Tying Flies for Fly Fishing


One of the most enjoyable parts of fly fishing could be tying your own flies.  While they are readily available for sale pre-made in many stores, when you take the time to tie your own, you can make the flies look even more realistic than those you can buy in a store.

Fly tying isn’t as difficult as it might first seem.  You need to have some basic tools such as a fly vice, scissors, pliers, and thread.  The equipment you use can make all the difference in quality work and shoddy work.  The goal is to make your flies look as identical to a fish’s food source as is humanly possible.

You can find supplies for tying in various places.  Besides the vice, scissors, and pliers, you will want to have on hand the following items:

* Hooks of various shapes and sizes
* Different colors and gauges of thread
* Fur from animals such as mink or fox
* Feathers from pheasants and peacocks
* Craft cement

Precision is the key to accurate fly tying.  You should start out with a picture of the fly you are trying to replicate.  You can find pictures of may flies, caddis flies, and other natural food sources in many places on the Internet.  Once you have a picture, just get materials that will mimic the look and try to duplicate it.

Start out by wrapping thread around your hook and then add fur and feathers as you go securely tying them to the hook.  As you go, you will continue to add materials until you achieve the look you are going for.  Of course, there’s a little more to it than that, but that is the general idea.

You can take classes on how to tie your own flies and you can even find instructional videos online.  When you start taking an interest in fly fishing, it’s best to stick with the pre-made flies, but as you gain more experience, you will want to start experimenting around with different lures to bring the fish to your line.

Tying your own flies can be a great way to bring you more and more into the fly fishing experience.  It certainly isn’t for everyone as you need to have a lot of patience when you are tying flies.  It doesn’t always come easy, but once you learn the basic techniques, you will probably find a new hobby that gives you some great joy!