Those of you who tie flys

[aa.allen]

I had seen a handful of guys and gals on the forum who fly fish so I’m going to assume there are people here who tie their own flys.
have been on the fence about starting to tie flys. My oldest boy makes plastic lures and I have had fun making those with him. I have gotten curious about tying flys. I like the creative use of colors and it looks like it could be relaxing.

I know nothing about tying flys and have never been fly fishing. I fish the local lakes and rivers a pretty good amount. I am willing to learn and don’t guess I have to fly fish to tie flys. I also am wanting to take a fly tying class at the local Bass Pro soon to give me the basics. I also know YouTube can be my friend

My question is: is this a decent fly tying vice for a starter? I got a $25 gift are from Bass Pro as a work secret santa gift and there isn’t really anything else at BPS I want or need for around $25 so this seems somewhat logical.

Also any other advice for someone wanting to start

Thank you!

 

[sleepydad]

I have fly fished since about 1987-88

I started tying maybe about 1990 ish

mostly because I was under the impression it would save me $$ of course it did not... I fish for trout in cold water, also bass, panfish, salmon ,steel head and some red fish and bone fish in the salt. I mostly just float trip western rivers now days with guides and they provide all the flies so I really don't tie anymore.

so #1 what kind of fish are you fishing? pan fish, bass, alligator gar, Atlantic salmon, taimen, brown trout, rainbows?

this will dictate the supplies you will need.

for sure take a class, like most things fishing is a vast subject, tying flies is also almost more vast because it's intended to fool fish into eating something they like to eat. fish eat a lot of things. different fish of course eat different stuff.

salt water flies, salmon flies, nymphs, dry flies, streamers, deer hair poppers...

so I think you taking a class and seeing what is involved is a great idea, then maybe pick one type of fish and tie some flies and go catch them with those flies you tied. panfish are easy to catch and will eat almost anything so... this is a great place to start.

bonus... the green river in UT. my 12 year old catching a really nice brown on a #28 disco bug.

<a href="https://imgur.com/VZJWL0X"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/VZJWL0Xl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

 

[aa.allen]

I have fly fished since about 1987-88

I started tying maybe about 1990 ish

mostly because I was under the impression it would save me $$ of course it did not... I fish for trout in cold water, also bass, panfish, salmon ,steel head and some red fish and bone fish in the salt. I mostly just float trip western rivers now days with guides and they provide all the flies so I really don't tie anymore.

so #1 what kind of fish are you fishing? pan fish, bass, alligator gar, Atlantic salmon, taimen, brown trout, rainbows?

this will dictate the supplies you will need.

for sure take a class, like most things fishing is a vast subject, tying flies is also almost more vast because it's intended to fool fish into eating something they like to eat. fish eat a lot of things. different fish of course eat different stuff.

salt water flies, salmon flies, nymphs, dry flies, streamers, deer hair poppers...

so I think you taking a class and seeing what is involved is a great idea, then maybe pick one type of fish and tie some flies and go catch them with those flies you tied. panfish are easy to catch and will eat almost anything so... this is a great place to start.

bonus... the green river in UT. my 12 year old catching a really nice brown on a #28 disco bug.

<a href="https://imgur.com/VZJWL0X"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/VZJWL0Xl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

I mainly fish for panfish i love blue gill and crappie. I am blessed to live very close to a large creek that has a lot of nice sized blue gills. I also fish for lake rainbows this time of year. I’ll use a few myself of course but that’s not the main intention. I need something relaxing to do that’s not hard on my messed up back and something indoors when it’s dark/cold out. Something that requires me being creative. I wouldn’t mind selling a few at the point in time in came to that but it would be for my use or giveaways to people I know.

 

[MN4runnerman]

I don’t tie a lot anymore but I do make plastics and jigs with either lead or tungsten. My latest thing is buying the tungsten slotted beads that are meant for fly tying and soldering in a hook to make ice fishing jigs. I used to fly fish a lot more and then I’d make a small number of ties. I always went after panfish so I wasn’t too concerned with how they turned out.

 

[fourwd1]

Moved to OT

 

[aa.allen]

Moved to OT

My apologies I thought that’s where I put it

 

[2flyfishin]

A class is a good place to start. Don't spend too much on a vise until you figure out if it's for you or not. If you like it and do get into it, a nice vice is a must. Be aware, the more types of flies you tie, the more materials you will need. I only tie a select few any more and mine are tied to catch fish, not fisherman (if you really get into it , you'll learn the difference). If you start with flies like pheasant tail nymphs and prince nymphs, they will work well for both panfish and trout and considering you don't fly fish, you can use them under a bobber and they will work well. If you want it, I have a c-clamp vise that I don't use anymore that you can have and you can save your gift card for other materials. Just pm me.
P.S. Your Jets are hanging in there behind the Predators.

 

[aa.allen]

A class is a good place to start. Don't spend too much on a vise until you figure out if it's for you or not. If you like it and do get into it, a nice vice is a must. Be aware, the more types of flies you tie, the more materials you will need. I only tie a select few any more and mine are tied to catch fish, not fisherman (if you really get into it , you'll learn the difference). If you start with flies like pheasant tail nymphs and prince nymphs, they will work well for both panfish and trout and considering you don't fly fish, you can use them under a bobber and they will work well. If you want it, I have a c-clamp vise that I don't use anymore that you can have and you can save your gift card for other materials. Just pm me.
P.S. Your Jets are hanging in there behind the Predators.

PM sent

I wish they were hanging with the #1 seed but it’s better than me crying in my beer like years before.