to actually

tying. Other guys are actual machines just pumping out identical flies. Very rarely do you run across

someone who embraces both of those disciplines.

If you get a chance go into a local fly shop and watch the guy who ties for the shop.

They are usually very fast and consistent. Note how they move, how their 'kit' is set up, how their

materials are prepped and layed out. They can't afford to be sloppy. They are making money.

 

Charlie still ties for customers and for the shop. He can afford to just have his flies tied by Umpqua

but he still ties a lot of his own patterns. You'll find him pumping them out.

 

And BTW, have fun.

 

Kimo

[GC59 0]

Remember nothing in nature is perfect, I'd say you get good when you fool a fish with a fly you tied. How long? I bet you can do that now.

[retrocarp 0]

 

Depends what your definition of proficient is ...........

 

Ditto.

 

Having hung out with Charlie Craven and the late Shane Stalcup. IMO they define proficient.

It comes from years of commercial tying. No wasted movement. No extra wraps.

So smooth they make it look easy.

I've been around some very innovative and creative tyers but sucked when it came to actually

tying. Other guys are actual machines just pumping out identical flies. Very rarely do you run across

someone who embraces both of those disciplines.

If you get a chance go into a local fly shop and watch the guy who ties for the shop.

They are usually very fast and consistent. Note how they move, how their 'kit' is set up, how their

materials are prepped and layed out. They can't afford to be sloppy. They are making money.

Charlie still ties for customers and for the shop. He can afford to just have his flies tied by Umpqua

but he still ties a lot of his own patterns. You'll find him pumping them out.

And BTW, have fun.

Kimo