Fly Tying!

[Odin]

1. I would like to say how refreshing it is to come in and see topics that I want to read rather than the crap deluge current assaulting ski/snowboard.

that being said I will make a controlled effort to stay on the fishy side of things here.

To that effect...

Fly Tying - The Idea Behind It.

Is there a set pattern and set tendency that you tie to? Or is it a matter of supreme trial and error.?Having fished with both storebought flies and hand tied flies I have seen the complete and utter difference between the two. I wonder though are the differences large enough to justify me picking it up or should i just find a better store to buy flies from?

[pechelman]

tie them yourself
its fun, relaxing, and its own challenge and art form.

not only can you exactly imitate what foods you find at the stream its also a cool way to really understand the fish and insects and even pickup a few cool things about entymology.

and always tie the tried and true patterns, which is good to have in any fly box. Itll make for good practice on basic techniques and save you money in the long run.

also, youd be surprised what ugly flies you can make that will work just as well as the pretty\perfectly tied flies from the store.

[MakersTeleMark]

I tie quite a bit (OK, a lot in certain months). The experience of experimenting with odd patterns that I come up with and seeing them work locally is so much fun, and rewarding. The cost savings and high quality of flies is a bonus as well. I only buy flies I hate tying, namely really big ones with odd materials that I can't justify buying, or really really small ones that I just can't tie.

[schwerty]

Fly tying is addictive! You gotta have lots of patience though.
I have been tying for a long time and still don't have the patience or the skill to tie a lot of the flies I need. I stick to the easy ones and buy or trade for the rest.
If you're buying flies from a store that are shitty quality, switch shops or better yet, find the people whose flies you have fished and offer them some cash for a few bugs.

[warthog]

1. I would like to say how refreshing it is to come in and see topics that I want to read rather than the crap deluge current assaulting ski/snowboard.

Here here. I find myself only looking at this, padded room, and Photo/video these days.

Who are all these kooks anyway? It seems worse than normal.

[72Twenty]

In a sense, it is kinda the same thing as tuning and mounting your own skis. That being said, I am still very much a beginner at the tying thing - but I am trying and learning. I am getting into it just to do it, more than anything else.

[scarz111]

I would definitly suggest picking up fly tying. Not only is it something else to do during the winter but it's super relaxing (after you figure it out). I would also suggest taking a class even if it's just a one or two night beginner class. I tried doing it solo and ended with a mess o' crap that a catfish wouldnt poop on. Learn all those little things the books dont show from someone who knows. Just learning how to whip finish can be a chore or spinning deer hair. Yep, that blows without some guidance. Good luck and tight lines.

[LegoSkier]

I tie sometimes for fun but a lot of times I get lazy and end up fishing with store bought. Some things I can do pretty well. Peacock herl mosquitos, various basic dubbing bodied mayfly type patterns, and am OK at elk hair caddis. Some things I suck at and can never seem to do well. Namely things with hair wings like Wulff, yellow Humphy patterns etc. They turn out crappy.
I actually am good at big bass bugs made from deer hair clipped into shape. Even came up with a pattern I called the Wine Country Frog which was a frog body carved out of a wine cork with big feather legs trailing it. It worked pretty well too on bass in various vineyard ponds. Go figure.

[pechelman]

^in all fairness, humpy's can be a pretty freaking complex fly to tie, especially in anything 18 or under. Getting the first stack of hair right for the body, shell back, and wings is tricky when it gets so small. Thankfully, while its one of my favorite to tie and look at, I dont catch *a lot* of fish on it so I dont need many.

[MakersTeleMark]

Your personal philosophy behind what you tie and why is nearly as important as your skills, materials, etc. For trout lovers, I highly recommend TROUT FLIES: The Tier's Reference by Dave Hughes.

What are your favorite tying books?

[pechelman]

Lefty's Saltwater Fly book
forget the exact name, but its softback, blue cover, and has some giant flies on the front

for trout, I had found a website a while back that was pretty amazing.
I should still have the link on my home computer, but I never use it anymore.
had step by step pictures with a TON of different patterns.
really a sweet resource.

[MakersTeleMark]

http://www.westfly.com/patterns/patterns.shtml

?

[pechelman]

thats waaaay fancier looking
this was just a few big pages, seperated by fly type, with a whole bunch of links you could click on. I remember it looking a lot more user contributed and not so professional looking.

lets see what i can dig up at home

[MakersTeleMark]

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?act=flyindex

[The Reverend Floater]

I lost a good friend to fly-tying.

G. Gordon Liddy and I used to have a good friend named DJ. I grew up with him and we'd do everything together. An avid angler and one of the best fly fisherman I've ever seen, it was just a matter of time until he discovered tying.

One day DJ simply quit showing up to the bar, which was odd. Then he quit showing up to anything.

Now DJ spends his days and nights locked up in his garage-apartment, smoking copious amounts of the hippie lettuce and tying his life away. His family, his friends, his hobbies--all gone.

Don't let this happen to you.

[bio-smear]

I enjoying tying. I started when I was a kid, and destroyed everything in my dad's fly-tying kit. I quit not long after that to pursue other things like D&D and girls, which I know are mutually exclusive usually. Luckily I was in a band too, which offset the D&D kinda.

So, having picked up the fly-tying again recently, it is very relaxing and therapeutic, but I am overwhelmed by the knowledge. Isn't there just a database somewhere with all the rivers and creeks and some local knowledge and a photo of the fly that you can query?

It would be cool.

[72Twenty]

For you beginners (like me) - my dad bought me a little kit from Sportsman's Warehouse to get started and for practice. It is a little package with everything you need to tie what ever fly it is (they come in multiple varieties) called "Rainey's Bug in a Box". In my case, he bought me "Rainy's Parachute Adams" (mayfly). It comes with one completed fly for reference and enough materials to tie 12 flies and step-by-step instructions (you just need your own thread). It also comes with 3 different hook sizes. The whole deal was about $15. It is actually made in Logan, UT; their phone number is (888) 212-FISH.

Link to their site:

http://www.rainysflies.com/pages/fm_bugBox.html

[pechelman]

those kits ^^^, so much more than generic fly tying kits are SO much more useful. They generally include pretty high quality materials too since theyre not giving you that much.

Another great "kit" to buy is the wooly bugger kit, which is really nothing more than some wire, black or brown feathers, and whatever you want to make the body from. Quick and easy way to learn to tie a fly that is pretty much garunteed to catch most species of fish.

[72Twenty]

Here here. I find myself only looking at this, padded room, and Photo/video these days.

Who are all these kooks anyway? It seems worse than normal.

No kidding. Today is really bad. Even in the padded room with all the 'this is how I would fix the world' stuff.

[mnflyfish]

The best days/nights I spent this winter that were not on snow happened with my 7 year old and myself at my fly tying desk. Every other fly was some crazy creation that my daughter came up with, maybe good for pan fish, usually pink with lots of sparkle. We sit and talk, goof around, listen to old 80's punk/new wave, and just enjoy each other's company. It's a great way to spend a cold winter evening, and when it's time for my daughter to go to bed, then I break out the Jameson and keep tying until the wee hours. It's addictive.

JAy

[MakersTeleMark]

For you beginners (like me) - my dad bought me a little kit from Sportsman's Warehouse to get started and for practice. It is a little package with everything you need to tie what ever fly it is (they come in multiple varieties) called "Rainey's Bug in a Box". In my case, he bought me "Rainy's Parachute Adams" (mayfly). It comes with one completed fly for reference and enough materials to tie 12 flies and step-by-step instructions (you just need your own thread). It also comes with 3 different hook sizes. The whole deal was about $15. It is actually made in Logan, UT; their phone number is (888) 212-FISH.

Link to their site:

http://www.rainysflies.com/pages/fm_bugBox.html

This just doesn't make much sense to me because if you know you are going to be using a lot of para adams (good idea), just go into your local shop and ask them what you need to tie it and stock up on those materials. You will save a ton of money. You know what a completed one looks like, so that's not an issue, and you can find step by step instructions on how to tie them online no problem (http://www.flyfishingjacksonhole.com...steps-main.htm), so what does the above kit get you other than one more trip to the shop for supplies once you tied your first 12?

For the most part they are pretty easy to tie, but smaller parachutes can be a bit tricky. Good one to learn though because of it's combination of basic parts and its sheer versatility. I tie about 100 of em a year and always seem to blast through them.

[pechelman]

Lefty's Saltwater Fly book
forget the exact name, but its softback, blue cover, and has some giant flies on the front

for trout, I had found a website a while back that was pretty amazing.
I should still have the link on my home computer, but I never use it anymore.
had step by step pictures with a TON of different patterns.
really a sweet resource.

www.flyanglersonline.com

maybe not as many fly patterns as those other sites MTM posted, but they have a ton of step by step pictures. They teach all the techniques, so really youll be able to tie anything after making most of them.

[MakersTeleMark]

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...2/archive.html

Cool site, thanks.

Now that the runoff has begun in earnest, what are folks tying?

[G. Gordon Liddy]

Watch out... like the Reverend pointed out you can get very, very hooked on this hobby.

I think the most important thing you can have is descent vice. I spent years using a crappy table clamp style vice. Once I moved up to a nicer rotary vice my flies immediately improved!

Makers: I am currently tying Brown Drake Cripples. Great fly for a local river here, and as long as you have the color close, the fish will pounce on just about anything. So, I am tying the same fly in a few different browns and greys so I can match the bug when it comes off.

[Lonnie]

http://www.sweetflies.com/FlyTyingTu...0/Default.aspx