I’m new to fly tying and am a bit overwhelmed when it comes to selecting flies to tie.
I’ve gone to the fly pattern section of the web site and seen lots of patterns that I think would be great to learn but I really want to try to focus on the most generally effective patterns that a beginner ought to know. Plus my wife would kill me if I came home with buckets of fly tying material all at once. :0)
Two questions for the elders if I may ask.
If you were starting a fellow out learning to tie, what would be the 6 must-know fly patterns that you would suggest he learn to tie? What colors and hook sizes would you recommend?
I’m not looking to take anyone’s secret trout slayer pattern, I just am feeling very lost in all the possibilities.
If I were just starting out I would go to Al Campbells Archive and Start with his Simple patterns. I still tie a lot of his patterns. Just my 2 cents. John
I wish you all everlasting flies and tight lines.
[This message has been edited by bassman (edited 22 June 2006).]
TerryB:
I was in the same place you are, a little less than a year ago.
I think that the single best resource available to people new to tying flies is Al Campbell’s section on this page. He takes you step by step through some basic yet useful patters, and shows you how to do it all. Look to the left of this page, and click on the “fly tying” link. You’ll find the link to the “beginners” section. It’s really invaluable.
Anywho, after you’ve tied a few, join a good swap. It might be pretty cool if someone hosted another “beginners” swap. I started one last October that really tested my mettle, and made me a much better fly tier.
Let me go one step farther and suggest that you set up your tying station in front of your monitor and start working your way through Al Campbell’s Beginner’s section of flies. Tie at least a dozen of each one just to be sure you get the pattern down. Muscle memory, times over material is a vital part of tying.
Of course then you’ll have all these flies to go fishing with and to pass out to your buddies or stick in your hat
Let me make a slightly different suggestion. What is your quarry and what type of water are you fishing? Then you can go from there. Als articles are awesome but you need to get your feet wet on patterns you want and will use for the type of fishing you do. And for sure Ill second the wolly bugger.
In addition to Al’s great tying lessons archive right here on FAOL and the patterns Al shows, this site below is pretty good also as an online source for the beginning fly tyer to add to Al’s series .
[url=http://www.tie1on.net/:70f6e]http://www.tie1on.net/[/url:70f6e]
Best of luck.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 22 June 2006).]
“I really want to try to focus on the most generally effective patterns that a beginner ought to know.”
Many would opt for the woolybugger for this. Simply by changing the colors and how you puppeteer it, you can immi MANY “food items” from minnows to crawdads to damsel nymphs. It will teach you three fly parts…tail, body, hackle.
Al Campbell’s stuff is priceless. The best for teaching you much more on tying more parts and how to use’em.
All bugs, once you get familiar with’em, are merely and adaptation of (materials or application-wise) or elimination of 5 or 6 basic “fly parts”.
Enjoy the ride…and start saving for the new room.
…lee s.
Do yourself a big favor and stop looking for any more responses because you have just received the best ones out there. Al’s Beginners section is the section I have used for the past 6 years teaching a Beginner’s Fly Tying class at the local college. You will not find a better source or guide anywhere else. Take you time and follow each one step by step and do not skip over any step. His instructions will take you through the “Beginners” to the “Intermediate” to “Advanced” and if you really applied yourself, you will have all the answers to all your questions. I cannot brag any harder on Al’s instructions. They are that good!!! Good luck and welcome to FAOL.
As many have stated, Al Campbell flytying series is an excellent source. I am sorry you did not get the bug before his passing. You could always contact Al if you had a question and he would gladly respond. The most important lesson Al told me was not how to tie the pattern, but technique. Start with lesson one and go from there.
Another great source is Al Beatty beginners tying video. Al is a wealth of knowledge and shares techniques that he has developed or has gotten from others.
Everyone’s suggesting Al Campbell’s presentations, so i’ll make my own beginners list:
Wooly Bugger- Works for everything
Wooly Worm-First pattern I learned to tie
GB Hares Ear Nymph - The best overall trout fly i’ve ever used.
Adams- A bit tough maybe, for a beginner, but a must have fly.
Elk Hair Caddis- It just works.
6)Griffith Gnat- Easy to tie, works great dry or subsurface.
There’s a few others i’d add, but that should get you started. Good Luck…and welcome to the addiction.
My favorite beginning fly is the mohair leech with a glass bead head. Black mohair and black glass bead has caught bass, trout, pickerel, bluegills, and pumpkin seed sunfish for me.
I am a advocate for Al Campbell’s Beginning Fly Tying Series. Al setup the instructions so you would learn a new technique with each lesson, building on what you have previously learned and mastered, in previous lessons. I recommend that you do not jump around, or jump ahead, to tie patterns that interest you at this time.
Start at the beginning, and take time to master each lesson, before moving on to the next lesson. Do not rush thought the lessons, to get to a fly you really want to tie. Be honest with your flies, and if you are ready to move onto the next lesson. Only then, you will be ready to tie that lesson’s pattern.
I am with Parnelli on this one.
I have learned a lot in a short time (3 years) from using Al’s beginners course. He set it up to teach the basics flies you would need to get started fishing with your own flies.
I tie a lot of flies now, but I still go back and check on my technique.
.