Some Tying Questions to Get Me Started ...

Stagger_Lee

Stagger_Lee

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Couple of very nice gents I know were nice enough to raffle off a fly tying kit which I was fortunate enough to win. Today I received it and the description of what is in it is as follows ..

White River Fly Shop® Fly Tying Kit - Trout Tying

In this kit, you'll find high-quality tools, vise, hooks, and materials, all carefully selected to make your introduction to fly tying simple and enjoyable. The effective handcrafting trout kit includes material and DVD instruction to tie the following patterns: Wooly Booger, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Adams, and Flying Ant.

Couple of gents also took me arnd the FF show today and I was a lil overwhelmed with how much stuff there is in the world of Fly Tying. We picked up the following ..

7/64 Cyclops Bead Eyes
Rabbit All Purpose Dubbing
Gold Wire
Lead Wire
Ceramic Bobbins :)
Size 16 Hooks
Size 12 Hooks

With out getting overwhelmed and considering I will be starting out slow and basic they recommended walts worm and wolly bugger. Please keep in mind over the next two months I will continue to keep it basic but would also like to grow my arsenal to include some of the most popular trout flies for the east side of Pa and WW species (SMB etc) ...

 
Am I missing any tools?


Am I missing any materials or am I just going to need to order more of the current materials I have?


Online tutorial recomendations to get me started?

 
I don't know what tools you have, maybe I missed the list.

My main list of tools is the vice, bobbin, scissors and dubbing needle. I whip finish by hand, and draw the thread through the bobbin. Sometimes I use hackle pliers, a hackle guard, pliers (needlenose and sidecutters), a hair stacker, or a couple other "specialty" tools.

You can never have enough fly tying materials. I always find a new pattern or new style and have to buy different supplies. Not knowing what you intend to tie I can't offer much in the way of materials. Do you have head cement?

Youtube would be a nice place to start, most of your basic patterns are on there.

 
Stags, I'm in the same boat. Many years ago I inherited from my uncle a nice collection of tying tools and a vice. This year I decided to give it a go and yesterday at the show I bought the materials to start with Wooly Buggers. I'm basing it on this video.




My first goal is to practice the whip finish knot.

Also, consider the free lessons at Orvis in Plymouth Meeting. They are being held on Sat. 10am to 12pm - Feb 1, 8, 15 & 22.
 
Size 12 hooks and size 16 hooks... Are these nymph hooks? Dry fly hooks? Generally you use a normal length or 1x long heavier wire hook for nymphs, and a 3x long or 4x long hook for your wooly buggers.

I'm not sure what tools are included in the kit, but a whip finishing is tool is really great to finish your fly. Head cement and super glue are always handy. Also a pair or hackle pliers is helpful if you're tying dry flies or having trouble working with the peacock herl on your nymphs. There are a few styles - I really like the ones that have a rubber pad on the part that holds the hackle, as they seem not to break the hackles or let them slip as easily as the plain metal ones.
 
Here is a photo of what came in the kit (to go with the quote in the OP) plus the list of what I purchased from the show today .... cool that it came with a dvd

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RC .. we'll wait for DD and/or anyone else to chime in. I spoke abt youtube but he also said that he knows a few good sites (i forgot the names) that take us newbies step by step thru patterns.
 
Hackle pliers would be my immediate suggestion. That looks like a dubbing needle in the picture and it probably has a half hitch tool in the end. I assume you have needlenose pliers for flattening the nymphs.

The hand whip finish is easy to master.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om4il--5KIQ

 
Been tying jigs for years but I started tying flies a few months or so ago. I have been tying buggers, clousers, ants beetles, green weenies, antron grubs, eggs, and some wet flies and dry flies that have no name. Remember crawl walk run, start with easy patterns and as your skills and materials grow so will your fly box. I don't spend a lot of money all at once, preferring to spend a little at a time. Youtube is a great resource. I sometimes buy a single fly just to use as a guide for proportions.

If you know how to tie a real snell knot (not a quick or easy snell)you already know how to whip finish. I prefer a whip finisher though since my hands are very large and beat up. Other then that there is not much equipment needed.
 
Stagger - Two tools we should have picked up are a hair stacker and a whip finishing tool. All sorts of things can be used for a hair stacker, but a well built one is a good asset to have.

Of course you can whip finish by hand, but the proper tool makes it neater and faster.

This is the fly we picked up the materials for you to tie - it's a proven fish catcher on the waters you fish most. The hook to use is the size 16 hook (scud hook). I just grabbed the size 12 for you to try out the Allen hooks (smallest scud hook they had left on the table).



 

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Stagger there are many great YouTube videos out there about fly tying. What you need to do is search YouTube for specific things you wanna learn about like how to whip finish,how to do a half hitch, how to do a pinch wrap, just to name a few. For now you need to stick with the basic flies Walts Worm,Woolly Buggers,Hares Ear and the Pheasant Tail. Focus on those flies ONLY until you learn the techniques needed to tie them. Tying flies isn't about lashing materials to the hook it's more about the techniques need to do so properly. Practicing the techniques is more important than practicing tying flies. Keep the questions coming and we will answer them.Today you have taken fly fishing to a whole new level and it's gonna be journey you are sure to enjoy. This is sure to be a great learning experience for all of us.
 
One other suggestions is get some better thread. I like uni 8/0 its strong and thin. The thread they give you is ok but as a beginner thread build up is an issue and the uni is much easier to deal with. Some better things like pheasant tail of a hears mask. More hooks alway need to have hooks.
 
Stags,

Have a pair of "junk" scissors handy for cutting wire and other thinks that you should not cut with your "good" ones. As mentioned, whip finishing tool is handy. Also, I like to have a small pair of needle nose pliers for crimping barbs. A good light and some kind of magnifiers, will help a lot. Also I suggest you keep a magnet of some kind handy for finding hooks!!

Now, let's see some pics of flies!

And remember one more thing - The fish are the final judges of the quality of your flies!
 
Stagger,

I bought that same kit a couple years ago and found it pretty informing. Lefty (I think) shows how he hand whip finishes and thats how I learned. The video is pretty informative, but I also found the Hans Weilenman videos on youtube very helpful. Some of his ties might be a little overwhelming, but his techniques are helpful, for me at least. Hope this helps...
 
delta_dog wrote:
Tying flies isn't about lashing materials to the hook it's more about the techniques need to do so properly. Practicing the techniques is more important than practicing tying flies.

This is probably the best advise you're going to get at this point in your tying. Don't look at this as a whole too much out there, take it in small bites. Learning to properly control the materials that you're using at this time and the techniques needed to make them behave is paramount. Once you get a basic nymph or any other style fly down you then have the skills necessary to tie several other like patterns.
Learn the breaking strength of the thread (s) that you're going to use in your tying,( get it on the hook and slowly pull until it breaks) practice the half hitch & whip finish knots until you can thoughtlessly tie them. Remember "always" keep an open mind while at the vise. If you find yourself becoming frustrated with something take a break and come back later. It was good to meet you yesterday.
Jack
 
Nice meeting you , and Mario, as well Lv2nymph ..


Thanks for all the info guys and bunch of questions but they'll wait.

Watched the video last night and will re-watch but wanted to jump in

Trying to tie my first .. walt's worm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHdkGx6HoE

1) Lead coil on but moveable/not to tight .. is that ok?

2) Should I have as much trouble as I'm having getting the thread thru the bobbins?
 
Stagger_Lee wrote:

2) Should I have as much trouble as I'm having getting the thread thru the bobbins?

Don't worry about that Stagger. I've been tying for well over 30 years and I know I get worse at threading the bobbin every year. :lol:

Seriously, they make bobbin threaders but I never owned one. Multiple bobbins also help in not having to change thread so often.
 
dc410 wrote:

Seriously, they make bobbin threaders but I never owned one. Multiple bobbins also help in not having to change thread so often

Seriously ... I think my eyes need to be checked but urgg.

You don't use one to thread? The lead was easy to get thru but this is causing me all sought's of trouble...
 
Bobbin Threader saves a lot of time and frustration for me. You'll also find pretty quickly that a ceramic tipped bobbin works much nicer and breaks less thread (for this newbie, anyway).

Add some tooth picks to your bench for applying the head cement. Less cleanup than using the dubbing needle.

Occurred to me that you will want a fine tooth comb to clean up the deer hair when HA gets you going on Comparaduns.
 
Stagger - Try this.

Mount the spool of thread in the bobbin, and pull out about 6 inches of thread.

Feed the end of the thread into the hole at the base of the tube (the one between the arms of the bobbin).

Put the tip of the bobbin in your mouth and inhale.

I never put lead wire in a bobbin. Just keep the spool in your palm and wrap with that hand, while holding the tag end to the hook shank.

The lead wraps should be moveable on the shank, but not loose enough that they spin easily. A little tension while wrapping does the trick. When done wrapping them, use your finger nails to push the coils together to eliminate any gaps.
 
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