How difficult is it for a beginner to tie Nymphs?

[mystillwater]

i've never tied a fly in my life but after dropping a small fortune on flies the past couple seasons i'm considering giving it a shot. i'm most interested in tying nymphs as i fish them often and they seem pretty simply.

what equipment would i need and is this a good place to start learning to tie?

thanks!

 

[afishinado]

mystillwater wrote:
i've never tied a fly in my life but after dropping a small fortune on flies the past couple seasons i'm considering giving it a shot. i'm most interested in tying nymphs as i fish them often and they seem pretty simply.

what equipment would i need and is this a good place to start learning to tie?

thanks!

You need:

Vise (inexpensive one!)
Bobbin
Small Scissors (decent pair)
Whip finish tool (Matarelli)
Tying thread (6/0 black to start)
Hooks

Go to Charlies Fly box or a similar type site and pick the flies you want to tie.:

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=55

Note the materials list and the hook recommendations. Just buy the material and hooks needed to tie those flies. Going to a well stocked fly shop for materials and advise would help.

It's not that hard. Just practice, practice, practice those patterns and move on to another fly when you master one. It gets easier as you go along since many of the skills and techniques you learn tying one fly applies to the next.

Good luck.

 

[MKern]

Nymphs are easier than dries because they can look sloppy = buggier and dries have to float and be proportioned right.

 

[jayL]

The one tip I can offer to any beginning fly tyer:

Take as much material as you think you probably need, then use half of 2/3 of it.

Bulk is the enemy. Especially with dubbing, you can always add more.

 

[Acristickid]

Easy. Get some drier lint (your own hopefully) or carpet fibers or cat fur and dub them around a hook and you have walts worm. Might even catch fish too.

 

[goodfortune]

mystillwater wrote:
i've never tied a fly in my life but after dropping a small fortune on flies the past couple seasons i'm considering giving it a shot. i'm most interested in tying nymphs as i fish them often and they seem pretty simply.

what equipment would i need and is this a good place to start learning to tie?

thanks!

I would suggest tying the green weenie as your 1st fly. The list of materials needed is simple: tying thread, bright neon-green vernille yarn (a "fancier" version of chenille yarn), and hooks. By tying these as your first flies, you will learn thread control, and how to secure tying materials to the hook.

You will probably break your tying thread alot when tying your first flies (I did!), but soon, you will learn how to apply even tension, just shy of breaking the thread, while tying. Once you become comfortable with thread control, you will be well on your way to tying more sophisticated patterns.

I should give the caveat that I have only been fly tying (and fly fishing, for that matter) for a little over a year. I find tying to be a great creative outlet and I enjoy the challenge of improving my skills. I hope you will too.

 

[BelAirSteve]

I started out tying flies that I could use to learn some techniques and actually tie flies I could use. As others have said, the green weenie was my first fly. Tie some with a peacock collar to add materials and technique.

I then went to some basic bead head caddis larvea. You'll learn dubbing and how to tie in a rib. And they actually catch fish too. You can add more techniques with this simple pattern by adding legs and wings and using different materials for the thorax and collar.

The next step for me was pheasant tail nymphs. Again, adding more techniques and materials to your arsenal. And they actually catch fish too! I made a posting here recently that the first trout I caught on a fly I tied myself was a bead head pheasant tail.

Continue to work on your techniques and the process of attaching materials to a hook before you move into tying dries. You will get frustrated quickly. I learned that the hard way. I tied a bunch of pheasant tails and hares ear nymphs for about 2 weeks, then though I was ready to get serious. I tried to tie several different dry flies and ended up getting frustrated and cutting them off the hook. Stick with the nymphs early on...they will serve you well, and you don't have to invest a fortune in materials to get started.

Good luck! And don't be shy about asking questions here...these guys are awesome and always willing to share experiences and knowledge.

 

[gfen]

Depends on the fly. There's hard ones, and easy ones.

I own alot of hare's ears because they're very easy to make, and very effective. I don't have as many pheasant tails, because I struggle with them.

 

[jayL]

That's funny. For the longest time, I only tied PTs, because I sucked at HEs. We could have supplied each other.

I spent many years as a marginal tyer because it satisfied me. I only used a few basic flies, and I learned to tie them well. It wasn't until a year or two ago that I decided to get better at it, and finally learned to do HEs and other dubbed nymphs right.

To the OP: Definitely don't discount the "keep it simple" mindset. You can learn to keep your basics stocked over a few years, and if you ever feel like making the jump to more advanced stuff, the transition will be MUCH easier.

 

[flytyingfred]

I started by going to our local library where they had several books on fly tying. I picked the books on wet flies and nymphs and after reading and looking at the pics I started with a hares ear and pheasant tails and went from there. A cheap vise and the materials list for each fly is usually in the books and you are on your way. A quiet place with good lighting also helps.

 

[Fishidiot]

Nymphs are probably the best flies to learn tying on. They're easy to tie; you'll use a lot of them while fishing, and they tend to fish well when tied too bulky. As Jay pointed out, new tyers tend to bulk their flies up with too much material but a basic nymph like a Hare's Ear or Walt's Worm will work just fine when tied bulky. Just be careful not to crowd the bend or point of the hook too much as this will diminish your hookup ratio on trout.