chriswh86 Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 Hey all, Just woundering how many people here started fly tying because it looked like a fun hobby. Im just getting back into fishing and my knowledge of fishing is basically zero. Ive also only used a fly rod once. I am going to start making my own tackle for my spin caster as i cant spend so much on store bought and loose it! fly tying looks interesting although i have no clue how to fly fish or how to make certain flys for each fish etc etc. Has anyone taken up fly tying just for fun basically. Maybe let your friends try the flys to see how effective they are and maybe move into learning how to fly fish down the road? Cheers, Chris, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrecord Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 Hey Chris, You live in a wonderful Province to learn and enjoy a variety of fly fishing fun. Welcome to TU. Ask away any question you have and we'll try to answer it. Yes I started fly fishing because my Mom and Dad were rod and reel casting. I rebelled (LOL). I noticed that my Dad "doctored" up hard and wire baits = painted red stripes or cut throats, bent wires, soldered on different spinner blades and so on. I saw that he had much more fun catching fish that he had fooled with his modifications than the fun he had caught with store bought merchandise. Not being the sharpest knife in the drawer after about 2-300 fishing trips, I started tying flies and noticed that I had more fun catching fish with MY flies than with store bought flies. Again not being too sharp, after about another 200 or so fly fishing trips, I noticed three things: Some of my MY flies worked about the same as store bought flies, other of MY flies worked better than store bought flies and some of MY flies worked worse than store bought flies. My hobby is trying to tie flies that work better than I can buy. So if fly fishing is fun for you, and catching fish fly fishing is more fun on flies you tied yourself, then when you develop and tie flies that are better than you can buy, you too should have a very exciting hobby! Now go fish and come back and tell us about it! Good luck. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswh86 Posted October 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 Interesting background Im just starting out spin casting right now and noticing the joys of loosing every single lure in my box! Very fustrating. Obviously making your own flys and lures can cost $ out of the gate, but overall saving money, something that interests me after going to the store, buying lures etc and loosing everything. No fun! Im also so green that its tricky for me to figure out what the fish are biting on in the rivers right now, still learning. I watched a guy today snag about 12 salmon in the rivers, doesnt really look like much fun, throw a big buzz bomb on, cast, sink set hard and hope a fish is in the way. hmm anyways, i am going to look for a fly rod in the next few days i think and try to get into it there. I guess time is the big thing to figure out how and were to fish and what to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrecord Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 Whoa! Lemme back up a bit, OK? Before you start spending $ on fly fishing equipment, suggest you spend $ on learning where, how and what to use fishing on several species in your big Province. Books, DVDs, Guides, Fishing clubs and tackle shops all offer a variety of learning materials. Use different gear for different fish. Boat, tube, kiyak fishing is different that bank fishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswh86 Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Roger that, I have been talking to the locals at the holes lately to figure some more stuff out. Planning a trip to a tackle shop a little ways away, I will talk to them about some things and see what books they have etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsailor618 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 I have to agree with bassrecord above and recommend learning the local fishing habits, patterns and stories. I took up fly fishing after getting stationed in New England in the mid 80s. I quickly discovered that losing the store bought flies was getting expensive. I bought an 'expert' flytying kit that came with a book of patterns. I taught myself to tie from that set and it has grown exponentially since then. In the last 3 or 4 years I have taken to making my own wire and spoon style baits and I am slowly getting into painting my own hard plastic lures. My wife bought some lquid plastic and molds and I am just beginning to learn to pour my own soft plastic baits and making RTV molds. I do all of this strictly for my own or family and friend use - I do not sell anything I make although I do trade with a couple of buddies. I do most of my luremaking in the winter here in Alaska so that I am free to fish in the prime seasaons. I do the pouring, molding and painting out in the heated garage with a mini spray booth and vent fan to remove the odors. Since discovering this site and the wealth of information here, I must say my hobbies are improving in quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I taught myself to tie flies when I was a teenager. There were no fly waters around and not once did I ever get to use them, but it looked like fun. I even made my own fly rod from blanks and taught myself to cast, but never made it to a river bank. There was no internet back then, so it was a trip to the public library for the details. I soon got bored making the published patterns and started inventing my own. An uncle who was a gamekeeper, thought they looked great, so I gave him a box of about a hundred. The next time I saw him, he asked me to make more to sell, as they were catching like crazy. I would love to get back into it, but my eyes are so bad that I can't tie my shoe laces! Definitely recommended as an enjoyable and rewarding hobby. DAve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswh86 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Quite a bit of work with no water around at least you enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Quite a bit of work with no water around at least you enjoyed it!I've built and tested many hundreds of crank baits, but have only fished a handfull of times. For me, it is the challenge of the build, getting the lure to perform how I want it to.I do like fishing, but the waters around my location do not allow lures. I am sure they made the rule when I won the biggest fish prize. I popped the lure on for the last ten minutes of the competition. The next competition, the organizer told me 'not allowed'. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswh86 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 ahh bummer, I can see were the challenge can be a great reward! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
