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Ginormus1

New and Need Help

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Hi Guys! I am brand new around here and was hoping some of you veterans could help me out. I am very interested in learning to tie fly's and I had a few questions on how to get started.



1) If you were to do it all over again, what things would you buy ( vice, misc. tools, materials, ext.) What would you not buy?



2) Do you have a preferred place to purchase you tools/materials?



3) How would you recommend learning new patterns/techniques? ( You tube, fly tying books, forums, ext.)



Thank you so much for your time. It really means a lot to me and I very much appreciate it.



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Give us some info on the fishing you intend to do and the location, and you will get much better, specific advice.

 

I would only get what I need for a couple or three must tie patterns to get started. Research what those may be in your area, but a clouser, a deceiver, a wooly bugger and a popper or gurgler are all good candidates.

 

Learning in person beats all but it is not always possible, so Youtube and this forum will be EXTREMELY helpful. Soon you will learn whose work you need to follow.

 

Same thing with materials. Can't beat a good flyshop, specially for natural materials, but you may not have one. Lots of other materials are exactly the same no matter where you get them, so the internet will be fine for those.

 

That's my 2 cents.

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Look for your local fly fishing club to hold classes. If not call someone from the club and ask for advice. In my experience, people are more than happy to help out new tiers. I know my local TU holds classes, and any one of those members will help a newbie, classes or not. Just ask!

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I bought a used fly tying lot on e bay. Always wanted to do it but if I didnt like it Back on ebay it goes. Turns out I did. Upgraded the vice since then and have bought a lot more there. Plus made some really nice homemade tools and stuff. I have about 2 years in. So im not a vet. I started with you tube vids. Books and sites that give a step by step instructions. My first was the wooly bugger, simple bucktails, streammers, nymphs. I now tie mostly for bass. Popper, gurglers and many others. Keep it simple. Learn the basics first. I sat at my bench just tying knots with the whip finisher. Then just dubbing. I thing a good you tube vid is beginner fly tying tips- part 1 all the ways to part 12. Worth watching. Teaches all the basics. Its like a class on fly tying.

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Aurora- Charlies Flybox - Craven's folks always knowledgeable and helpful, on phone too... Website has about 100 patterns, step by step tutorials, great Colorado selections

 

Ft. Collins- St. Peter's - same as above

 

Loveland has Sportsmen's Warehouse, can be good

 

West Laramie Flyshop if you travel north, a great place to pick up sample flies, if you need to see it to copy it... Good pricing, limited tying inventory.

 

Many shops on west side of state too, Durango has some good places, Abe's on the San Juan is great for tailwater fly samples

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Welcome to the forum Ginormus1.

 

You will find plenty of help here.I would start with just the basic tools needed and add more as you get better at tying and advance to harder flies.Also it helps to use quality materials.A lot of the stuff found in the kits is far from quality.

 

Here is a link to the youtube videos bass master mentioned. They are great videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB6tss3hGZc

 

Another great site for learning the basics is Fly Anglers online.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/

 

Go halfway down the green column on the left and click Fly Tying-Beginning tying. You will find some great info there.

 

For tying new patterns it hard to beat a good video.You can find a video for almost any fly you want to tie on youtube.

 

Material prices vary at different shops.You just need to see what you will need depending on the flies you want to begin with,then check out different online shops.In colorado you probably have several shops right down the street from you.You can get a good look at the materials before you buy.

 

If you have any problems or have questions just ask.Someone one this site will be glad to help you.We love pics too so feel free to post any new flies you tie if you want critique on them.

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charlies fly box

7513 Grandview Ave, Arvada, CO 80002

 

 

3) How would you recommend learning new patterns/techniques? ( You tube, fly tying books, forums, ext.)

 

tying lessons

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You can't go wrong any which way. I started tying flies for trout and other smaller freshwater fish few years ago but I've tied bucktails, jigs and spinners for spin fishing and teasers for saltwater for 35 or so years. My father was a lifelong fishermen who loved fly fishing and fly tying but I didn't pick up flyfishing until after he passed. I think I started out with far less mystery and unknowns then most beginners. So first rule is don't be intimidated. Jump right in.

 

Tying flies is super easy, tools are few and inexpensive (or not), the learning curve is little and just about anything you tie will catch fish. YouTube has millions of videos and it's easy to distinquish between good videos and hacks. Charlie's flybox is an awesome resource. I also like going to fishing shows during the winter. This site has many very skilled and experienced tiers always willing to help. Every fishing show will have at least a handful of guys tying. They are more then happy to answer questions and show you things.

 

To help with proportion, which is sometimes difficult to grasp from a video, I like to buy a single fly that I want to tie. I use these flies as a living model while tying so I get the proportions close. I'm no pro or wealth of tying knowledge but it's not difficult or technical. Start with simple ties and progress to the more difficult since the simple ones tend to be building blocks or skill builders to the more intricate ones. Good luck and enjoy.

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In answer to your first question I would find my closest fly shop and buy a Thompson vise, a decent bobbin, a spool of black 8/0 Veevus thread, a spool of small gold wire, a decent pair of fine-tipped scissors, a whip-finisher and a bodkin. The fine-tipped scissors are for thread and soft materials ONLY! Go to a fabric store and buy a cheap pair of embroidery scissors. The crappy scissors are for wire, metal tinsels, hides, dirty deer hair, and the like.

 

Go to a department store and buy a bottle of clear Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails nail polish. It's cheaper than head cement and as good or better.

 

I would not buy a flared-tip bobbin, but that's just personal preference. I find them hard to work with sometimes. You can get by without a bobbin threader. Just introduce the thread into the bottom of the bobbin tube and then suck hard on the other end. (I've been tying since the latter 60's and have used my threader maybe 4 times.) I wouldn't buy Ultra Thread, though it seems to be all the rage right now. I find it nasty stuff to work with as it shreds with a dirty look or a rough finger tip, and you will have random fibers spiraling off of your fly.

 

Starter materials like hooks, feathers, fur, hair, dubbings, beads, etc. sort of depend on how and where you expect to fish and for what. Dry or wet? Stream or stillwater? Trout? Bass? Kokanee? Bluegills? Inconnu? Swordfish? Pick a style of fishing, pick a fish, and tell your vendor you need materials to tie one simple fly for starters. For wet trout, maybe a gold-ribbed pheasant tail (PT) nymph. When you get that down, up your game and try a flashback gold-ribbed pheasant tail nymph, adding one more material to your pattern. Then maybe a beadhead gold-ribbed flashback PT nymph. Then maybe a beadhead soft hackle gold-ribbed flashback PT nymph..... You might get sick of PT nymphs, but by this point you have learned to fasten a bead, thread, tail barbules, gold wire, flashabou, thorax material of choice, and a feather all on one little hook.

 

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. Good luck and good times to you.

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Many thumbs up to advice above, especially on posts 10, 11, 12 above. Wish I would have seen that about 1992.

 

Tools needed, contrasted with those that are desirable, are inexpensive - vise, bobbin, and the best, sharp, fine- point scissors that one can afford. Maybe a Materelli-style whip finisher. Many other do it yourself devices are fun to create. For instance, a bodkin is basically a needle on a stick. Hair stackers can be made from countless re-cycled, tube-shaped, objects. There is a recent thread here devoted to FUN, self- help gadgets.

 

One comment on materials from which I would have benefited most greatly. Use thread that matches the hook size. Because using thread that is too wide or thick just doesn't look as good on small hooks, and fills up the shank too quick, taking up space needed for dressings. Too thin, narrow just wastes thread on big hooks.

 

If you learn to tie only 4 patterns, you can master many other flies that trout will eat: Woolly bugger, Adams, Stimulator, and Copper John. I read this in a Hatches magazine article, only about 15 years too late, but the theory has proven out, in my experiece.

 

Welcome to the forum and as Charlie Craven said to me ...Twist em up!

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Hi Guys! I am brand new around here and was hoping some of you veterans could help me out. I am very interested in learning to tie fly's and I had a few questions on how to get started.

1) If you were to do it all over again, what things would you buy ( vice, misc. tools, materials, ext.) What would you not buy?

 

Welcome !

 

Well in answer to your question #1 above, a lot of things have changed since I first started. But some basics are still the same. You really need a vise, it's nice to have a thread bobbin ( holder) and whip finisher. I started off with basic tools . To do it all over today, I would start with a rotating vise, if even the made in India jobbers but probably an Apex vise. I would buy all Griffin ceramic bobbins ( my original had a copper tube), since that is what I eventually settled on anyway. I'd buy the same Materelli style whip finisher ( but also learn to do a whip finish by hand as well in case you misplace that whip finisher). Today I'd skip the piece of soft drink straw I used as a hair stacker and buy a hair stacker instead.. When I started I had no scissors at all, I used single edge razor blades and they work fine even today but eventually you need scissors to "conveniently" cut fibers away from feather stems if nothing else. Mid road priced items that are decently made are sufficient IMO. I personally would just avoid the fixed position vise is all. But if that is all I had available I would still tie my flies LOL !

 

Incidentally, I will never be without a Grizzly cock and also hen neck/cape. Very versatile. The first I bought was Coachman Brown, Ginger and then Grizzly. Later Brown, then the Duns and I just replaced those with half necks. You can buy half necks, way more affordable than full and plenty of feathers to get you going. This is for dry flies and wet flies ( Hen for wets, cock for dry). As has been mentioned, don't skimp on the hackle but you can buy a name brand grade 2, half neck or cape and save some money and have way better feathers than strung or bagged. This is something I learned early on .Back then I looked around and landed on Spencer skins ( no longer in business unfortunately). Today I buy Metz or Whiting. Just sayin. It's awful tempting to buy strung or bagged because it appears so cheap,but they always come around to bite you in the end. Some are good enough for buggers though. but this was already covered anyway by another poster.

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You're in Colorado, so there are lot's of local resources.

 

1. Take a beginning fly tying course - in person, from a book or online. It will guide you through the basics and teach you skills you'll use on many flies.

2. Find the local Trout Unlimited chapter and go to their meetings. They often have beginning fly tying sessions

3. Go to the library and check out some Beginning Fly Tying Books and DVDs. If your local branch does not have the books below, ask the librarian to get one from another library. Colorado has a huge sharing system, so most libraries can get books from others. It might be better to reserve them online.

4. Visit some local fly shops. They have beginning tying lessons and lot's of advice.

 

Specific favorites of mine

 

Flyanglersonline.com Beginning Fly Tying Course (as recommended by Kentucky Steve)

Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple by Skip Morris

Basic Fly Tying by Charlie Craven (if you can, buy this from Charlie at his store, Fly Tier posted the address)

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