Alright this post is for all the fly tying experts…How is the best way to learn to tye flies. I am interested in learning but don’t know if I should try to take a class or buy a book or video. Please send advise.
I learned how to tie flies mainly from You Tube. I had a starter video initially by Lefty Kreh that came in a kit. I never took lessons, but if you can…that would be a great idea.
I tend to be a person that learns best by hands-on trial and error. If I were starting out right now, I think I’b buy a copy of Fly Tyers Benchside Reference and some pattern books and start with 3-4 patterns and practice, practice, practice. I know others will recommend you take a class, but my experience with these types of classes is that they tend to cater to the lowest common denominator so the learning is fairly basic stuff. Advanced classes assume intermediate knowledge and experience so you get lost almost immediately even with just the terminology. Just my 2 cents worth.
Jim Smith
I think its still a good idea to get some feedback type instruction. Look to a community college program or something the city may sponsor where you live. Also, track down a local flyfishing club and ask them about any classes they may offer and then join up and meet with them regularly, many will be more than willing to spend some time with you and teach you what it takes to get going. My favorite though is check with your local fly shop as they will be able to not only provide current, knowledgeable instructors, but all the equipment and supplies that you will need.
Good luck, and recognize that once you learn you will never, ever have any more disposable income - EVER.
Kelly.
Raider,
It really depends on you and how you learn new things. I did both. I struck out on my own some and worked with a good friend as well. If you work with someone else, I would suggest that they be a very experienced, capable fly tier as well as a good teacher. They need to know what they’re doing AND be able to explain techniques to you as well. Good luck and Best Regards…
Having some hands on instruction in a class will shorten your learning curve considerably, but, if there are no classes near you then I suggest you go to http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/ . Start with lesson number one then work your way through the list of lessons in order. Our friend, the late Al Campbell, did a wonderful job setting up this series of tutorials that teaches all the necessary skills while filling a fly box or two.
Don’t just tie one fly and consider the lesson done, tie a dozen, then try a few more. You’ll see improvemeent in each fly you tie, and you build muscle memory as you practice.
You can also ask questions in the chatroom and here on the BB if you run into trouble.
Good Luck.
REE
If possible take lessons…when I started it was 6 weeks …once a week …geared to beginners…gradually progressing…
raider -
Wondering what kind of resources you really have available in Amarillo TX ?? My guess is that you don’t have a lot of fly tying shops, or community colleges offering lessons, or clubs with folks to lend a hand ??
The Al Campbell Series recommended by REE is a good place to start. Also, the Fly of the Week archives have hundreds of entries, most with recipes and photos showing the step by step approach to tying the fly.
There are some other online resources that have great tutorials for tying specific flies. Wish I could think of the names, but can’t right now. Those tutorials won’t help you too much on tying techniques, but they will give you a lot of ideas on how flies are constructed. One is Harry Mason’s - I think it is something like www.troutflies.com, and another is something like www.Charliesflybox.com.
And as someone else mentioned, the BB Fly Tying Forum is a good place to get some help when you get stuck.
John
Lessons would be my preference. I had to learn from a book before the youtube era, and probably would make the real tyers wince to watch me.
Once you are started, join a swap or 2. You’ll get better with the practice.
Raiderhunter, Try this group. Jim
Golden Spread Flyfishers
Tom Grant
Amarillo, TX
806-353-3297
Raider,
The two sites John suggested are great sites. Have a look at Charlie Cravens site for exellent step by step instructions. I bought his new book and it is awesome. Whether you’re a beginner or have tied for 30 yrs his professional hints and short cuts are worth the price of his book. Good Luck
Beaver
You have been given some great ideas and places to look at and learn to tie flies, but, I teach a Beginner’s Fly Tying class and I strongly recommend that you check your area to see if there is anyone teaching beginning fly tying. You really need to learn the basics of fly tying before you can fully understand what you are seeing and hearing on Youtube or reading on a web site or from a book. Once you learn the language and basic techniques of fly tying your learning curve will be much quicker and you will have less of a chance of just giving up on fly tying. A good beginner’s class will teach you how to start your thread, show you what “palmering a hackle” means, explain what counter wrapping is and why you do it, the difference between hen hackle, saddle hackle, dry fly hackle, bugger hackle, etc., teach you what herl is, teach you why on some flies you have the hackle barbs facing forward and on some facing backward, teach you how to do pinch dubbing and loop dubbing, teach and show you what each tying tool does, teach you how to tie off your finished fly and do a whipfinish…I could go on but hopefully, you get my point. All of the above may be the basics of fly tying, but, you really need to know them in order to advance in your tying skills. After you take a good beginner’s class you should be able to look at a picture of a fly and know what material was used and have a good general idea on how to tie it. If you have attended a good beginner’s tying class you should be able to tie a fly with just the fly recipe only and no picture. A good beginner’s class should teach you how to make every fly body there is. Learning to tie good flies is a lot like being a doctor. There is no end to the learning curve. New techniques are popping up all the time and you must keep up or your tying skills will not continue to develope. After you have really learned the basics of fly tying, you really need to try and tie everyday for at least an hour or more. You really must apply yourself to learning fly tying if you want to improve. You can only be taught so much and then you are on your own. You need to be creative with your tying and practice, practice, practice…
I cannot stress enough the importance of having a good foundation on the basics of fly tying and once you have that, there is no stopping you. You cannot ask any questions on Youtube, a tying video or a book but you can in a good beginner’s fly tying class. You cannot play in the game if you do not know the game’s ground rules and you cannot understand fly tying if you do not know the basics of how a fly is created.
If there are no classes being offered in your area, post an ad in your local paper asking if there is anyone willing to teach you. That is how I got started. I went to a gentleman’s home one evening per week all winter and we spent at least 3 hours tying flies and learning the basics. I will never forget the last class with him. I got my stuff together to leave and said to him that I would see him next week and he said no you won’t. I have taught you all you need and now you just need to apply what I have taught you and practice, practice, practice…That was 15 years ago and I have been teaching a Beginner’s Fly Tying class twice per year at the local college for the past 12 years. We meet one night per week for 3 hours for 5 weeks.
Sorry for the long post, but, I just love fly tying and I know you will too if you get started on the right foot…Have fun with it and keep us posted…
to learn fly tying, i
took a class
bought a book (Fly Tyer’s Benchside Introduction)
watched videos
had an elderly friend show me some
watched exhibition tyers at fly shows
joined swaps
chose my favorite fishing flies and tied lots of them
taught someone else a basic fly
and i have to say that i learned from every one of these experiences. welcome to a whole new world of fun!
What they said…and TIE TYE TYH !!
never took a lesson…the guy (nationally known) backed out when others in the class cancelled and he wouldn’t make enough money on just the two of us left. This pissed me off, so I found out about this site, and the tutorials on it. I am NOT self taught…Al Campbell taught me using anonymous distance learning. Use this site…then find others like it with tutorials.
http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/ is another good one that was just shown to me through FAOL.
USE THE BEGINNER AND INTERMEDIATE TUTORIALS ON FAOL FIRST.
If you can find a fly tyinng meeting, like SowBug. in Mt Home Ar in March each year, go to that. Lots of great tyers who will show you and explain anything they do that you don’t understand.
There are usually some beginning classes there.
Rick
I would highly recommend taking a class if its at all possible. I think its important to be able to see techniques executed in person and get feedback on what you’re doing wrong, as well as doing right.
That being said, I learned to tie mostly from Al Campbell’s section on this web site as well as several books. Although it is very possible to teach yourself, I think it considerably shortens the learning curve to have some sort of instruction, even if its merely a friend that’s got some tying experience sitting looking over your shoulder while you tie.
While hands-on lessons are great they can be expensive from top rated pros. Having gone that route years ago I now realize that premier videos like those from A.K. Best etc. would have really been better. You certainly would be missing the criticism aspect of your work but you would benefit from being able to repeat recorded sections over and over.
Also, is is very important that you tie several of the same flies at one sitting until you get used to repeating processes. Good luck.
I learned form books now I tye backward or like a lefty lol oh well I ty nice flys. I started many many years ago rumaged through mags for to buy my books found some in secound hand stores, I did enjoy the search and learning how to tye a fly a fish would take or working out something that looked like a fish would take. later I have tyed and learned form here and people have met here, Ronn Lucas being one. got tips form Al before the begining fly tye section was put in place. I found if you want to learn you well it all in how bad you want to learn is the seceret;
Ghost
You have been given some excellent recommendations. The best advice I got when learning to tie was from Al Campbell. He stressed learning the basic techniques of tying and not so much about learning to tie a particlular fly. After that Al told me to go and take live courses.
Some excellent videos are from Al and Gretchen Beatty. Al and Gretchen are pros at simplifying a lesson.
Be sure to join a fly swap.