Fly Tying Basics. The normal evolution a fly fisher usually includes fly tying sometime along the
line. Some take up fly tying to cut the costs of all the flies they seem to leave in bushes and trees
everywhere they go. Others want to try it to increase their involvement in the finer details of the
sport. No matter what your reasons are, tying flies seems to be an integratal part of the whole fly
fishing picture.The first thing you need to know about tying your own flies is a little bit about the
flies themselves.
Dry Flies are simply flies that float. They usually represent adult insects that are emerging
(breaking out of their nymphal shuck), drying their wings so they can fly away, or returning to the
water to lay eggs.
Since dry flies are the most fun to use (you get to see the fish take the fly), more fly patterns have
been designed as dry patterns than any of the rest.
Wet Flies are simply flies that don’t float. They usually represent nymphs and pupae that are
swimming toward the surface of the water or trying to break through the surface film to become
adults. Since many insects become lunch menu items during this stage of their existence, it’s
useful to know how to tie wet flies.
Nymphs represent the nymphal or larva stage in an insect’s life cycle. Since insects spend most
of their life in the nymph or larva stage, this is an important stage in terms of fish forage.
Streamers are flies that represent minnows, crayfish, leaches and a variety of other life forms that
swim under the surface of lakes and streams.Since fish often eat minnows, leaches and crayfish,
this is an important type of fly to learn how to tie.
A good Fly Vise must hold a variety of hook sizes and shapes
securely. It isn’t enough to hold just a few sizes or shapes well,
it must hold them all. If the vise won’t do that, don’t buy it.
That’s the most basic and important requirement.
The jaws of the vise must be positioned or be able to be positioned
at an angle that allows you to tie flies of various sizes with it.
Some vises have jaws that are too big to use with a variety of hooks.
Others don’t have the jaws positioned at an angle that allows the tyer
to work with small hooks.
Look for a vise that has jaws positioned at an angle that allows you to work around and with the
smallest hooks you might someday use. That might be size 28, so check to see if the vise will hold
this size hook securely while allowing complete access to the main length of the hook shank.
Many vises have heads that pivot or rotate. These are nice features you should consider when
shopping for a fly vise. Although a rotary feature isn’t a necessity, it is a convenient feature you
should consider. Many expert tyers use vises with heads that are fixed and don’t pivot or rotate.
You’ll have to decide if these are important features you’re willing to invest in. Keep in mind, a lot
of extra features won’t make a vise hold a hook any better.
A good vise should be easy to adjust to fit a variety of hooks. Although many vises will adjust to
hold a variety of hook sizes, some are easier to adjust than others. I use a Regal vise most of the
time because it doesn’t require any adjustment for hook sizes or shapes. This isn’t just because I’
m lazy, but as a past commercial tyer, I found it much faster to have a vise with jaws that opened
and closed with a squeeze of a lever. Less adjustment resulted in saved time and time is money to
a commercial tyer.
Avoid any vise that takes a lot of time or manipulation to adjust to a specific hook. One or two
twists of a knob should be the maximum adjustment required to set any vise to a specific hook.
After adjustment, a good vise should clamp down on a hook with a simple twist of a knob, squeeze
of a lever or push of a cam. If it’s harder than this, let someone less informed monkey with the vise
while you tie flies on your new, easy functioning vise.
The size of the head and jaws of a vise will have an impact on how easy it is to use with certain
size hooks. One specific vise on the market has a fast rotary feature that looks nice, but the jaws
of the vise are so big it isn’t feasible to use with small hooks. Small jaws are easier to work with.
One tool you’ll use every time you tie a fly is a Bobbin.
This holds the thread and keeps tension on it while you tie the fly.
It has a small tube (some are larger than others) that the thread runs through.
Bobbins come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but they all perform the same duty.
Some have ceramic tubes the thread runs through, others are just stainless steel.
Some are flared, some are straight at the end of the tube, and some have
mysterious bends in the frame designed to make them easier to hold.
Some have ceramic or jeweled inserts on the end of the tube and some have
springs that reel up the slack thread while you use them. Good bobbins never
cut the thread and cheap bobbins almost always cut the thread, so it’s wise to invest in a good
bobbin or two. One thing they all have in common; they all hold the thread and have a small tube
that makes it easier to direct the thread to the right place on the hook. I have over a dozen
ceramic bobbins pre-loaded with thread on my fly tying desk at all times.
Good Scissors are an absolute necessity for fly tying. This is another tool you
don’t want to save money on. You’ll need at least one pair of scissors to start,
but in time you’ll want to have several others. All your scissors should have
finger loops large enough to fit over your thumb. Anything smaller is just
too hard to use.
The first scissor you’ll need is one with small, fine points designed to cut thread
and fine materials. This should be one designed for fly tying, not something you
found at the department store. It can have curved tips or straight ones
depending on your desires.
Another scissor you’ll want to have is a heavy duty one for cutting hair. This can be any scissors
designed for that purpose like a heavy fly tying scissor or a heavy hair scissor you might find in a
beauty salon or barber shop. Make sure it’s stout enough to handle a heavy bunch of hair without
working loose at the hinge.
Hackle Pliers are small pliers with a constant tension designed to wrap
hackle feathers around the hook. They come in all sizes and shapes but all
perform the same duty. Some even have a swivel head to make it easy to
rotate the hackle around the fly. I manage to find many uses for these
handy tools besides the one they were intended to perform. If you’re limited
to one hackle plier, select a midge one since it will do all the duties of the
larger ones, and it will wrap hackles on flies that are too small for larger
hackle pliers.
A Bodkin is simply a needle in a handle. You can make your own or buy one at a fly shop. It has
many uses including applying head cement, cleaning cement out of hook eyes, picking hair out of
fuzzy flies and folding synthetic nymph wings. I’m sure you’ll find dozens of other uses, so it’s nice
to have a couple of these handy tools around when you’re tying flies.
Hackle Guards are designed to hold the hackle back from the hook eye when you tie the finish
knot (called a whip finish) on the head of the fly. You can tie flies without them, but they sure are
handy on small flies or flies with heavy hackle.
Hair Stackers are designed to align the tips of hair you’re using for wings, heads and tails. They
come in a variety of sizes from very small (used on small hair wings and tails) to very large (used
on large clumps of hair when spinning hair heads on bass bugs). It’s nice to have a variety of
these things, but if you can afford only one, get a medium sized one since it will do most of the
stacking you need to do.
Hooks hold the feathers, fur, hair and other fluff you use to create a fly.
Hooks are designed for specific purposes. If you choose the right hook,
your fly will be better proportioned and thus perform better in use. If you
choose the wrong hook, you’ll have a flawed fly and your success with
that fly will likely be less than the success you would enjoy with
a properly tied fly.
Dry Fly Hooks come in several shapes and many sizes, just like the flies.
Depending on their use, they might have a straight or a curved shank.
Wet Fly Hooks are similar to dry fly hooks except they are usually heavier. Hook bends and
shank lengths vary in these hooks depending on their designed use.
Nymph Hooks vary in design more than any other type. Some are designed to tie scuds , others
lend their design to stonefly nymphs and some are just good hooks for common nymphs like
mayflies and caddis larva.
Streamer Hooks are usually longer than the rest and often have specific bends to accommodate
the swimming pattern of the subject being copied. Some hooks are designed for use in poppers
for bass and panfish. These have a hump in the shank to prevent any turning of the popper body.
Videos are probably the best way to teach yourself the art of tying flies. They are readily available
and are very informative. Remember to take your time and anyone can do it, all you have to do is
practice.
Copyright© 2006 BobberStop.com
line. Some take up fly tying to cut the costs of all the flies they seem to leave in bushes and trees
everywhere they go. Others want to try it to increase their involvement in the finer details of the
sport. No matter what your reasons are, tying flies seems to be an integratal part of the whole fly
fishing picture.The first thing you need to know about tying your own flies is a little bit about the
flies themselves.
Dry Flies are simply flies that float. They usually represent adult insects that are emerging
(breaking out of their nymphal shuck), drying their wings so they can fly away, or returning to the
water to lay eggs.
Since dry flies are the most fun to use (you get to see the fish take the fly), more fly patterns have
been designed as dry patterns than any of the rest.
Wet Flies are simply flies that don’t float. They usually represent nymphs and pupae that are
swimming toward the surface of the water or trying to break through the surface film to become
adults. Since many insects become lunch menu items during this stage of their existence, it’s
useful to know how to tie wet flies.
Nymphs represent the nymphal or larva stage in an insect’s life cycle. Since insects spend most
of their life in the nymph or larva stage, this is an important stage in terms of fish forage.
Streamers are flies that represent minnows, crayfish, leaches and a variety of other life forms that
swim under the surface of lakes and streams.Since fish often eat minnows, leaches and crayfish,
this is an important type of fly to learn how to tie.
A good Fly Vise must hold a variety of hook sizes and shapes
securely. It isn’t enough to hold just a few sizes or shapes well,
it must hold them all. If the vise won’t do that, don’t buy it.
That’s the most basic and important requirement.
The jaws of the vise must be positioned or be able to be positioned
at an angle that allows you to tie flies of various sizes with it.
Some vises have jaws that are too big to use with a variety of hooks.
Others don’t have the jaws positioned at an angle that allows the tyer
to work with small hooks.
Look for a vise that has jaws positioned at an angle that allows you to work around and with the
smallest hooks you might someday use. That might be size 28, so check to see if the vise will hold
this size hook securely while allowing complete access to the main length of the hook shank.
Many vises have heads that pivot or rotate. These are nice features you should consider when
shopping for a fly vise. Although a rotary feature isn’t a necessity, it is a convenient feature you
should consider. Many expert tyers use vises with heads that are fixed and don’t pivot or rotate.
You’ll have to decide if these are important features you’re willing to invest in. Keep in mind, a lot
of extra features won’t make a vise hold a hook any better.
A good vise should be easy to adjust to fit a variety of hooks. Although many vises will adjust to
hold a variety of hook sizes, some are easier to adjust than others. I use a Regal vise most of the
time because it doesn’t require any adjustment for hook sizes or shapes. This isn’t just because I’
m lazy, but as a past commercial tyer, I found it much faster to have a vise with jaws that opened
and closed with a squeeze of a lever. Less adjustment resulted in saved time and time is money to
a commercial tyer.
Avoid any vise that takes a lot of time or manipulation to adjust to a specific hook. One or two
twists of a knob should be the maximum adjustment required to set any vise to a specific hook.
After adjustment, a good vise should clamp down on a hook with a simple twist of a knob, squeeze
of a lever or push of a cam. If it’s harder than this, let someone less informed monkey with the vise
while you tie flies on your new, easy functioning vise.
The size of the head and jaws of a vise will have an impact on how easy it is to use with certain
size hooks. One specific vise on the market has a fast rotary feature that looks nice, but the jaws
of the vise are so big it isn’t feasible to use with small hooks. Small jaws are easier to work with.
One tool you’ll use every time you tie a fly is a Bobbin.
This holds the thread and keeps tension on it while you tie the fly.
It has a small tube (some are larger than others) that the thread runs through.
Bobbins come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but they all perform the same duty.
Some have ceramic tubes the thread runs through, others are just stainless steel.
Some are flared, some are straight at the end of the tube, and some have
mysterious bends in the frame designed to make them easier to hold.
Some have ceramic or jeweled inserts on the end of the tube and some have
springs that reel up the slack thread while you use them. Good bobbins never
cut the thread and cheap bobbins almost always cut the thread, so it’s wise to invest in a good
bobbin or two. One thing they all have in common; they all hold the thread and have a small tube
that makes it easier to direct the thread to the right place on the hook. I have over a dozen
ceramic bobbins pre-loaded with thread on my fly tying desk at all times.
Good Scissors are an absolute necessity for fly tying. This is another tool you
don’t want to save money on. You’ll need at least one pair of scissors to start,
but in time you’ll want to have several others. All your scissors should have
finger loops large enough to fit over your thumb. Anything smaller is just
too hard to use.
The first scissor you’ll need is one with small, fine points designed to cut thread
and fine materials. This should be one designed for fly tying, not something you
found at the department store. It can have curved tips or straight ones
depending on your desires.
Another scissor you’ll want to have is a heavy duty one for cutting hair. This can be any scissors
designed for that purpose like a heavy fly tying scissor or a heavy hair scissor you might find in a
beauty salon or barber shop. Make sure it’s stout enough to handle a heavy bunch of hair without
working loose at the hinge.
Hackle Pliers are small pliers with a constant tension designed to wrap
hackle feathers around the hook. They come in all sizes and shapes but all
perform the same duty. Some even have a swivel head to make it easy to
rotate the hackle around the fly. I manage to find many uses for these
handy tools besides the one they were intended to perform. If you’re limited
to one hackle plier, select a midge one since it will do all the duties of the
larger ones, and it will wrap hackles on flies that are too small for larger
hackle pliers.
A Bodkin is simply a needle in a handle. You can make your own or buy one at a fly shop. It has
many uses including applying head cement, cleaning cement out of hook eyes, picking hair out of
fuzzy flies and folding synthetic nymph wings. I’m sure you’ll find dozens of other uses, so it’s nice
to have a couple of these handy tools around when you’re tying flies.
Hackle Guards are designed to hold the hackle back from the hook eye when you tie the finish
knot (called a whip finish) on the head of the fly. You can tie flies without them, but they sure are
handy on small flies or flies with heavy hackle.
Hair Stackers are designed to align the tips of hair you’re using for wings, heads and tails. They
come in a variety of sizes from very small (used on small hair wings and tails) to very large (used
on large clumps of hair when spinning hair heads on bass bugs). It’s nice to have a variety of
these things, but if you can afford only one, get a medium sized one since it will do most of the
stacking you need to do.
Hooks hold the feathers, fur, hair and other fluff you use to create a fly.
Hooks are designed for specific purposes. If you choose the right hook,
your fly will be better proportioned and thus perform better in use. If you
choose the wrong hook, you’ll have a flawed fly and your success with
that fly will likely be less than the success you would enjoy with
a properly tied fly.
Dry Fly Hooks come in several shapes and many sizes, just like the flies.
Depending on their use, they might have a straight or a curved shank.
Wet Fly Hooks are similar to dry fly hooks except they are usually heavier. Hook bends and
shank lengths vary in these hooks depending on their designed use.
Nymph Hooks vary in design more than any other type. Some are designed to tie scuds , others
lend their design to stonefly nymphs and some are just good hooks for common nymphs like
mayflies and caddis larva.
Streamer Hooks are usually longer than the rest and often have specific bends to accommodate
the swimming pattern of the subject being copied. Some hooks are designed for use in poppers
for bass and panfish. These have a hump in the shank to prevent any turning of the popper body.
Videos are probably the best way to teach yourself the art of tying flies. They are readily available
and are very informative. Remember to take your time and anyone can do it, all you have to do is
practice.
Copyright© 2006 BobberStop.com
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| Fly Tying Basics |