Beginning to tie flies

[headhunting22]

All good advice here, but something I'd recommend that I haven't seen yet is to get a good pair of scissors. They dont need to be super expensive, but get a pair of quality, sharp scissors. Anything you tie will look like junk if your material is not cut flush. Another thing I see beginner tiers do is use thread thats too big for small patterns. If you're tying tying size 16 flies or smaller, go for UTC 70 (or equivalent size).

Like others said, kits are appealing to people getting into tying, but research a few patterns you want to start with that have overlapping materials and start with those. Have fun!

 

[salmo]

All the previous recommendations are good. Here is something that may be a little advanced but may help with dubbing. Sometimes it is hard to buy the exact color of dubbing needed. You can buy a small electric coffee grinder off of Amazon for under twenty bucks. Sure you can mix by hand but this is much, much better. I use my own mixes for Green Drake nymphs, dark brown sulphur nymphs and early BWO nymphs. I was tying some Walt’s Worms the other day and the Hare’s Ear Plus I had as a little too spiky. I had some other Hare’sEar that was a little softer but no antron in it. Took some white Antron yarn and cut it in small pieces, added the Hare’s Ear and mixed it in the grinder. Turned out great.

I sometimes add my materials to the blender. After the first spin or two, if the blend is too spikey I roll it into a noodle shape then cut it with scissors in shorter sections. This shortens the guard hairs and stuff that the blender blades won't cut. With some patience you can get rabbit/squirl dubbing down to superfine. For my dry fly dubbing I always add some CDC and Kapok.

 

[Bamboozle]

It all works; heck folks tie WITHOUT a vise & bobbin although, I know for a fact when I started fly tying I was using tools that were VASTLY inferior to what is available today...

Anyone remember "Sunrise India?"

Back then there wasn't an Internet or a whole lot to choose from so you bought what the shop had in stock which in my case was two pair of scissors (one fine, one not-so-fine), hackle pliers, and a real Materelli whip finisher and bobbin.

Everything worked and seemed fine so I stuck with those tools and my first & second vises (a Thompson style & a Xuron) for decades until many years later when I FINALLY convinced myself to try some new/better scissors...

What a difference... I'll go out on a limb and say anyone that thinks or professes that it doesn't make a difference is more stubborn than I was or still hasn't upgraded to the point of noticing a difference. There's a reason hair stylists and crafters that use scissors all the time for their hobbies use really good scissors...

...They cut better, more precisely and fit better in you hand. This all equates to making the job easier and in my case faster, which means more flies tied in less time. I'm not saying Walmart scissors won't work, but even generic Dr. Slick scissors are a 100 percent upgrade and 1000 times better than what I was using for most of my fly tying life.

I also switched to a rotary vice about 20 years ago and would never look back because there are tasks where it speeds up the process, makes my flies look better and is just a whole lot easier than wrapping stuff around a stationary hook.

I’m glad I stuck with my Materelli tools and bought more bobbins & stuff when they were available because they have served me well. I don't know if there is a regular metal tube bobbin that works as well which may explain the popularity of ceramic bobbins. I only use a ceramic bobbing for GSP so I guess if I didn't use GSP, I wouldn't use a ceramic bobbin...

My biggest indulgence is hackle pliers which I use all the time. However, I think 100% of hackle pliers suck 50% of the time so I have more different pairs of hackle pliers than I do socks.

Bottom line, I'm definitely not saying everyone or even anyone needs the top end of the spectrum in fly tying tools. If I was just starting out the last thing I would do is buy the best until I had many years of experience under my belt and the confidence I wouldn't lose interest in twice the number of years.
Nevertheless, it is somewhat analogous to the incessant argument folks make about fancy tackle...

Selecting fly tying tools shouldn't just be whether better tools or materials would result in flies that catch more fish; it should also be about whether better tools & materials will make the experience of crafting those flies more enjoyable.

At least in my case, the upgrades were well worth the added expense...

 

[dudemanspecial]

I have a Renzetti Traveler. I don't use the rotary function to apply material but I do like to use it to get a good look around the whole fly, sometimes just tweak it one way or the other for certain tasks. I am so used to that I would never buy a non rotary again. Definitely not necessary to learn with though, I tied on a Thompson style for 5 years or so at first.

 

[PennKev]

I would recommend against cheaping out on materials. Yeah you can buy every damn thing in Hobby Lobby and tie it to a hook. That doesn't mean a beginner is going to get good results. In fact, I think it will hinder a newbie's progress.

The first flies are going to look rough. Do you think making them out of random yarn, and hackle that's been crudely colored with magic marker will improve the results?

Dubbing is cheap. A pack lasts forever. Quality hackle can be bought economically in small quantities. Costs only get out of hand when one goes to a fly shop or orders online and just buys whatever looks cool. Yes, there are certain things that are useful that can be bought at craft stores, but it is a good way to fill up drawers full of stuff you'll seldom use. Every tier is going to eventually buy stuff from a craft store thinking it will be a great idea. Sometimes it is, but usually not when they are are first starting out.

 

[tomgamber]

Went from one that tightened with a wing nut to a $20 dollar Thompson AA to a basic Griffin to a Griffin Mongoose Rotary over a period of 40 years. Upgrading as I could afford to.

I do agree about better material though. Its just a lot easier to tie something to a hook that was intended for that purpose.

I bought a bunch of stuff from https://www.avidmax.com/ last year and think I got decent prices at the time. Got some stuff free later as they do a rewards thing but it probably just evens out. I have no local outlet for materials so...

 

[[WR]]

Just getting started myself. So watch a lot of youtube video on tying.
One channel makes extensive use of " worm thread" which looks like some kind of latex dental floss. Looking closely at it, it's pretty wide compared to other threads.
Would that require a wider than normal bobbin tube to apply correctly?

 

[Bamboozle]

Just getting started myself. So watch a lot of youtube video on tying.
One channel makes extensive use of " worm thread" which looks like some kind of latex dental floss. Looking closely at it, it's pretty wide compared to other threads.
Would that require a wider than normal bobbin tube to apply correctly?

I don't know anything about it, but IF the purpose or advantage of "worm thread" is its wideness & flatness, it would be better applied WITHOUT a bobbin.

When you use a bobbin, you impart a 1/2 twist into the material on the bobbin with each wrap around the hook. That is why you are SUPPOSED to occasionally allow the bobbin to hang freely below the fly you are tying to allow the thread to "untwist," or spin the spool a few times in the opposite direction of the twist.

FWIW - This video will explain which direction of twist will be imparted depending on the direction you wrap and whether you are right or left handed.

If you purchase un-bonded thread because you like the way it lies flat and reduces bulk and you DON'T allow it to untwist, you are negating the advantages. You will also probably feel you need to use lighter thread because of bulk issues that could be better resolved with untwisting and less wraps.

The same goes for floss if you tie floss boded flies; if you put spools of floss in a bobbin, the floss portion of the fly will be bumpy and never as smooth as it would be if applied WITHOUT a bobbin, even if you burnish the floss afterwards.

Good luck!

 

[dudemanspecial]

Just getting started myself. So watch a lot of youtube video on tying.
One channel makes extensive use of " worm thread" which looks like some kind of latex dental floss. Looking closely at it, it's pretty wide compared to other threads.
Would that require a wider than normal bobbin tube to apply correctly?

I have been tying for 10+ years and have no idea what worm thread is, so my advice to a beginner would be to not worry about that. Get yourself a spool each of Danville 6/0 in olive, black and white and that will cover 80% of what you want to tie until you get some experience and want to expand your horizons.

 

[[WR]]

Here's a link.

TheFlySmith Worm Thread

TheFlySmith Worm Thread is great for underbodies! It is super stretchy, and it lays flat with ease. Same thread as before, but now with better spools and $1 cheaper!

theflysmith.co

Might be ambitious, but I was going to attempt mealworms and realistic larvae with it as my starting points.

 

[Kms]

Here's a link.

TheFlySmith Worm Thread

TheFlySmith Worm Thread is great for underbodies! It is super stretchy, and it lays flat with ease. Same thread as before, but now with better spools and $1 cheaper!

theflysmith.co

Might be ambitious, but I was going to attempt mealworms and realistic larvae with it as my starting points.

Is that like this stuff (clear tpu)? Btw their GSP looks exactly like the stuff I got on Aliexpress for half the price.

https://a.co/d/i1bDbbC

 

[[WR]]

Close. My kid uses that for her lapidary.

The stuff I've been talking about is more of a dental floss like latex.

Thanks for giving me another resource . Had not even thought of that material.

 

[jifigz]

Here's a link.

TheFlySmith Worm Thread

TheFlySmith Worm Thread is great for underbodies! It is super stretchy, and it lays flat with ease. Same thread as before, but now with better spools and $1 cheaper!

theflysmith.co

Might be ambitious, but I was going to attempt mealworms and realistic larvae with it as my starting points.

For first flies to tie, I would recommend San Juan Worms, green weenies, woolly buggers, and Walt's worms.

 

[[WR]]

Ok. This should be fun. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Kms]

Close. My kid uses that for her lapidary.

The stuff I've been talking about is more of a dental floss like latex.

Thanks for giving me another resource . Had not even thought of that material.

Is it clear or translucent? Maybe it’s like elastic baitholder thread, though I think that would be a terrible choice for tying flies.

 

[Bamboozle]

Close. My kid uses that for her lapidary.

The stuff I've been talking about is more of a dental floss like latex.

Thanks for giving me another resource . Had not even thought of that material.

IF it is latex, avoid it like the plague...

I'm guessing you are not old enough to remember the sheet latex craze in the 1980's for tying realistic segmented bodies...

However like rubber bands, after a spending some time looking all pretty & realistic in your fly boxes the latex breaks down and your flies fall apart, unravel and become a mess.

...Might be ambitious, but I was going to attempt mealworms and realistic larvae with it as my starting points.

BTW - Ina pinch a rubber band makes a realistic "mealworm" that is cheaper to experiment with than strip or sheet latex, etc. but it too falls apart after awhile.

 

[Tigereye]

For first flies to tie, I would recommend San Juan Worms, green weenies, woolly buggers, and Walt's worms.

I would add a soft hackle, and a simple wet fly. Ie lt Cahill or Hendrickson.

Materials/style to avoid as a beginner. Quill wings, floss, spun deer hair, and small flies

 

[poopdeck]

Never used or heard of worm thread before today. Now that I have heard about it I won’t be buying any. The great thing about fly tying is everything can be substituted. I caution you about going down the material, hook and thread worm hole. You will only overwhelm yourself if you buy everything needed to tie the bazillion fly patterns known to exist exactly how somebody else tied it. Plenty of materials can be used to tie realistic larva but to answer your question, the pictured “worm” thread looks like it would go through any old bobbin.

 

[ROVERT]

Here's a link.

TheFlySmith Worm Thread

TheFlySmith Worm Thread is great for underbodies! It is super stretchy, and it lays flat with ease. Same thread as before, but now with better spools and $1 cheaper!

theflysmith.co

Might be ambitious, but I was going to attempt mealworms and realistic larvae with it as my starting points.

My early trout fishing relied heavily on mealworms. When I started tying flies, I naturally wanted a mealworm fly. I used to tie them with rubberbands. They worked but didn't hold up well.

For some reason, five to ten years ago, I revisited the mealworm fly and came up with a new pattern using deer hide. It is a much improved design. They sat in my box unfished, however, until earlier this spring when I tied one on on a whim. It turns out it is pretty effective.

I'll get a photo and post it in a bit.

 

[ROVERT]

I'll get a better photo but you can see one on my fly patch in this photo of a cicada. It's a still grabbed from a video and not very good quality but gives you the idea.