My daughter is dying to help me tie flies. She’s a very artsy 4-year old. The only thing that concerns me is having a very active youngster around the sharp hooks. What sort of safer alternatives to a sharp hook exist so my daughter can tie with me? Can someone point me in right direction?
Thanks!
Mike
Clip the tip.
Lew
Mike - My daughter is 5 and ties with me - she has been tying since 3. I place the hooks in the jaws for her and bury the point. No problem. I don’t let her use a bodkin and make sure shj’s careful with the scissors - no problem! Have fun - I have a pretty nice collection of my daughters flies - they’re precious. Cheers, Alec
superglue a bead over the hook point and have her tie up some flies that can be used for earrings, decorations, pins, etc.
The best is to bury the point and be sure to keep her first flies in a safe place for the future. My granddaughter loves seeing her first fly that I have framed in my tying room. Without my knowing it she made one up at your daughters age as a gift to me with colored paper and scotch tape. Now a senior art student in college she can tie with the best of us in a local club.
Bill
I have never tried this but I think you could cut a small piece of craft foam to slip onto the hook point before putting it in the vice. This should offer sufficient protection.
all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim
Mike;
Good suggestions all. Start her out with some of Al’s Punch Yarn fly’s. I’ve got some pink, purple and blue I’ll send you as she may want to get creative with color’s too.
I’ve got to pick up some “Boa” yarn for a swap, very colorful stuff and makes some neat Stealhead fly’s.
I’ll send you some photo’s of what I’ve tied.
I’m going to do some Blue Gill fishing on a friend’s pond later this month. Maybe you could bring her along and let her try my 6’ 6" 2 wt.!
Don’t forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water’s of the Au Sable await you!!
Cactus
Good suggestions. If you don’t want to bury the tip in the vise, you can cut a small piece of cork (not from your handle) to cover it. That will also make her conscience of location and method of wrapping the thread.
Cork from a wine bottle would work handsomely.
Have fun!
Let us know if her flies catch any fish.
Regards,
Diane
Thanks everyone. These are a bunch of great suggestions.
Jack, I’d love to bring her gill fishing. When you get a chance, please shoot me an e-mail with the particulars. I’ll bring her Mickey rod too.
Mike
Mike be sure to get a casting bubble so she can use her flies with that mickey rod.
all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim
Good idea Jim. I think I have a bubble in my pile of stuff somewhere in my “man cave”.
Mike
Great thread!
My next-door neighbor’s 8-year old girl is very interested in learning to tie flies and also likes to fish, and I had the same questions about hook safety.
I’ll start inviting her over for our sunday tying sessions! I’m thinking if she can make a set of all the common local insects here, she’ll have a head start on a great science project for school next year.
DAN
I did a seach for “Al’s Punch Yarn fly’s” and didn’t get any hits. Can someone help me out with a link?
Birddog try searching for the too simple flies in Al’s columns. They mostly used the punch yarn bodies as do ther swapfs.
all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim
I’m with the “bury the hook” crowd. I started my daughter at 6 and she’s been tying for 10 years now. If you start off by clipping the hook, or even smashing the barb, if they decide to use the fly later they won’t necessarily work for a young one. My daughter has been tying for local shops since she was nine and really enjoys it. The hobby has given her more spending money and fly fishing equipment than you can imagine. Have fun - they’ve been some of the best times I’ve had with my daughter.
Joe
Hi all, my 5-year old son is extremely interested also. This past March, I took him with me twice to the Fish and Game club Fly Tying course where I was teaching. He sat there, passed me materials and watched and every night he would tie a fly. The first night, a black wooly bugger, the second night, a green wooly bugger.
As far as hooks and sharp pointy things go, I am surprised that no one has mentioned tube flies. I have an HMH adapter that I use with plastic tubes. The techniques, proportions and tying is all the same as with a hook (pretty much) but no sharp points. The scissors are the only thing sharp and with a little supervision, not a problem, plus the kids have more control over the scissors since they use them for crafts all the time.
Once the tube is complete, you can head them out to the stream for fishing and put the hook on then to catch the whopper they will always remember since it was caught on a fly they tied.
Dwight
Once you cover the hookpoint with one of the above suggestions; may I suggest having the kids tie up some shad flys? The materials are cheap, bright and almost any combination of mylar, tinsel, chenille, craft fur and accent flash will work at one time or another. Kids like to use beads and flashy stuff and there aren’t any real tricky techniques to master like prepping and sizing hackle or setting wings on place. Best of all- you can actually catch fish on these things to boost morale- plus shad fishing usually entails alot of snagged flies so keeping boxes stocked is a plus. Lastly, you can use inexpensive Mustad #3366 hooks at under $4.00 for 100 and they work fine. Everybody wins!