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jakeryan

How long to get "proficient" at tying?

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I know there will always be room for improvement, but you guys that have been tying for some time, how long do you think it took you to get to the point where you where "good"?. I guess a better way to put it would be how long was it before you were spending more time tying decent flies that you were screwing things up?

 

As some of you know I am really new to this and do not expect overnight success. I try to tie several nights a week and lets just say they might catch fish but it looks like those pictures your kid brought home from kindegarten!

 

I'm sure there is no magic number of days as people vary on how they learn things,but was/is there a rough time period where it seemed like everything just started to come together?

 

Its been fun trying to figure this stuff out so far.A little aggravating a lot of times,but for the most part its been enjoyable.

 

Thanks!!!

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I can only answer from my own perspective and experience.

I started, and continue, to tie flies for my fishing. They aren't works of art.

I don't tie every different kind of fly I see. I don't tie super complicated, beautiful flies that I'd then be afraid to lose to a fish.

 

I follow a few basic techniques. I can start the thread, get material to stay where I want it, and whip finish it all off. I can tie a fly that will catch dozens of fish without falling apart.

 

And I was doing all that within a month or two of tying my first fly.

 

I still couldn't tie a classic pattern, but I never even tried to.

 

Get the basic techniques down ... and you should be able to do that within a few months. After that, it's all about honing your skills, following good step-by-step instructions and learning just how the materials lay on the hook.

 

Good luck ... and TAKE YOUR TIME. Getting in a hurry is the quickest way to mess everything up.

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well ive been at it for over 35 years and i'm still learning how to tie flies or learning a "new to me" technique

 

being retired i usually tie 2-3 flies a day. the flies i tie are nothing spectacular

 

just practice practice practice

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All else being equal, it all starts making sense and you start improving significantly after the first 10-12 dozen or so. As Flytire pointed out, you never stop learning, and the motions will seem less foreign after overcoming the beginner's curve which at the rate you are tying, should not take too long. Mastering your existing repertoire and then seeking new challenges is how to best advance.

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Flytire is being modest. Take the flies you've tied fishing. Watch them in the water see if the fish hit them, etc. You can modify your tying on the experience.

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One of the best ways to improve is to challenge yourself, like getting into swaps. It kind of forces you to take your time with each fly. I used to watch each step I did, and if I made a mistake I just unwrapped it and tried it again till it looked acceptable to me then on to the next step. Since I knew they were going to other people I knew I had to put some time into them, and it made me improve my technique rather quickly. I also had watched many youtube videos and had a tying group that I took part in every week, and that really helped me develop my tying skills. I still had to tye about 20 flies to get a dozen that looked good enough to send in to a swap, it still does sometimes, especially if I am learning a new process or trick. I just have to remember that if I'm tying for fish it doesn't always have to look pretty.

 

Blane

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All great input from everyone , I'm fortunate to be retired also , I tie everyday it's not an easy thing to master I learn new things constantly that's what keeps things interesting, there are so many tips and things you can do , I know what worked for me ,

Try not to set the Bar to high ,have fun stay focused on a few flies then practice , I honestly think if you tie everyday you train you're eyes as well as you're skills become sharp, repetition trains you're hands , don't get overwhelmed by the thousands of recipes ,

You-tube is you're friend ,it's a very helpful source , the guys here are very helpful .

But find a few flies you're comfortable tieing , after you have them down pat ,other flys kind of fall in behind them just keep it simple and have fun

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Repetition is the key to good flies. So this means the same fly in the same size. But you can tie it in different colors.

 

So when I tie, I tie dozens of the same fly in the same size. So pick a fly that you will fish all the time in the most popular size and tie a dozen of that fly in that size. For example, I fish a size 14 parachute adams for the Hendrickson hatch and I will tie dozens of the fly. Then I will tie it a size 16, then in an 18 and then in a BWO parachute in a size 20. I tie it for sulphur and PMD hatches but it is the SAME fly in different colors.

 

The same is true for all patterns. You get good at tying specific patterns that both catch fish and can imitate many specific hatches.

 

Pattern choice is what you need to be very careful about.

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You can take "good" as far as you want - I don't think the perfect fly has ever been tied.

For myself, and many of the other people I have met through the world of fly tying, I

consider myself "good-enough" to create imitations that will fool fish. Of course, every

one could have been a little better; but that is the repetition and practice the other

members have mentioned here.

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Practice, practice, practice. If there is a fly shop near you that offers classes, take one. I have been tying for over 60 years. every year I go to a expo in Oregon and try to take at least one if not two classes. Being retired makes it easier to try new things. but mostly I have tied flies that I fish. Swaps have improved my tying by a lot It is much different when you know your fly is going to be looked at by 12 other people. Welcome to the Forum.

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it took years, but I started when I was 16. I didn't have you tube and forums like are out there today. But I agree with the comment above about repetition. Try no to get tyers ADD and focus on one pattern. Most flies all contain similar aspects. So start with a walts worm- will teach you how to put dubbing on a hook. Move up to a hares ear. THen keep building. In my opinion you are better off learning steps than just patterns.

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I used to think I was pretty good, I even won a few fly tying contests, but it wasn't until I sat down with a world class tyer, and let him examine my flies and explain how I could do it better, that I actually became "good."

 

It's all about attention to detail. Every fly has mistakes, so each fly can be improved once you train your eye to see the problems. That said, fish aren't nearly as picky as some fly tyers are, so don't be too hard on yourself. Most of the flies you'll tie will probably catch fish.

 

If you are trying to take it to the next level, though, and create works of art, you need the feedback from top tyers. You need to go the the Fly Tying Symposium, or one of the many other fly tying expos. where you can talk to the demonstration tiers. Most will be happy to look at your flies and offer critique (OK, there are a few jerks out there.) Also, as has been said, take classes from noted tyers. Most of these different shows and expos offer such classes, and they aren't really that expensive. I've sat with Gary Borger, Charlie Craven, Robert Schreiner, Oscar Felu, Stack Scovill and others. They've all helped me become a better tier. Each has offered tips and techniques that have become a part of repertoire.

 

Never stop learning!

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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.

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I'm not one to give advice on becoming "good," but here goes. My advice is to slow down and don't be in a hurry to finish a fly. Master fly tiers can knock them out quickly, but I find if I take my time I can turn out a fairly good fly that's more or less true to pattern, which to me is important. If you make a mistake it's easily removed with a razor blade. My first flies were awful and I felt compelled to tie one in three minutes or so like the pros.

 

A good thing to practice if you're tying Classic flies is to get the proportions right, like wing height, tail length, hackle length, etc. At some point after tying a number of flies of the same size, you can almost choose hackle from the neck on instinct. But use a hackle gauge anyway.

 

I fie because I like to tie and please myself, not to sell them or just to catch fish. If I was in it for the fish, I'd stick to the Squirmy Wormy for trout and probably bream. A very good fisher can catch fish on about anything because he or she knows how to fish, not necessarily how to tie a perfect Quill Gordon. It's better IMO to spend an hour on tying the best fly you can rather than turning out a ratty fly every ten minutes. With practice comes speed (although it hasn't for me) and you learn a lot by making mistakes and correcting them on your next effort..

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Mostly I've just being tying marabou jigs and wooly buggers. But sometimes,whether it's right or wrong,I just make something up experimenting using different materials.I do this just to get a feel for different things. Example was last night I used a #8 2 x streamer hook , wrapped in small olive chenille. About halfway up the shank I tied in some quills off of a turkey wing feather about 3/4 " long for some wings. Didn't look like anything special but was pleased it was tight and I got different materials to hold. Thanks for all the info!!

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