# Fly Tying



## wrc2121 (Aug 16, 2010)

ok, I have just recently gotten into fly fishing this past few months. with help from sbreech and fallen513 (thanks again by the way). I now would like to get into tying some of my own flies. Just like equipment there are a million ways to go. so I was wondering if you fly tyiers would be able to point me in the direction of what to get to get started. I mean i see vises from $15-$400 I see kits with tool and materials. Just curious to what is the more important componants to spend money on what not to. Thanks in advance for any and all help


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I have been tying for a few years, here's my personal take on what to spend a little cash on:

-Vise: it doesn't have to be $200+, but a decent vise will be helpful if you don't have to struggle with adjustments or hook slippage while you're tying. I started out with a DanVise New Classic, which I think is still made. It was around $75 when I bought mine, it worked great for me, easy adjustments and holds a good array of hook sizes. 

-At least one good bobbin: by good, I mean a ceramic tube or a plastic-lined tube on the bobbin. I have a $3 bobbin that works OK with some heavier threads, but the light weight stuff I like to use would get cut and nicked, leading to breakage, when I used the old cheap bobbin. I bought a plastic-lined bobbin for only about $10 and have had zero issues with thread fraying. It's frustrating to be halfway through a fly, the thread breaks, and the fly unravels and you've lost what you had done.

-Hooks: I don't use Gamakatsu or Daiichi for everything, but I try to avoid low-end hooks. I bought some DaiRiki hooks and found one hook in the box that had no hook eye, and another that was missing a point/barb! I use Mustad for a lot of mine and have not had issues with them, and the Tiemco/Daiichi/Gamakatsu's are very good hooks. Something to keep in mind, if you screw something up or don't like a fly, don't toss it in the trash. Clean the materials off, I use a razor blade sometimes, and start over without wasting a hook!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

You'll need a vise, I'd recommend a $20 first to see if it's something you're going to stick with, then move on to a nice vise of your choice. Opinions are all over the board on how to spend your money there.

Scissors, any will do, some are better of course. 10-$20

Thread. $1.50 

Bobbin. MUST have ceramic insert or you'll tear the thread up. $9

^^^ opinion 

Avoid kits & bulk packs of feathers starting out. 


Get some black marabou feathers, $3-$5
Black bugger pack / hackle from Whiting, $15
Lead wire, $2
3x long streamer hooks, maybe size 4 or 6. 


You're all set to tie the woolly bugger from there & after that sky's the limit. Youtube videos hold a lot of answers to the questions you'll be asking yourself when you get started. It is not an expensive hobby, however... it's very easy to become consumed by all of the options. 

Which feathers do I want to buy today?


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

I agree with Fallen513 that you should start with a cheap vise ~$20 to see if you're really into it. Learn how to adjust it to different hook sizes to reduce slippage.

I can only add to these fellows' wisdom how important a bobbin threader is. Such a simple tool, saved me so much time when I learned that they existed. Or you could bend an extremely thin piece of wire if you have one laying around. It's only a $3 investment though...

And a whip finisher is nice when you learn how to use it. That's another ~$3


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Intracoastal said:


> I agree with Fallen513 that you should start with a cheap vise ~$20 to see if you're really into it. Learn how to adjust it to different hook sizes to reduce slippage.
> 
> I can only add to these fellows' wisdom how important a bobbin threader is. Such a simple tool, saved me so much time when I learned that they existed. Or you could bend an extremely thin piece of wire if you have one laying around. It's only a $3 investment though...
> 
> And a whip finisher is nice when you learn how to use it. That's another ~$3


Or you can suck the thread through. I don't do it, and I don't approve of such behavior, but I hear people do it.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

TheCream said:


> Or you can suck the thread through. I don't do it, and I don't approve of such behavior, but I hear people do it.


I'd rather you not remind me of my darker days! My approach is much more sterile now.


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

Aaaahhhhhhhh........those dark days!!i still use a 20$ vice from cabelas 6 yrs ago.good pair of scissors is a must and dont forget sally hanson!i spend all my money on materials and hooks.it all depends on what your gonna tie.dont get into trafitional Speys.trust me....

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## wrc2121 (Aug 16, 2010)

Thanks for all the help! I'm in the cincinnati area, so is bass pro shop the best place to get materials? or is there a better place in the area to start looking into buildling a supply of materials?


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

Call jim at jstockard.he is a gentleman and good guy all around.

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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Buy a fly tying kit from Cabelas. It comes with about evrything you need to get started including a video tape on how to tie. THis will be very helpful to you.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

What part of Cincinnati?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I have ordered materials online from two places: J Stockard and Feather Craft. I have had great service from both and would suggest both as options if you need to order anything. I try to buy everything I can locally, but do order some materials and special hooks my local shop doesn't carry.


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## wrc2121 (Aug 16, 2010)

i'm in the finneytown area, close to winton woods


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

BassPro is definitely the closest and they have a ton of stuff. They will have everything you need to get started. 

For a better selection of hooks & at times materials, try Delamere & Hopkins in Hyde Park. 

BassPro won't order stuff for you, D&H will...that's really the main difference. 


D&H is way more "uppity", complete with large sections of $600 jackets. They really do carry top notch gear, more so than anywhere else around here.

Their fly tying stuff is priced where it should be, which is why I go there. They also have a much better hook selection than BassPro because they do a lot of saltwater trips. 




I'd go to BassPro for your first trip & get everything you need. Should be able to get out of there for under $200, rod, reel & flyline included. I fish the most expensive rods there are (edit: but I buy them used) & I still recommend the Basspro combos all the time. They are an excellent value @ $120. You can catch them on sale for $99 sometimes. 


BP also has the cheap vises.


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## wrc2121 (Aug 16, 2010)

Thanks again everybody for all the info. I plan On hitting up bass pro this afternoon to get myself started. I plan on trying to tie a few this evening and trying them out this weekend. Assuming I pick it up that quickly. If I come up with anything decent I will post them under show me your bugs for some 
critiquing. Thanks again. If there is anything else that could help bring it on.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

You need to buy tippet material, which is simply high quality fishing line. I prefer mono Rio Powerflex for it's extra thin diameter & strength. 0x is usually 15 lb test & will haul in most fish available in this area. You can use normal mono fishing line if you use the right brands, Spiderwire XXX is one that makes good thin mono that is suitable for a tippet. Stren & Trilene offerings under $10 are usually not good choices. I'd get a spool of 0x, 1x, & 2x. You can fish everything from large minnow imitations to smaller dry flies for panfish with that range. 

You need snips, snippers, nippers or clippers.. whatever your fancy. I prefer lil baby fingernail clippers. (I actually have large toenail clippers hanging from my chest pack right now) 


My preferred knots are a reinforced nail knot for leader to flyline or perfection loop connection and a surgeon's knot for leader to tippet. Easy to tie in the dark & reliably connects different diameter lines. If your entire leader breaks off in the dark, my best advice is tie a new leader on with whatever knot you know. It won't be pretty but it'll work. 

The reason I mention knots is because when I started fly fishing, my first outing I hiked in & was in some prime water. I was starting to get the hang of it as I snagged my fly & lost it, along with my entire leader. So I'm standing in the river, in a killer spot, a couple miles from the car...with no idea how to tie a new leader onto the fly line or what knots to use on the line I had. I just overlooked the chance that I may need to know how to tie a nail knot on the first outing. 

Let us know what you picked up!


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Fallen's advice is good, so I'll +1 that... but I will add that looped connections (not with those braided loop thingies though...) will simplify line systems, and/or those $6 Tie-Fast nail knot tools can be a daysaver sometimes. Maybe pick that up.

And among budget-minded saltwater fly anglers, Berkley Big Game mono as well as Ande mono are revered leader & tippet materials, despite their ridiculously low prices. And those guys are fighting often bigger and stronger fish than most FW flyrodders. However, you won't comfortably carry several 1/4lb spools of mono along, so you'll need to transfer some line from the spool onto another smaller spool (you can ask the fly shop if they have any spent tippet spools you could have for free or some change). And as far as FW tippet, these lines don't get smaller than 4-6#, so 6X is out of the question...


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## wrc2121 (Aug 16, 2010)

well, after everybody's help on here I went and collected a vise, a bobbin, some scissors, and some random materials. After practicing tying on the tread and tying off the thread, I sat down and looked at my materials and just went at it. This is what i can up with. don't think it is a real pattern just something I came up with in my mind.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Did you go to the BPS in Cincy? I was down there over the weekend for a Reds game and stopped in there. They had a lot of the basics, but didn't have quite everything I needed. Seems to be the case a lot down there for me...they have some stuff, but never everything I need!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Damn Jeff, come to Cincinnati and don't even tell me? We coulda had you all tied up into some line sides by now.  






wrc2121, that fly looks great. I am certain the fish will agree.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I used a tying book to learn some basic techniques, such as "palmering" a feather for dry flies, etc. but I rarely if ever follow other people's patterns or recipes. (except for the damn Clouser minnow, that one's never going away!) 


Coming up with your own patterns is a big part of the reward.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> Damn Jeff, come to Cincinnati and don't even tell me? We coulda had you all tied up into some line sides by now.


I was in lockdown phase with a hot doe.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I already knew that.


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