Brand new and I'm stuck

[JLee 0]

I bought a Peak rotary vise, a few tools(bobbin, scissors), created accounts with wish lists at J Stockard and Feather-Craft but have no idea re hooks and thread. Been watching just about every YouTube video I can find but don't know which direction I should go. Was about to order a selection of UTC 70 and 140 but then I watch another video and think maybe Uni or Veevus. Thinking the Dai Riki hooks would be a good choice but I just don't know.

 

I'm going on a float/wade trip on the S Holston in TN at the end of the month but not expecting quick results in such a short period so sulphurs are out. Guides have a reputation to uphold so doubt they would like my newbie ties anyway. Might start with something simpler like a clouser for summer smallmouths if someone would just tell me which kind/brand of hooks and thread to start with.

[despatiesim 0]

Each has their own oppinion, but I'm sold on veevus. So strong for a thin diameter.

[JLee 0]

Guess it wouldn't hurt to get some of each. Should I just get the basic colors(black, white, brown) until I get more experience or are there colors I definitely should have?

[mikechell 0]

If you've got a fly tying store near (BPS ... Cabela's ... fly shop), buy a couple of spools of each. Inexpensive.

 

Got a Walmart close by? Go get 50 or 100 size 8 or 6 aberdeen hooks for $4.00. Get some bead chain from the hardware department (ceiling fan chains). Some 2mm foam and a couple of pairs of Flip-Flops.

 

Tie small streamers, clousers and top water poppers until you get the basics down. You don't need top dollar stuff to tie fish catching flies. (Even trout will hit basic flies, regardless of what some people say)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JLee 0]

Have a local Cabelas and flyshop in town so no problem. I usually just stand and stare when I go by.

[rstaight 0]

If you are taking Mike's suggestion at Wal-Mart, since you will be getting craft foam get some spinner bait skirts. Use those for the legs on a Chernobyl Ant.

[flytire 0]

Have a local Cabelas and flyshop in town so no problem. I usually just stand and stare when I go by.

 

go to the fly shop for hook suggestions. somebody there will be glad to help.

 

they may even offer tying lessons

 

allen fly fishing has an excellent selection of fly hooks at reasonable prices

 

http://www.allenflyfishing.com/fly-hooks/

[JLee 0]

My local TU chapter was going to start a tying class but it never got off the ground. Pretty sure Cabelas offers a class as does my local flyshop. Local shop run by a good guy so I'll stop by and talk to him also.

[Roland58 0]

Yup, the fly shop should put you on what you need to get started. Take a look at the step-by-step instructions on this site and others, most will have a materials list. Just keep it simple to begin with and work your way up. There are a lot of great folks on this site that will help you with anything you question.

 

Welcome to the best fly tying forum on the internet!

[Wetsock 0]

Try UNi and UTC70 and see which you like best. UTC will lie flat the more I use it the more I like. Can't go wrong with UNI0/8 when just getting started I still use it a lot. Only need a few colors to get started

[Cold 0]

If you have a local fly shop and they're offering any kind of instruction, take them up on it. Any sort of structured learning will cut huge amounts of time off your learning curve, and the learning curve savings from classes are greatest at the very beginning. The more you self-teach, the less that a class will help, plus you'll have self-taught some bad habits.

 

As far as hooks, the Dai-riki's will work. Every now and then you'll get 1 or 2 in a 50 pack that will be malformed and unusable (usually issues with the eye) but the vast majority are fine, and they're among the cheapest sharpened, hardened hooks out there. Personally I use a lot of different brands (Dai-riki, Daiichi, Tiemco, Mustad, Partridge, Gamakatsu...) and i time you likely will too, but for now, I'd stay with the more economical Dai-riki and Mustad hooks. Most of the D-r in trout sizes will run you $5-7 per 50...common sizes of Mustads can be as cheap as $10 per 100.

 

Thread-wise, try anything that seems like it might work right now. Learn the differences between a bonded (Uni) and unbonded (UTC) thread. Learn what sizes you use for different applications, and practice your own thread control so that you can use lighter threads, thus reducing bulk. For trout flies, I rarely use thread heavier than Uni 8/0, even on streamers, and for smallmouth, rarely more than 6/0. Between bonded and unbonded, the bonded is more tyer-friendly with respect to durability and handling (as in, it'll stand up better to dragging across a hook point, it's single strand is easier to manage when tying things down, etc.) but the unbonded shines when it comes to reducing bulk and keeping things smooth. Personally, if I'm tying a dry fly, I'd rather mitigate the drawbacks of bonded thread by dropping a few sizes than by going to unbonded (for example, if I'm trying to decide between Uni 8/0 and UTC 70, I'd rather stick with bonded thread and go to a Sheer 14/0 than go to the UTC 70. For my tying, I reach for the UTC only when tying with floss and tinsel. Usually classic wets and streamers, where the UTC;s ability to lie flat and smooth is essential. In my wholly subjective opinion, Veevus thread is garbage. It's been nothing but weak, prone to breaking without warning, and binding/backlashing on the spool on both spools that I bought to try it. I finally used up the black 10/0 building thread underbodies for streamers this week...just need to get rid of the olive gray 16/0 now....

[skeet3t 0]

One tip- I use a strand of copper wire from an old extension cord or appliance cord for weight. Free! And you can't get much cheaper than that. Plus you can tie a sackful of flies with one cord.

[Cold 0]

One tip- I use a strand of copper wire from an old extension cord or appliance cord for weight. Free! And you can't get much cheaper than that. Plus you can tie a sackful of flies with one cord.

If you're doing this, use and lose those flies within the season.

 

The wire UTC sells has some sort of coating or finish that keeps the wire bright and corrosion free. Wire from a household appliance cord does not have this coating, and will oxidize (and in the case of copper, turn dull, then black, then green, then flake away and become somewhat brittle). Once you get the fly wet, this process seems to accelerate as well.

 

Personally, after doing this briefly when I was getting started, I decided that ponying up for proper fly tying wire would pay for itself in time in flies that remained in good condition in my boxes for seasons, not months.

[JSzymczyk 0]

If you're going to pay a "guide" then use his flies.

 

Yes there are differences in the brands of thread... but they all serve the same purpose and they all do reasonably well. Starting out you're not going to care about the nuances of each one enough to really matter. When I started about a million years ago, the sporting goods shop in town (a real sporting goods shop, nothing like a box store) had Danville 6/0 and 3/0 monocord... the crusty old guy there told me to use 3/0 monocord because it was hard to break. A spool of black, and a spool of white. I tied woolly worms and generic nymphs and caught a truck load of trout in the local streams. Pretty high-on-the-horse for a ten year old kid with a hand me down rod and an old level line.

 

Don't worry about those little details. Today's world of hyper-marketing makes everything ridiculous. Get some decent quality hooks in a FEW different styles and sizes- Mustad, Daiichi, or whatever, tie some simple flies, go catch a ton of fish, and have fun. All the craziness of different threads and how different hooks are tempered blah blah blah can wait for another day. Most of it doesn't make the difference of a fart in a tornado.

[JLee 0]

Thanks for the advice. Greatly appreciated.