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GETTING STARTED
With spring lurking just around the corner a young man or young woman?s thoughts turn to thoughts of taking up fly-fishing. Well, maybe it?s the second thing that they are thinking about as winter turns to spring, but perhaps they are thinking about fly-fishing somewhere in the order of thoughts that come to mind this time of the year. If this describes you or someone you know perhaps I can offer a bit of sage advice about how to get started.
amen! the main thing is to buy what you can afford, hook up with someone who has been doing it as long as you can find, pick their brain as if they were going to die or move away tomorrow, and go have some fun!
Thanks for writing this! It's the best advice that one could get, in my opinion. Much better than the "you have to crap out $400 to get started"...
Very nice "getting started" article Neil. I had to laugh a bit when reflecting on all the "junk" stuff I purchashed when I first started tying flies. - Thanks - Jay
Hi Neil,
Great job! Very good common sense advise.
So many times I have read about someone wanting to get started tying flies, will ask for basic information on how to get started on a bulletin board, and will receive advise that they should run right out and buy a very high quality (read very expensive) vise.
My advise each time was to buy inexpensive tools, including the vise, with the exception of buying a moderately priced ceramic type of bobbin. For materials, buy the materials \to tie 2 or three types of flies, and these first few flies should be buggers or nymphs. In tying those, if tying is absolutely not for you, you will probably find that out without spending a bunch of money. Some other folks would often give similar advise, but many times those folks were in the minority.
Years ago, I was involved in a survey of fly tying instructors on a bulletin board, as to how many of their students were still tying after a year. The answer among these teachers was less than 20%, and it may have been less than 10% continued tying after one year. It has been enough years that I don't remember the exact details, but do remember clearly that it was a small percent, and clearly less than 20%. A beginning tier can easily start with a beginner vise, and if he finds that tying is for him, he can buy a better vise later.
That was what happened in my case. I bought beginners tools from Hook and Hackle, (I don't mind using the name since they are still a sponser and do a still do a good job). Bob gave me very good advise, and I spent a minimal sum to begin with, and rapidly found out that tying was for me. I now tie on a $20 Thompson A from Ebay that is quite old, and it does just fine. It is the fly tier that ties the flies, not the vise.
I think a person who wants to become a fly fisherman or tier would do well to read the article and take it to heart.
Again, very good advise.
Regards,
Gandolf
Galdolf,
I've done a lot of teaching of fly tying from university courses for credit to free classes through shops and clubs for kids. I've found a way to increase that retention % to over 50% at 1 year and 30% at 3 years. I can only verify the 30% at 3 years due to a loss in contact with former students by then. That number might still be higher. But it costs an addition $20-25 per student. It's simple. Give them a fly tying kit to use throughout the class and keep for their own when it is over and provide them with a catalog, on-line source for supplies, and take them to their closest fly shop for a good tour (if available).
Now, if you teach 100 students per year that adds up to $2000-2500 per year. So it has to be funded somehow. But fly tying retailers, distributors, and manufacturers should wake up and realize that this is an investment in their future! And if they make these investments through a 501(c)(3) non-profit like the Federation of Fly Fishers or the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute (just 2 examples), those investments are tax deductible. And an increase of 30-40% in new customers is nothing to sneeze at!
I say "Amen' to flyguy66. Fly fishing manufacturers and large wholesalers should recognize that the future of their business is not in those of us that have a closet full of fly rods and more fly tying material and tools than we will ever use. Unfortunately many of the manufacturers have stopped funding educational outreach programs and have attempted to shift the responsibiltiy onto the retailers. While some of the larger fly shops and retail outlets can afford to put on free clinics and provide free materials for fly tying classes most, in this current economy, cannot. The results are that we are loosing potential future fly fishers.