Took the Plunge
I finally broke down and signed up for a fly tying class at a local fly shop. The first class was last night; we tied three types of nymphs. Before last night, I had only tied one wooly bugger before (and that was on a much bigger hook than what we used for the nymphs!)
I bought some extra materials so now I gotta practice before the next class!
Oh yer hooked now!
I often wonder why fly shops don't offer free fly tying lessons or at least something like a weekly "jam session" where tyers can come in, tye some flies, socialize, BUY some more stuff, etc.
Enjoy !!!!!
What starts as an enjoyable hobby (fly tying), can soon become an enjoyable side business. Besides the satisfaction of hooking the big trophies on a pattern you created & tied yourself !!!!!
some shops do
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Roger
Princess Anne, Md
Congrats!!! I would advise you to tie up a bunch of what you just tied in the class. The repeat tying will solidify what you have just learned. It will also get you more comfortable with everything from getting the hook in the vise at the right angle to the nuances of thread pressure and control when tying on different materials...
Pretty soon you will be whipping them out like a pro...Again, congrats and keep on tying!....Bob
[This message has been edited by mantis (edited 19 October 2005).]
Hey D4D,
Enjoy! Be sure to save some representative samples of your first few flies. You'll enjoy looking at them in future years. Your improvement will amaze you. Above all, have fun.8T
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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.
D4D;
I was to make a trip to CO this summer and had to tie so small flys, 18 to 26. My regular vise was just too big and I was too cheap to lay out the big bucks for a vise with "Midge Jaws".
To solve the problem (My cheapness!!) I bought a 10 dollar cam lock vise and using a flat file and a chainsaw file I shaped the jaws to hold the small hooks and give me room to work. Painted it flat black and have tied a couple of hundred flies with it and it's still going stronG!!
Another tip, pack a 35 mm film container with steelwool and punch hole in the lid with the bodkin. Zip, you have a bodkin cleaner/holder!!
Also be careful with hook storage boxs! I bought a nice one but didn't notice that the lid did not shut down tight on the compartments! You guessed it, it tiped over on the way to a class and I found myself trying to sort 20, 22, and 24's out of one compartment! The 18's and 16's weren't so bad. What a mess!!
Have fun, you'll love tying. My tying bench is behind the rod building bench so while the epoxy sets on the rod I can swing around and tye some bugs.
been tying for about a year now, took a 5 week course last winter to get out of the house and been hooked since! last night i took a streamer class, tied three classics,made some new friends and it looks like it will turn into a monthly b.s. session
YES I'M HOOKED - collecting, (luckily i work with some hunter,trappers) -tying-fishin
and yes, they all liked the vise i found!
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