Finally gonna tie

[clm]

Just got back from Vancouver Island, BC. Great visit with the in-laws. Huge fly fishing community. Stopped into a fly fishing shop. An actual fly fishing only shop. More like a big shack. It was awesome. Nile Creek Fly Fishing. The owner fantastic. Loved to chat and happily demonstrated tying for me. I picked up a couple stonfo disc drag bobbins, a dubbing tool a whip finisher, a lot of information and very cool experience. I went to the shop twice while I was there. Everyone that came in was a character. I spent more time than I had planned just BSing. He had a selection of gear, tying and fishing, from "affordable" to really high end. Happily explained the differences in each and obviously wasn't just just pushing to make the $. I'm currently looking at vises now...I travel a lot so I am looking for something to pack with me to pass the hotel time while I'm out. They had quite a few flies for display only. I commented that I could easily see myself making something I thought was beautiful and never get it wet....he just laughed and said it happens all the time...hence all the ones he had diplayed in the vices...I see now that just like lures for spinning gear...tons are created that catch more fisherman than fish. I was shocked to see some of the prices for support...exotic feathers, fur...etc...65$ for a single pheasant feather...I don't remember where it was from, but it had a cheetah pattern on it...I figure I will start cheap...shave the cats, part of the dogs, save some of the many feathers from the cat's victims. 😀

[Mark]

clm,

Like most aspects of fishing, we can make fly tying expensive, or take a more moderate approach that still yields successful results.

Indeed, it is very gratifying to catch fish on a fly or lure you created. The good news is that fish are actually less discriminating about our fly patterns than we are in most instances. And they certainly do not care whether you tied it on a $400 vise or a far less expensive one. I personally use a Renzetti Traveler which presently retails for between $170 and $200. The head rotates for easy palmering of hackle. I also use it to make bucktails. It's a great vise and has held up for over 25 years. I actually use an older non-rotating $30 vise to tie Clousers.

If you want help with your fly tying, please check out the Free State Fly Fishers. Our Saturday fly tying sessions are resuming for the year on 1 September. Here's a description from our website: http://fs-ff.com/index.php/calendar/09-01-18-fly-tying/

We tie useful and proven patterns from trout flies to bass flies to saltwater flies often to be used during an upcoming outing. We have many excellent fly tiers in the club who will take beginners aside and patiently show them the basic skills of fly tying. Other times, we'll have technique sessions where club member Joe Bruce will share his many tying and pattern tips. Further, we have extra vises and tools for beginners to use. The club provides the materials for the flies we tie on Saturdays free of charge. We budget for them and have our own stashes of hair, feathers, crystal flash, etc.

But the absolute best part of the FSFF tying sessions is the discussion that takes place around the table as we tie. You'll learn favorite fishing locations, specific flies to use and some pretty good jokes. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

[clm]

Thanks. Looking forward to making it out there. Scheduling has been an issue, but it is on my list. Lots of travel keeps me guessing, as I do not have the say as to the when or where. Watching YouTube has been helpful, but eyes and hands on is 10x better.

[Mark]

clm,

You're very welcome. I hope you can make it when your schedule allows.

For others interested we're also starting a weeknight class for beginning tiers on Wednesday, 29 August. PM me and I'll share the specifics. Attendees will get basic instruction and the leave the class that night with a wooly bugger -- one of the easiest and most effective flies ever devised. Yet, it's a great foundation fly because you'll learn about conformation, combining different materials, palmering hackle and whip finishing.

[DanMarino]

I am new to making my own flies and I love it. As Mark said, fly making doesn’t have to be expensive. I am using a $29 vise that works just fine for now. I’ll eventually get something nicer though. I make flies for bass and panfish. I also dress jigs for bass fishing with spinning gear. Hope you enjoy this new side of our fishing hobby.

[clm]

Thanks. I am primarily a panfish and bass targeter with the fly rod....those are the types of flies I'm interested in learning...I found that only one or two flies in the cheap multi-packs are all I use...rather than keep buying those and increasing my collection of "never gonna use flies", I can learn to create my own.

[DanMarino]

YouTube is part of your solution. Search for how to tie up those bass and panfish flies. So many great tutorials on how to tie flies.

[belairfishing]

You could get away with taking only two flies on a stream to catch bass and panfish - well three - a wooly bugger in olive, a chartreuse/white baby clouser or baby bugger, and a small popper for topwater. I like the chartreuse/white because you can see the fly in the water from a good distance, and see the take.

[clm]

You could get away with taking only two flies on a stream to catch bass and panfish - well three - a wooly bugger in olive, a chartreuse/white baby clouser or baby bugger, and a small popper for topwater. I like the chartreuse/white because you can see the fly in the water from a good distance, and see the take.

Had to look "clouser" up... appreciate the information.

[belairfishing]

Had to look "clouser" up... appreciate the information.

Sorry...guilty of making assumptions! The "Clouser deep minnow" is one of the foundations of fly fishing. Originally developed by Bob Clouser for smallmouth bass (I think), it has become a must-have for saltwater also. Stripers love it, flounder love it, and many others I'm sure.

As Mark said earlier, the wooly bugger is something every fly tier should know how to tie. You will learn to improvise and make changes to it that work for you.

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[Mark]

It's somehow fitting that two of the easiest flies to tie are also the most effective -- a wooly bugger and a Clouser Minnow.

[belairfishing]

It's somehow fitting that two of the easiest flies to tie are also the most effective -- a wooly bugger and a Clouser Minnow.

Couldn't agree more.

And to the OP, don't make the mistake I made, and try to master many flies at the beginning, with long material lists. Take a few, and tie lots, and master them first. Those skills will transfer to other flies down the road.

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[brianisoutside]

Couldn't agree more.

And to the OP, don't make the mistake I made, and try to master many flies at the beginning, with long material lists. Take a few, and tie lots, and master them first. Those skills will transfer to other flies down the road.

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Agreed, I wanted to tie all of those cool looking ones I was seeing videos of. Suffice to say they didn’t turn out as well. Save your money you don’t need much more than bucktail, maribou, flash and some chenille


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[clm]

Thanks. I'm not going nuts with supplies right out of the gate. There are tons of cheap things I can use to start with to build up the skills...eBay always has large lots of supplies that someone else has paid a premium for...

[Mark]

...you don’t need much more than bucktail, maribou, flash and some chenille.

That's a good point. When I look at my kayak flies, every fly has at least one of those materials. The only additions I would suggest are foam and rubber legs which are handy for making surface flies.

Here are some foam poppers that I use:

Flies One.jpg

From top to bottom, I use then for stripers, LM bass, SM bass and bluegills. Note that tails on each are either marabou or bucktail. Of course, the fish are not as discriminating and sometimes I'll catch one species when fishing for another, or different species entirely than those listed:

P1020770.jpg

The above highly ambitious bluegill did not care that I was throwing a bass popper.

Further, I do not have a lot of variety, except for size. I use the basics: wooly buggers and Clousers in addition to poppers. With those flies I can catch anything I pursue in a kayak from Eastern Shore ponds to our tidal waters. So I carry few fly varieties in my kayak but I do tie the ones I bring in different sizes:

Flies Two.jpg Flies Three.jpg

The skills required to tie the above, will allow you to make almost any other kind of fly. You can get as creative as you want. However, my main goal is to catch fish, not surprise them with something new. I leave the creativity to others. I will tie and try other patterns occasionally. It's fun to do and helps hone your fly tying skills. But I've yet to find a pattern that works better from my kayak than those pictured above.

So again, keeping the hobby basic, controls costs while still yielding excellent results.