Learning to tie one on

[averagejoe]

I can buy em but I can't supply em. My wife bought me a nice vice, scissors and bobbin for xmas. Taking my first fly tying lesson on Thursday at local fly shop--any advice on what I should also be doing to get going...tying mostly salt water flies. I'm not into instructional books... which might explain why I have yet learned how to use several of the software programs sitting on this computer...but I'll pick one up if someone has any recommendations. Or better yet does anyone out there work for beer....

Thanks

[bunker]

Averagejoe,

Your wife will be sorry she bought you the vise!

If you don't like books buy a tape or dvd. I think they are more practical as you can see what they mean. Stay with the lessons as well you'll get a ton of info and hands on help.
If you frequent the shows wander by the tying booths. You can pick up a lot from there as well.

Good luck,

Mike

[Tie-Dye-Fly-Guy]

hey joe happy new year. sweet avatar


anyway. i was all thumbs until khan told me to hang out with nat and derek and learn to tie. that was 2 years ago. absolutely best deal for the money. free fly tying with personal/peer review every wed night or so, depending on their schedule. very informal with plenty of beer pressure to boot. 6-9 pm weds at the rowley shop. hope to see you there! take 133 or 1A, i take us1 to 133 and go right. 2 miles down the road at the 1a/133 intersection. you of course will take the long way round 127 looking at the beaches i suspect.

last week we checked out the new ep fibers, no pressure to buy the stuff, i just know i cant get out of there without remembering something i need. we tie between 5-10 patterns depending on the beer, good friends, good times....

forum informal, some days its fresh, some days its the 12 inch polar bear express. You would be very comfy there.

id 'plug' them some more but im a fly snob and that would'nt be appropriate. see you there.

[captshiner]

"Or better yet does anyone out there work for beer...."

I tie for whiskey --123-3 What else is there to do all winter?

[BuzFly]

Averagejoe:
Welcome to the insane obsesion world of fly tying.
Start off basic, with a Clouser, Deceiver or Banger. Simple, they work and only a few materials.

If you can get into a club that would be your best bet. Most clubs have a fly tying program in the winter. The Atlantic Saltwater Fly Rodders (www.aswf.org) has one just starting. Try to take a class from a shop or at one of the shows this winter or check out your local Adult Learning Programs.

Start Slow and good luck.

[ruge13]

Something that helped me....

Even if you think your flies aren't that great, get involved in the swaps for a couple reasons.
There is always someone who could benefit from something you did.
You will gain a ton by seeing different versions of similar flies (theme) and how people tied them.
It forces you to sit down and tie a bunch of one fly, you will get better and better with each one.
Also, once you've sent those flies to several people, you now have 12 people who can give good feedack as to how to improve those flies that actually have on ein their hand, not jut a picture.

[Wes]

Ruge is right about that. When you sit down to tie 10 or 12 for a swap it also forces you to pattern the fly. For example, you no longer just grab a bunch of bucktail, you grab a specific size bunch of bucktail from a specific tail and a specific part of the tail. You get a feel for what looks good and how to reproduce it. I think that was something that improved my tying.

[averagejoe]

Thanks for advice. i am hooked on tying already. Here are a few of my first flies- I tied a dozen clousers in various colors and a couple deceivers. I need to get more stuff-I can only hand whip.