Fly Tying -- Try It You'll Like It

[Mark]

For many fly tyers, this is the time of year to restock their fly boxes. Others, like me, tie as the need arises throughout the year. However, there is something special about tying flies in winter. It's a great way to stay connected to the hobby of fishing when cold weather drives us from the water.

Tying flies in winter allows us to think ahead to the time when we will use our creations of foam, fur and feathers. With each fly we remove from the vise, we wonder what it will produce. Will it be the one that catches a new species or a personal best? Will it catch a lot of fish, just a few, or none? Or will meet an inglorious ending stuck on an unreachable branch or snagged on a sunken log?

Regardless of what happens to the flies we tie, the act of creating them is another of the many joys of fishing that each of us on this forum appreciate. So, when I was approached a few weeks ago to write an article about Fly Tying for the Fish & Hunt Maryland website, I knew exactly what I wanted to say – that tying flies has a long history; that it is not difficult; that the easiest flies to tie are the most effective in catching fish; and that there is great personal satisfaction in catching fish on flies you have tied.

My article was published today on this link: https://fishandhuntmaryland.com/arti...ry-it-youll-it

I encourage you to read it. It is not a “how-to-tie” article. There are plenty of sources for that information. Rather, I wrote the article to incentivize those of you thinking about tying flies to take that initial step forward. And perhaps it will inspire those of you who already tie flies to get started on achieving your winter fly tying goals.

[dsaavedra]

Great article Mark. I used to tie a lot of flies, though I barely fly fished. I'd use some of the flies on fly gear or spinning gear, give some to friends, sell some, or stash them away in a box never to be seen again. I just liked tying flies, I thought it was fun. I still have all my tools, but think I got rid of most of my materials except maybe some synthetic stuff. Your article does a good job at conveying the appeal and low barrier to entry of flying tying.

[Mark]

Thank you Dave.

My tying comes in handy with conventional fishing too.

I make Clouser Minnow trailers for topwater striper plugs.

I make my own jig spinners with trailers of bucktail, feathers or artificial materials.

I replace the treble hooks on crankbaits with inline hooks and I dress them with feathers or bucktail.

And I make new and/or rehab old bucktail jigs which still catch stripers like they did 80 years ago when they were patented by two brothers from NY.

It's rare that I catch a fish with a fly or lure that I didn't make or modify.

[Jigsup]

That was a great read!

Though I own a fly rod, I haven't used it in many years. Reading that article did bring back memories of starting the learning process of using a fly rod. Once I semi mastered the art of placing the wooly bugger like lure where I wanted it I found myself having to learn how to set the hook in a fish mouth. Pan fish was no problem, but when it came to large mouth bass that presented a whole new exciting challenge. Watching a 4lb bass blow up on the surface on a teeny lure was definitely an experience.

Wonderful.

[Mark]

Jigsup,

Thank you for the kind words.

I encourage you to revive your fly rod. I assure you many fish are waiting to meet what it has to offer.

The key to setting the hook with a fly rod is a taught line. Think trolling – the fish hook themselves because when they bite lure there is little yield and the lure essentially bites back. That happens much of the time when fly fishing too if there is minimal slack in your line. So, keeping a taught line as you retrieve your fly is important.

For panfish, simply raising the rod tip after a hit applies enough pressure to set the hook. But for larger fish a strip strike is in order. To do that you strip line after the fish strikes your fly to drive the hook home. Usually, one hard hit does the job but sometimes a second jolt is in order. Timing is critical. Strip too soon and you will pull the fly from the fish’s mouth. Too late, and the fish will spit out the fly. But timing improves with experience and like proper fly casting, you will begin to do from muscle memory without thinking about it.

So do unpack your flyrod. You will have as much of a shot at most of the species discussed on this forum with a fly instead of a lure. And you will enjoy the sensation of being directly connected to the fish you have hooked via the line in your fingertips as opposed to the mechanical intervention of a reel. That's what I enjoy the most about fly fishing -- feeling every headshake by holding the fly line and knowing for big catches when to release that line from my grip to allow the fish to run and when to take it back.

Good luck to you,

[DanMarino]

I'll check out the article, Mark! It is good to get inspiration from other fly fishing nerds! haha.

[bignose]

I started fly tying 60 years ago, a 12 year old kid using hardware store hooks, cake box thread, and random found feathers.

While they didn't look like the Royal Coachman flies I saw in Field and Stream, they still manage to catch the farm pond bluegills.(dumb fish)
I had a fiberglass Sears Ted Williams rod, an automatic reel, and a level Cortland fly line.

I became an addict. For nearly 15 years, the only way I fished was with a fly rod.

I did my student teaching with a guy who was a trout fanatic, and he was a "bad" influence on me.

I took tying lessons at the Orvis store that was on Route 40 at the time, then found Joe Bruce's store in Catonsville, fortunately in near proximity to the school I was teaching at.

For a brief time I thought that I would try my hand at commercial tying.
That lasted a couple of days, as the thought of producing a dozen / dozen of the exact same pattern proved boring beyond belief, as well as challenging to my adult ADHD.

10 of the same pattern at a time was all I could stand, and at least 3 of those were not commercially acceptable.

But I did manage to develop some good tying skills, that I now put to use, when my arthritis permits it, to continue to use to produce my spinner jigs.

[Mark]

Nice story Stu.

We're very furtunate that fly tying materials and fly fishing rods, rods, reels and lines have improved so much over the years to add to the ease and enjoyment of our sport.

You mentioned Joe Bruce. He was my first fly tying instructor. The ever reliable wooly bugger was the first fly he taught me to tie. That's a good choice for beginners because aside from being a highly effective fly, it teaches proportion, wrapping chenille, palmering hackle and of course a whip finish.

As we both pointed out, fly tying skills come in handy when creating conventional lures too. A Clouser Minnow is nothing more than a bucktail jig for the flyrod. Yet, I tied flies for years before I starting making my own bucktails and jig spinners and modifying other lures.

Also like you, I could never tie professioinally. I don't like repetive work. That's why I tie only in response to need. ( I joined a fly exchange this year and I had to tie 14 each of two different bass flies. I struggled to find the patience to complete that task. But I did get some nice flies from others in the exchange.)

Also, I rarely tie identical flies. Usually the most I replicate is three at a time. Then if they work, I may tie more similar to them but I will always change something like the base color or the addition or ommision of highlight materials like crystal flash or flashabou.

That ability to improvise is the true appeal to me of fly tying. I'm not creative in the sense that I make bold new patterns. But I do take liberties with existing ones to add personal touches. It's satisfying when the fish respond well to my work. As I stated in my article, the fish are far more tolerant of our efforts than we as fly tyers are. I suspect we both have left plenty of flies on our tying benches that would have worked because they didn't meet our standards. Yet, it's pretty hard to tie a fly that that at least one fish in the pond won't bite!