Can any of y'all recommend some good books for fly-tying?
Printable View
Can any of y'all recommend some good books for fly-tying?
A.K Best's Production Flytying
Charlie Craven Basic Flytying
There's lots more, but these really helped me as a flytyer; Best's with, among other things, basic setup, thread tension/torque, material handling and Craven's with proprtions.
Regards,
Scott
I think that depends on whether you want books that show fly tying techniques or fly patterns. As far as showing tying techniques, I don't think you can do much better than the Fly Tyers Benchside Reference by Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer. If you're looking for books with patterns and how to tie them, I think you'll actually do better searching the archive here of FAOL for patterns. Just one man's opinion.
Jim Smith
I have several collected over the years. The one I wish had been available when I started was Art Sheck's "Tying Better Flies". It is quite thorough on basic techniques and little tricks to make tying easier, and very clear. All the patterns he shows (SBS) can be modified or amended for dozens of other patterns and bug imitation, which he explains and pictures. A great jumping off point with stuff you will always follow.
take a look at al campbells work on this web site
As was suggested, Leeson and Schollmeyer's book is probably the Fly Tiers "Bible" for technique and patterns all in one package. I have a lot of tying books, some dating...well, I am not going to date myself. I find I return again and again to that book when I have hit a wall with some tying challenge...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Fly-Tiers-.../dp/1571881263
PT/TB ;)
Fly Tyers Benchside Introduction--all the wonderful pictures of the Bible above with "split pages" that put the techniques you need next to the pattern you're using. i learned most of what i know and use from this book.
Skip Morris..........this one is very good
http://www.basspro.com/Fly-Tying-Mad...product/29430/
I'm with CaseyP, if I had to choose only one book it would be Leeson & Schollmeyer's "Benchside Introduction to Fly Tying." Having said that, as a completely ignorant beginner A.K. Best's "Production Fly Tying" was the best book I read. Skip Morris' "Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple" is another excellent guide to getting started, as is Charlie Craven's "Basic Fly Tying."
Cliff
You have not told us if you are a beginner tyer or if you just want reference books. Many years ago, I had a major surgery that grounded me for eight weeks. Knowing I would be housebound, I bought videos by Skip Morris...Flytying Made Clear and Simple, Dave Whitlock series and the entire A.K. Best series which was about 8 or 9 videos. Stuff is now available on CDs or DVDs. I liked the actual tying sbs because I was able to stop and replay sections as they were being demonstrated correctly by master tyers. I also have numerous books which I can refer to if I need to review a new technique. Please don't overlook the book by Charlie Craven. As my skills have improved and increased I have continued my video/dvd collection and acquired additional ones such as Oliver Edwards on nymphs & nymphing, Barry Reynolds, Brad Befus on flyroding for carp. There are numerous dvds available and I consider them to be the best learning tools for me as I am a very visual learner. Hope this helps with your decision.
Gerri
Have a fly tying bench set-up at home, plus carry a "tackle box" along on my camp outings that contain some basic materials and tools. In my travels had the pleasure of listening too, and then later meeting John van Vliet on the subject. He also published a book called "Fly-Tying Techniques & Patterns" that I think is outstanding, so much so I have two copies ... one for the tying bench at home and the other goes with me on most of my trips where I tote the tying tackle box along. Great book for the basics.
D'Oh!!! Sorry about that!Quote:
Originally Posted by gerri
I started tying about a year and a half ago. I have been browsing through the FOTW, Al Campbell's Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced sections. I have tied some of the flies from the Beginning section. I've been watching a lot of videos on Youtube. I am currently enrolled in Parnelli's Beginner's Fly Tying Swap for 2014.
Honestly, I'm looking for some hard-copy reference material, both on technique and patterns. Mainly, so I can have something to read and/or research when I can't get on the computer (one pc, 5 kids, my wife, and I, are ALL computer addicts!).
I do thank you all for the volumes already listed. I'll add that to a list, and once funding arrives, I'll plan on purchasing some.
You might subscribe to Fly Tyer magazine or go to your local library and look at a copy of it plus your local library should have several books you can check out. I have spent plenty of hours in our local library, when I first started tying, and they do have several books on fly tying.
A used copy of the last edition of Production Fly Tying will cost a small fortune, but you can pick up a used first edition for a lot less. The books mentioned are fantastic. Do you have a Kindle? From time to time fly-tying books are offered for free on Amazon. I check for free books every day.
BTW, The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference is truly the bible of fresh water tying, but the book is expensive, so I bought the cd version for a lot less.
Randy
As Randy said, the Fly Tyers Benchside Reference is an expensive book however, there is one for sale on ebay right now for $55 with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-FLY-TIER...item51b7dd7c73
Still a bit expensive, but not too bad (in fact a good investment) for a reference book that you will use for year to come in the future. I have no affiliation with the seller on ebay, just a proponent of this book as an excellent reference guide.
Jim Smith
I agree on the books mentioned so far. I think I learned the most per dollar from Charlie Craven's book. But, isn't your best option a home WiFi network and another computer or two? They don't have to be new or fancy ones.
I agree with oldfrat. I'd be looking to get another computer and pulling flytying Info
off the Internet. I have quite a few books but generally go online now to hit Charlie Craven's site
for patterns with step by step directions, various you tube how-to's, Westfly for patterns, and it's
really easy to just google up a pattern and who knows where you'll end up and how many variations
of a pattern you'll find. Books are nice, but the internet is so much quicker.
Complete Book of Fly Tying by Eric Leiser, a few of the books by Dick Talleur, fly tying books by Helen Shaw.
I probably will be buying another computer this year, once tax time gets here. Unfortunately, I do not have a Kindle. My wife does have a tablet of some kind, not sure if I'd be able to read a Kindle book on that tablet.
Amazon has a free application for Kindle, that works on other computers. Just download it.
Bob
:D
Yes and it's simple to download. After you download it, bookmark Amazon's sport books on fishing and check it every day as every day they have one to three free books to download. Many don't amount to much but there have been some real nuggets every once in awhile. They also have some good buys on other fishing and tying books.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob9
Dave
Agree. Good book.
Allan going old school. Why not H.G. McClelland's The Trout Fly Dresser's Cabinet of Devices? If it was good enough for the Dettes....Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan
More seriously, if somebody already has a sense of what they're doing, then you'd have to go with the Benchside Reference.
By the way, if you have an interest, the Tightlines Production videos on Vimeo featuring Matt Grobert are just freaking fantastic.
I realize your original request was for tying books and there are so many good books on the market, you really can't beat youtube and dvd's as instructional mediums. there is nothing like watching the actual ties. I've been tying for 30+ years and sometimes reading about tying a featured fly in the magazines sometimes creates interpretational problems for me. best wishes
There was at one time a great companion video that went along with the book.Quote:
Originally Posted by Duffin Boy
Tying Dry Flies and Tying Nymphs by Randall Kaufmann
Clouser's Flies by Bob Clouser
Production Fly Tying by AK Best
Fly-Tyers Benchside Reference by Lessor and Schollmeyer
The Art of Tying The Dry Fly by Skip Morris
Al Campbell Series on Tying here on the main site page under fly tying. Boy I sure miss Al. I especially miss his contribution on the bb. He definitely was an enabler.