windknots wrote:

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Is it worth it?

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It is worth it to me, but you are NOT going to save money tying flies!  I enjoy the satisfaction of catching a fish on a fly that I tied.  You can also control the weight of your fly which enables you to fish better.  It's also fun to be creative and come up with new ideas. 

Start tying again.  You will enjoy it.

The whole "worth it" idea to me isnt about monetary savings. Its about knowing that you caught the fish with your own fly that you tied. That is the main reason I want to learn to tie. Plus Im a creative son of a gun and would like to pioneer some of my own ideas. Now if they will work I have no idea. And lastly I do a lot of art work, mainly pottery, but I have been in many shops that have flies framed and they look really nice. So a few reasons to the "worth it" idea for me are: self gratification, a means of being creative, and as a means of artistic impression. Now I need to hit the books according to the responses to my post "How did you learn..."

BTW thanks to those that responded to that. It was helpful.

Everyone has made good points on tying your own flies.  It is exciting to catch fish on your own flies, it is even better when you tie up a new creation and you catch more fish.  Nymphs are definitely much easier to tie.  A good book is Tying Nymphs by Randall Kaufmann.  The book is very informative and has several patterns in the back.  My theory on dry flies is they are too hard to tie for $2.  Also it is better to go to local fly shops at various new adventure areas and ask them which dries are working and which are best.  Usually when you buy some dry flies you can get better information on local hot spots, and you will definitely catch more fish.  The best example of that was The Fly Shop in Redding and recommending Sloan's Paralyzer.  This is the best caddis pattern that I have ever used.  It works all over the Sac.  It takes forever to tie and my versions don't come close.  As for nymphs the pattern that has caught the most fish on Putah for me is the easiest fly to tie.  Tiemco 2487 hook size 20-22, black or red thread back to the bend, wrap forward with gaps for ribbing and tie in a light dun CDC puff just in front of the eye.  Chop off the CDC puff and you have a midge emerger.  The fly only takes a couple of minutes to tie.  This fly hasn't worked lately though, the flies of the week are a size 16 Barr emerger tan body olive thorax, and a size 16 or 18 tan hares ear emerger.

Bono,

I will help in any way I can on the Putah Organization. Let everyone know when you want to meet.  I'm sure you will have a good turnout.  I saw your truck at #5 today.  How was the fishing?

-- Edited by Otter at 21:24, 2007-02-01

I just started fly fishing back in July. My dad gave me an old Thompson vise, tying materials and some old books on tying. I read alot on the internet and at the library and then just sat down and tried it out. It's pretty self satisfying to produce these yourself.
I have since bought a lighted magnifying glass as it gets hard to see these size 18-20 flies.
I enjoy taking what is in he books/ websites and coming up with my own patterns.
Mike

Right now I fish with 100% bought flies, but I would like to get back into tying.  The first fish I caught on my own pattern was a 13" brown trout caught on a black wooly bugger (probably the easiest pattern ever) in the Meeks Creek watershed of Lake Tahoe.  Unfortunately I brought my tying stuff to college with me and my expensive vise along with all my tools got stolen.  Who the heck steals fly tying equipment?  I still wonder who it could have been to this day.  Anyways, tying is definitely worth it.  It allows you to relax and do something fishing oriented after long days and whenever you are aching to go out but you just can't make it.  It gives you the experience of putting your all into the sport of flyfishing and hopefully reaping sweeter rewards knowing that you made the fly.  Most importantly, a well tied fly is like a sacrificial idol offered to the fish gods, and its always good to have those guys in your favor!
Charlie

Here are some web sites with step by step instruction with pictures and/or video clips. I also found info at the local library. For me, learning to tie flies came with just sitting down with a pattern and doing the trial and error thing. Some of the brassie patterns, pheasant tail and midges were pretty easy to start with. Once you get through a few easier patterns and have a finished product, it isn't as difficult as it seems and you'll see how a lot of these patterns follow the same steps, just substituting materials. Good luck.
Mike

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/archive.html

http://flies.hipwader.com/

http://www.tie1on.net/
http://www.cffu.org/CFFU/FlyIndex.html
http://www.flytyingforum.com/
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/archive.html
http://members.tripod.com/stevenojai/flybox.htm
http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/

-- Edited by Brundoggy at 20:27, 2007-02-23

Thanks alot for the links.  After checking out a couple of them
I'm excited to sit down at the vise and give it a shot an honest shot.

I started tying when I was about 12 or so.  It took months for me to finally catch something on a fly that I tied myself. My first vise was a 4 in wood workbench model that I borrowed from my dad. I tied with mono line instead of thread, and used material that we has around the house.  This included but was not limited to horse hair, dog hair and duck feathers.  The flies were very interesting, but I had fun, and still do it today.  Alot of times it is not the 'perfect' fly that delivers.  I have had trout hit a mangled (in the fly vise) stonefly pattern when nothing else would work, I caught six until I broke it off, while my friend, fishing pretty store bought patterns had zero luck. 

I tie everything I fish with.  Like 101 I started around 12 and I'm 29 now.  Took me alot longer to get a decent looking fly going than it did to catch my first fish on a fly rod though.  The only time I buy flies is when something catches my eye at the shop and I take it home to tweak it or straight copy it.  A few months back I counted all my finished flies in several boxes and I have somewhere in the neighborhood of just over 2000 usable bugs right now.  I tie 4-5 nights a week.

we should do a Putah creek fly swap. That would be awesome! I always like to get new ideas for tying and fly patterns. Jt has already influenced my tying style with his dope putah patterns. These days I have been tying about 80% of the flies I fish with. I try to tie everything but I don't always have the time or supplies so it seems like I'm still having to pick up a few emergency patterns here and there. I was lucky enough to have taken classes when I was in high school so I have a solid basis and I'm pretty much comfortable tying any pattern. I really love intricate patterns and small detailed insect imitations but my favorites are still big ugly bass bugs and anything involving foam! I tie about 3 nights a week more or less. Sometimes I burn out if I am tying the same pattern over and over. I have been trying to restock my boxes for next year so I have literally been tying dozens of the same patterns in different sizes and variations which gets a little tedious. Sometimes I just invent something new to break the monotony. But that is what I love about tying. You have freedom to do whatever you want.
chuck

At the moment I only tie about 10% of my flies and have just started getting back into it over the last year. 

Sometimes the local shops are all out of the hot patterns in the right sizes and tying is the only way to fill your box with a go to fly on short notice. 

Tying has improved my fishing as well. When I get one of my flies hung up I go to greater extremes to retrieve it which makes me try to avoid doing whatever caused it again in the future. 

Maybe we can do some fly swapping at the Putah Creek cleanup on Nov 17th. Anyone planning to go?