Starting Out

[Alex C. 0]

I just started out flyfishing. I bought a couple rods and traded some of my traps for a bunch of flys. Then last week I decided I want to tie flys too so I bought a danvise on ebay last night. So my question is now what do I need as far as tools go to tie flies? Does anyone know of any kits out there that are descent?

[Alex C. 0]

oops, guess I should have posted this in the tying forum

[Guest]

In order to get the most bang for your buck, play it smart and select a few patterns that will suit your target species and go from there.

 

What are you after? Trout, Bass? Your location will also play a role. A visit to a local flyshop will give you an idea of the hatches in your area. Some of the basics will remain the same (to some degree). Thread, dubbing, hackle and fur are quite versatile. Hooks can be pattern specific.

 

Fill us in and hang on to your wallet...lol

[JoeFish 0]

you need a bobbin, it holds the spool of thread.

 

sharp scissors too.

 

tell us what fish you are fishing for with your fly stuff and we will be able to make some more suggestions as to what flies to tie and materials to get.

[Guest]

You might wander through some of the online shops that sell tying tools. I have seen some "kits" with "good" tools list at a savings. I can't tell you specifics because it hasn't been something I needed. The very basics are Scissors and bobbin. You can tie a lot of flies with these two tools.

[pacres 0]

In addition to a bobbin, and scissors, you will likely want a whip finishing tool. I would suggest buying a materalli tool, as it is fairly easy to learn. A hair stacker should be on your list if you intend on creating flies such as Elk hair caddis, and stimulators. I would recommend buying a ceramic tipped bobbin. It will save you breaking alot of thread.

[Guest]

I'd advise taking it slow and master one pattern at a time. A Wooly Bugger is a great starter and will catch just about everything. Tie it in several sizes until you get comfortable tying it. It usually takes me about 5 flies to work out the kinks, ask lots of questions here on the FTF, nobody is going to make fun of your flies, none of us were born with a bobbin in our hands, we all made mistakes along the way.

 

Good luck, and welcome to the Dark Side.

[Pujic 0]

Welcome aboard Skunked!

 

Glad to hear you've ventured into this wonderful sport. I second Trout Bum's idea to take it slow, learn one pattern at a time. Woolly buggers will get you started and you'll be am,azed how well they work.

 

Here is what you will need for a woolly bugger, in addition to your vise:

 

1. Strung marabou

2. Saddle hackle (saddle patches are better, but strung hackle will work just fine)

3. Chenille

4. Streamer hooks (size 2 through 8)

5. Some 6/0 thread

 

You can mix and match the colors and let your imagination run wild.

Best of luck and please let us know how you made out!

 

Nick

[mhackney 0]

I agree, start with a wooly bugger. For equipment, I'd recommend:

 

1) vice (you have)

2) bobbin (ceramic is nice, all will work)

3) scissors - I wouldn't skimp too much here. I just purchased (and received) 2 pairs of these from eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWN:IT - a really excellent buy at $8.79 (buy it now price). These are very well made german surgical scissors. I paid over $40 for a similar pair made by the company that acquired this one.

4) a bodkin - basically a needle at the end of a stick!

 

have fun and good luck!

Michael

[Alex C. 0]

I live in northern MI, I will be after rainbows, browns, brookies, pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill, and splake if I can figure out how to cach em. Oh yeah, we've got salmon here too. I bought a 8'6" 6/7 weight rod, and a 9' 8 weight rod. I think those will cover me for everything but the salmon. I mainly want to fish for trout but plan on goin after the bass when they are on their beds this spring, and salmon when they run in the fall

[Graham 0]

Hi Skunked,

 

I started by tying little olive scuds. First thing was to wrap 6/0 thread on a hook and pull it till it breaks a few times to get a feel for how much tension you have to work with. Then take a very small (less than you'd think) pinch of dubbing and pull it apart till it's about 1.5" long and very thin and sparse, then put this against the thread hanging beneath the hook, then with your forefinger and thumb, use a motion similar to snapping your fingers and twist the dubbing around the thread to make a rope on the thread. Licking your finger first may be helpful. Now, starting at the rear of the hook tightly spiral this around the hook towards the hook eye. I'd practice this a number of times till you get a feel for it. Then try tying on a 6" piece of fine wire at the rear of the hook before wrapping the dubbing, dub the hook and then wrap the wire forward around the dubbing to simulate body segmentation, also makes the fly more durable. Once you have this down you can put a 1/8" wide slip of plastic on the hook before the wire and dubbing to create a scud shell. Or skip the plastic and change the dubbing color and put a thorax on the fly. Once you see what you can make with your hands it gets addictive. Like TroutBum said, welcome to the dark side, it's fun and wait till you catch fish on your own hand tyed fly's, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

 

For tools you'll need a vise, bobbin, bodkin and scissors to get started. Oh, never cut wire with scissors, get a pair of small wire cutters for that.

 

Graham

[Guest]

Northern Michigan is easy.

 

Although the hatches are quite prolific, the fish have a tendancy to zero in on nymphs most of the time. Fish feeding on dries are the exception. Ok, maybe the Boardman will get plenty of risers, but sub-surface is the ticket 95% of the time.

Search our Pattern Database for Hare's ears, Pheasant tails and caddis nymphs. Tie them in a variety of sizes. I would think size 16-12 would cover most bases. Wets are a nice addition during emergence.

 

We've had good luck fishing the above mentioned Wollybuggers, like the one in my avatar and other "meat-looking" patterns. Once summer rolls around, it's hard to beat an ant or hopper.

 

You're in for a treat. This is a very rewarding hobby.

 

Keep in touch. Most of my fishing takes place from Newaygo north...

 

 

[Alex C. 0]

so do I need to tie flies in the 18 and smaller range? One of my dilemas is figuring out what flies to take on the water with me . I bought "Trout Flies For The Michigan Emergence Schedule" and of course only plan on bringing what flies are " in season" but should I carry every size hook size with me or are the the fish not that picky up here?

[Guest]

In Michigan I rarely fish anything smaller than a 16. There's such an abundance of forage that the fish can be picky and pass on the small stuff.

 

What rivers are you planning on fishing? We have quite a few members that target your area. I'm sure you'll get many personal "favorites" from the membership on this board.

[Alex C. 0]

I live in Gaylord so I am within a half hour of the Pigeon, Sturgeon, Au Sable, Manistee, Black, Jordan, and the Boyne. I plan on fishing all of these plus the little manistee and maybe a few trips down to the Pere Marquette and the Boardman.