flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com
That is freaking great! I love when people do stuff like that.
The only book I had was a pen n' ink . I think I bought the book at Hickock's . Feathers were picked up in the back yard or along a small stream that ran in back of our property on Richards road. That was over 60 yrs ago ...
So many beautiful flies! Great blog, Norm!i have a lot of hair wing steelhead flies on my blog that are rather easy to tie
Flytying: New and Old
A collection of new and old fly patterns, fly tying tips and tricks and other fly fishing articles
You can purchase weighted tubes, as well. They're available in aluminum, brass, and tungsten. Lots of options.
I’m in the same boat! I’m a retired senior and never learned to tie. I now have the time and plan to concentrate on steelhead pattens and later hope to tie more traditional steelhead and Atlantic Salmon patterns if my skills progress. Trying to grasp all the multitude of materials and knowing what to use, what are good substitutes etc. seems overwhelming. Watching this thread with interest!
When I first read this post for some unknown reason it kinda struck a chord and I thought maybe it would be a proper way to start relinquishing the piles of materials that I have accumulated over the years. You know help a guy get started and hope that he finds the same enjoyment out of tying flies that I found from the very first one I tried but knowing that maybe that might not actually happen. So I packed up a bunch of stuff and some examples of starter flies and shipped it off to Luke with no idea of the possible outcome but a suspicion that it might be meaningful. We have since had several communications and I have tried to provide some guidance but he was on his own. Yesterday I received a heartfelt letter with several of his flies enclosed. Made me smile. The guy has obviously discovered a new affliction. Were the flies something that you would expect from someone with a thousand dozen under his belt? Probably not but they were awesome and revealed an attention to detail that showed how much effort and enjoyment he is having with this new, I hate to call it hobby cause its gets to be more than that. Great job Luke. Made me feel that there are indeed some things that can still go right in this crazy world.
It’s wonderful you have helped him! I’m just getting started in tying and have some local people helping me. The generosity in our community is amazing.When I first read this post for some unknown reason it kinda struck a chord and I thought maybe it would be a proper way to start relinquishing with the piles of materials that I have accumulated over the years. You know help a guy get started and hope that he found the same enjoyment out of tying flies that I found from the very first one I tried but knowing that maybe that might not actually happen. So I packed up a bunch of stuff and some examples of starter flies and shipped it off to Luke with no idea of the possible outcome but a suspicion that it might be meaningful. We have since had several communications and I have tried to provide some guidance but he was on his own. Yesterday I received a letter with several of his flies enclosed. Made me smile. The guy has obviously discovered a new affliction. Were the flies something that you would expect from someone with a thousand dozen under his belt? Probably not but they were awesome and revealed an attention to detail that showed how much effort and enjoyment he is having with this new, I hate to call it hobby cause its gets to be more than that. Great job Luke. Made me feel that there are indeed some things that can still go right in this crazy world.
You should have seen the first half dozen! And the rest of the pile that I plucked through to send those off. They'll catch a fish I'm sure, but it's still a long ways to go. Thanks for the kind words! I'm definitely enjoying the new adventureWhen I first read this post for some unknown reason it kinda struck a chord and I thought maybe it would be a proper way to start relinquishing the piles of materials that I have accumulated over the years. You know help a guy get started and hope that he finds the same enjoyment out of tying flies that I found from the very first one I tried but knowing that maybe that might not actually happen. So I packed up a bunch of stuff and some examples of starter flies and shipped it off to Luke with no idea of the possible outcome but a suspicion that it might be meaningful. We have since had several communications and I have tried to provide some guidance but he was on his own. Yesterday I received a heartfelt letter with several of his flies enclosed. Made me smile. The guy has obviously discovered a new affliction. Were the flies something that you would expect from someone with a thousand dozen under his belt? Probably not but they were awesome and revealed an attention to detail that showed how much effort and enjoyment he is having with this new, I hate to call it hobby cause its gets to be more than that. Great job Luke. Made me feel that there are indeed some things that can still go right in this crazy world.
How did you start tying your first six or so flies? Did you have a pattern and a step by step guide to follow? The overwhelming part for me is understanding what materials to use for a particular pattern and how to prep the materials. How did you get started with that. Hope you don’t mind me asking, just looking for some inspiration!
I know you didn't ask me, but this book really helped me when I was getting started:
The first pattern was a hobo spey and the second was a green butt skunk. Both quite different with the hobo being on a shank and the skunk on traditional salmon hook. In both cases I watched a number of YouTube videos to get several perspectives, then just tried for myself. Neither one needs many materials, and there really isn't any prep. Just pay attention to how the tyer in the video works with the materials and try to mimic it. For example, you often rip the fluffy bit off the base of the feathers before tying them in, or you can twist dubbing onto your thread then wrap it around the hook. Those are things I picked up quickly. At this point I've watched a hundred videos I'm sure with people tying all kinds of flies and learning about all sorts of materials. It was recommended to me to pick one or two patterns and start there.
