The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

My fly tying kit has gone untouched for several years, and I have wondered what to do with it. My wife's niece last week started badgering me to teach her son how to tie. This kid, big as a moose, is a Cal Tech student who went there with the idea of becoming an astrophysicist, but as freshman year wound down decided he is going to be a neurosurgeon. I truly believe that trom the neck up he is mentally equipped to master any profession he chooses. He is also a top notch baseball player. But from the wrists outward I am sometimes in wonder that he can tie his shoelaces. So he is in dire need of developing greater manual dexteriity before he starts probing around in people's brains. Today I am going to present that kit to him, even including part opf a jungle fowl cape I bought in 1948. He can go home to Reno and start flexing his fingers.

But, BUT, how to find him a good text for learning? Sure, I can teach him the very basics, how to keep tension on the thread, how to tie half hitches and whip finishes,etc. but today I tie such a lousy fly that I wouldn't want him picking up my bad habits. Obviously hands on teaching is the best, but failing that, can anyone recommend a good book (or books) to help him? Or is there anyone in the Reno area who might help? Any thoughts/recommndations gratefully received!

hard one as I learned by the school of hard knots. I used the book that came with my Thomson vice. Unfortunitely that book left out one simple. but very important step - How to anchor the thread.

I spent ^%$#$ hours trying to get the thread to not to slip off. Lucky for me, we had a fly tyer come to our Boy's Scout meeting for a demostration. Once I learned to anchor the ^%$%^ thread I was off.

It's easy to do, and fun to experiment.

Paul

Maybe I can bring Danny over that hurdle w/o a problem. From that limping start, Carpy, ya done good, I'd say....

I learned from Helen Shaw's original Fly Tying book.....focuses on fundementals. A lot has changed in terms of materials, but the fundementals of tying them on the hook have not changed.

Peter,

Get him to one or two short classes at the Reno Fly Shop. It'll save him a load of frustration in getting started. I don't know of one, but there MUST be a good DVD on intro to fly tying out there.

Ideas anyone?

Just looked on Amazon, not much for DVDs but Leeson and Schollmeyer have an 'intro to fly tying'

http://www...f=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in

if it is anywhere near as good as their Benchside Reference, it'll be just fine.

Good luck!!

The one I should have read..

"Fly Tying for the BEGINNER" by J.E. Willmarth, Rosevelt, N.Y.

..I'm guessing it at least from the 1940" and maybe even earlier..only the material have changed,,not the critters we try to copy.

Only 23 small pages, be happy to copy it for you.

Paul

I would second the suggestion on "The Benchside Introduction to Fly Tying" I have used this book often. It has very detailed pictures and instructions.

Thanks everyone. Ed, yours is the best as Step #1, but the titles mentioned will be a great backup.
Two of you have mentioned that materials have changed, and isn't that true. 1940 was when I started, and when I look at all my stuff it is amazing how little of it was around in those days. Even the roosters supplying hackles have been genetically engineerd to provide a far superior feather. And hook sizes - in those days a #20 was about as small as you could find. Tying thread was silk that had to be heavily waxed, and was nowhere near as strong as the nylon of today. Silk floss as a tying material seems to have almost disappeared.

In those days about the only large suppliers to fly tyers were Herters and Paul H. Young. Herter's "catalogs: were a collection of folders, each maybe four pages, and each dealing with some topic like tools or materials.

Anyway thanks again for taking the time to respond.

There is a cabellas in Reno. It probably also has free fly tying classes. They may not start until fall though.

When I got started 10 years ag0 these two books helped alot. They both covered a lot of the same thing but both also had some good details about hooks and feathers that the other one did not.

Universal Fly Tying Guide by Dick Stewart

Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple by Skip Morris

They both probably can be had used from amazon for not much money I bet since they have beeen around for a long time. I still see them both in fly shops sometimes.

Now here is a book that I am sure would be well worth the money.

Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying. I ahve several friends that swear by Charlies methods and capability to teach. They have taken several of Charlies fly tying classes. One of them is a profession fly tier that ties flies for Charlie's Shop.

If you got some time on your hands what would also help a lot is if you were to look up some of the most common fly tutorials on Charlie Craven's website. His tutorials are the best on the web. Very detailed showing every single step one goes through. Many times he explains why it is important to do it in the manor that he does them. Generally the common flies that are taught to beginners by most people are the ones that also he uses to explain the most important aspects of tying flies. So it would be helpful for you to choice some flies for you nephew to study and tie. Telling him in what order to tye them.

Charlies website. www.charliesflyboxinc.com. click on "FlyBox" Select a fly from the drop down menu box. Click the "Get Pattern" radio button. The fly and discriptions and recipe will appear. But if you look near the top right you will see "Click Here For Tutorial" in red. Click it and then wait for the step by step tutorial expode out. It may take a while if you have an older computer.

oops double posted. so I deleted the text for this one.

Concur. Charlie Craven's site/ videos are really good. His Youtube two minute Parachute bAdams is amazing to me.

http://www....com/watch?v=N_XZlX0mau0

Well here is another twist:

Charlie now has an app on the Iphone with step by step instructions. Every self respecting college fly fisherman is goning to need that.

here is some info on the Fly Fisherman Forum:

http://for...ying/iphone-app-flybench