With fall growing colder and winter coming quickly on the horizon, fly fisherman start putting away their fly rods and pulling out the fly vises. Fly boxes start to look like mere skeletons of what they were in the spring. There is no doubt that late fall and winter is time to start restocking the fly boxes for the coming season. Fly tying is a little bit crafty, little bit artsy, and a little bit science. When fly tying it can be challenging to produce consistent results and top quality. Here are some tips to help you reach the next level of fly tying.
Getting your proportions right: One of the most important aspects to tying flies is getting your material proportions correct. When getting your material proportions correct it enables you to create uniform, and accurate representations of the bugs you want to be fishing. You can measure materials by either the shank of your hook you will be tying on or using a hackle gauge.
Picking the right thread: You might use 3/0 on streamers and saltwater flies, but using that heavy of thread on dry flies will be far too bulky. Using 6/0 on bigger foam flies and using 8/0 on smaller dries is much more appropriate.
No excess wraps: Trust your thread and your wraps. Fly tiers get in the habit of throwing on 2 or 3 excess wraps “just to be sure”. Too many wraps will add excessive bulk to your fly and will immediately throw off you proportions.
Crowding the eye: Always leave enough room up by the eye of the hook to finish your fly by creating a small thread head. Your flies will look cleaner and you won’t have an issue tying on the fly. This is easily the most common mistake for beginners.
Keep your thread at a manageable distance from your bobbin: You never want to be wrapping a fly with 3 or 4 inches of thread outside your bobbin. It will take more time to produce flies and you will not be as accurate and precise with your thread wraps. 1.5 inches is about the maximum amount of thread you want outside your bobbin.
Have two pairs of scissors: First of all, you gotta have a good pair of scissors for fly tying. Ideally you want to have one pair of sharp scissors for trimming and all natural fibers. Having a second pair of scissors for all synthetic materials is crucial to keeping your trimming scissors nice and sharp. Synthetic materials are awesome for fly tying, but can dull your scissors quickly.
Get your lighting right: It is very important to have proper lighting at your tying bench. Either a cheap desk lamp or a specific fly tying light or jewelry light will make your life much easier. Even if you have good eyes using magnifiers with good lighting can also be very beneficial. Figure out what works best for you.
Practicing these tips is the best way to hit the next level with fly tying. Our staff is full of avid fly tiers who have been tying for quite a while. We have plenty more tips and are willing to share if you need a hand. Swing by the shop or give us a call for some more advice. We also have the largest fly tying selection in Missoula available in store and online at kingfisherflyshop.com.
We also are considering doing some fly tying classes this winter. If your interested give us a call at the shop or email us at [email protected]. Get on our list and we will keep you posted on the details.