Fly Tying Lessons Etc.

[MBrooks]

I am new to the sport and am looking for instruction on selecting fly-tying equipment and for some instruction tying basics to get me started. Any ideas? Mark

[rusty]

Welcome Mark!

 

First off, try using the search function in the upper right portion of the page. Some great info's been posted on here about starting fly tying.

 

Check Fish Tales - they run great fly tying courses but they usually run in the winter. Go into the shop and talk to the folks there and you can't go wrong. The other shops in town like Troutfitters, Westwinds, and Country Pleasures are worth a visit too.

 

As far as equipment goes, I would recommend buying a good vise (I like the Peak), an excellent pair of scissors (Dr. Slick or Thompson), and a good ceramic bobbin (Tiemco makes a great one) as the basis of your tying kit. I personally avoid the prepackaged kits as they contain a fair amount of stuff that you don't need.

[Crogg]

Hey Mark, I second the Fish Tales beginner tying course. I took the five week course in January, and I learned tons. I have also learned lots on Youtube and online tutorials. I would recommend the DynaKing Kingfisher vice or the the Kingfisher kit. The kit includes the Kingfisher vise, which is awesome. I got a Thompson for a gift and the jaws don't hold worth a darn after a month of tying. The Dynaking jaws are awesome. Also comes with Dr Slick tools a and some material to get you started tying some caddis flies. Here is the link http://www.dyna-king.com/flyvise_dtl.asp?i...v=0&pid=083 Also check out "Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple" by Skip Morris. Skip rules...

Good luck!

[cheeler]

Most tying lessons are already done for the year. I know the hook and hackle club has some going and may only be done 2 or 3 nights out of 10, but there may also be some people on here willing to do one on one, but it'll cost more. I started out with the Fly Tying Bible as a guide, and picked up some basic equipment down at fishtales. If they have any leftover kits they sell with their fly tying courses, they will sell it to you so you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get into tying, either.

[MBrooks]

Thank you all, have a buddy that is getting me started with the fishing, once I have a few trips out will look for a course towards winter. Mark

[Castuserraticus]

..... they will sell it to you so you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get into tying, either.

 

Just some fingers and toes...

They can do this because they know they'll get the other limbs later.

[trailhead]

Thank you all, have a buddy that is getting me started with the fishing, once I have a few trips out will look for a course towards winter. Mark

 

That's a good idea, because the season is just about to start. I found a real good course to be the one that the City of Calgary runs through the recreation department. It's one day a week for about eight weeks, and runs from fall to before Christmas. The cost is real cheap and all the equipment and supplies are provided, my instructor was Mamo Takanaka, but I think he retired and his son-in-law was running it. I hope they still have it available, because there was no association with any flyshop and so no pressure to buy. In fact they had a ton of tips on how to save money on supplies and equipment. Not that I'm cheap, but I am fiscally responsible.