05-07-2003, 02:50 PM
[cool]Hey gang. Since I have posted pics of my bait bugs and spinners, and with the back and forth on how easy they are to use...and how effective, I thought I would post some of the better websites I have found on tying flies.
Once you know the basics of fly tying, you can crank out bait bugs that will work well, even if they do not look like works of art. Most warm water species...in fresh water...and most salt water species are not like the finicky trout of high mountain streams and lakes. They live in a competitive environment and are always on the lookout for a good meal. Serve them up a little jig...with or without "sweetener" (bait) on it...and they are likely to at least give it a trial munch. That's all you can ask for.
For anyone who gets serious about learning to tie flies and make their own jigs, I will be happy to walk you through, step by step, as best I can through this forum. If you REALLY get serious, you might consider finding a class somewhere and investing in some personal instruction.
I never did get a formal training in fly tying. I started playing around with this pastime about age 7, in Idaho. My first flies were tied on big hooks, with plain sewing thread, and some feathers I picked up here and there on my uncle's farm. They were big and gross, but I did find some stupid trout that attacked them...if only to keep them away. I graduated to using bits of inner tube to make black crickets and spidery looking things. These also got a few votes from the fishies.
By the time I was in high school, my family had moved to Southern California, and an older cousin showed me a few things about REAL fly tying...using a vise and everything. I was frugal (broke and cheap) so I made my own first vises...out of clothes pins with the nose whittled into more of a pointed shape, and rubber bands added to increase hook gripping tension. I held this vise in one hand, and did the wrapping with the other hand...holding the spool of thread...with no fancy bobbins. I could tie smaller and better flies with this setup.
While attending college in Utah, I was taken under the wing of a couple of newfound older fishing companions, who were skilled tiers, and actually tied flies for sale. They coached me and helped me acquire an old used vise. On this vise, I graduated to professional status, and was even able to supplement my meager student cash flow by peddling some of my creations. I have always been grateful for the help they freely offered and try to do the same when I can.
It was a natural progression for me to start dressing jig hooks with feathers and chenille, making jigs. My first ones were for crappies and bass. It progressed to making jigs for shad, salmon and steelhead...and even big hair jigs for stripers and salt water fish.
For the last twenty years I have been experimenting and developing the line of jigs I call my "bait bugs". These are essentially just jigs with short tails, to accomodate a piece of bait. Jigs and bait have long been recognized as deadly combinations.
Here's the list of fly tying sites. That's where it begins.
[url "http://www.angelfire.com/wa/salmonid/"][#0000ff]http://www.angelfire.com/wa/salmonid/[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.fishhoo.com/Fly_Fishing/Fly_Tying/"][#0000ff]http://www.fishhoo.com/Fly_Fishing/Fly_Tying/[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://flyfishing.about.com/library/ffm/ftb/aamaterialsintro.htm"][#0000ff]http://flyfishing.about.com/library/ffm/...sintro.htm[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.thetyingbench.com/recipes/index.htm#T"][#0000ff]http://www.thetyingbench.com/recipes/index.htm#T[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/tap/archive/2001/2001-08--flytying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthr...tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.easternsierrafishing.com/fly_fishing/fly_tying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.easternsierrafishing.com/fly_...tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/~cckhrb/fish_tying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/~cckhrb/fish_tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/patterns/fly_tying.php"][#0000ff]http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/patt..._tying.php[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.flyfishingjournal.com/fly_tying/flytying.htm"][#0000ff]http://www.flyfishingjournal.com/fly_tying/flytying.htm[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.troutflies.com/"][#0000ff]http://www.troutflies.com/[/#0000ff][/url]
Hope all of these links work. I had to delete a couple of them when I went back and tried them.
[signature]
Once you know the basics of fly tying, you can crank out bait bugs that will work well, even if they do not look like works of art. Most warm water species...in fresh water...and most salt water species are not like the finicky trout of high mountain streams and lakes. They live in a competitive environment and are always on the lookout for a good meal. Serve them up a little jig...with or without "sweetener" (bait) on it...and they are likely to at least give it a trial munch. That's all you can ask for.
For anyone who gets serious about learning to tie flies and make their own jigs, I will be happy to walk you through, step by step, as best I can through this forum. If you REALLY get serious, you might consider finding a class somewhere and investing in some personal instruction.
I never did get a formal training in fly tying. I started playing around with this pastime about age 7, in Idaho. My first flies were tied on big hooks, with plain sewing thread, and some feathers I picked up here and there on my uncle's farm. They were big and gross, but I did find some stupid trout that attacked them...if only to keep them away. I graduated to using bits of inner tube to make black crickets and spidery looking things. These also got a few votes from the fishies.
By the time I was in high school, my family had moved to Southern California, and an older cousin showed me a few things about REAL fly tying...using a vise and everything. I was frugal (broke and cheap) so I made my own first vises...out of clothes pins with the nose whittled into more of a pointed shape, and rubber bands added to increase hook gripping tension. I held this vise in one hand, and did the wrapping with the other hand...holding the spool of thread...with no fancy bobbins. I could tie smaller and better flies with this setup.
While attending college in Utah, I was taken under the wing of a couple of newfound older fishing companions, who were skilled tiers, and actually tied flies for sale. They coached me and helped me acquire an old used vise. On this vise, I graduated to professional status, and was even able to supplement my meager student cash flow by peddling some of my creations. I have always been grateful for the help they freely offered and try to do the same when I can.
It was a natural progression for me to start dressing jig hooks with feathers and chenille, making jigs. My first ones were for crappies and bass. It progressed to making jigs for shad, salmon and steelhead...and even big hair jigs for stripers and salt water fish.
For the last twenty years I have been experimenting and developing the line of jigs I call my "bait bugs". These are essentially just jigs with short tails, to accomodate a piece of bait. Jigs and bait have long been recognized as deadly combinations.
Here's the list of fly tying sites. That's where it begins.
[url "http://www.angelfire.com/wa/salmonid/"][#0000ff]http://www.angelfire.com/wa/salmonid/[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.fishhoo.com/Fly_Fishing/Fly_Tying/"][#0000ff]http://www.fishhoo.com/Fly_Fishing/Fly_Tying/[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://flyfishing.about.com/library/ffm/ftb/aamaterialsintro.htm"][#0000ff]http://flyfishing.about.com/library/ffm/...sintro.htm[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.thetyingbench.com/recipes/index.htm#T"][#0000ff]http://www.thetyingbench.com/recipes/index.htm#T[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/tap/archive/2001/2001-08--flytying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthr...tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.easternsierrafishing.com/fly_fishing/fly_tying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.easternsierrafishing.com/fly_...tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/~cckhrb/fish_tying.html"][#0000ff]http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/~cckhrb/fish_tying.html[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/patterns/fly_tying.php"][#0000ff]http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/patt..._tying.php[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.flyfishingjournal.com/fly_tying/flytying.htm"][#0000ff]http://www.flyfishingjournal.com/fly_tying/flytying.htm[/#0000ff][/url]
[url "http://www.troutflies.com/"][#0000ff]http://www.troutflies.com/[/#0000ff][/url]
Hope all of these links work. I had to delete a couple of them when I went back and tried them.
[signature]