Salmon fly tying for beginners
Issue 8 (Jan – Feb 2016) Jason Nash
The first time we go fishing, more often than not a spinning rod is thrust into our hands. Learning the basics, we are shown simple techniques like casting, tying knots, threading a worm onto a hook, retrieving a spinner and so on. As our fishing experiences progress through a multitude of various disciplines, we look for new challenges to test our ability. There is an art form and knack to every type of fishing for every type of species and possibly none more so than fly fishing. Swishing and swashing, whirling and whirring, eventually we begin fishing instead of just casting. Confidence growing, timing of casting improving and all of a sudden a few fish begin to come our way. At last the fish are obliging as the right fly has been tied to the leader. Fish keep coming and one begins to ponder… what is the next challenge? Scanning through a building collection of fly boxes, a critical eye searches for a fly which isn’t there. I’m thinking I want this colour on that sized hook but I don’t possess it and I’ve never seen it so what do I do? Cue a new obsession; fly tying.
A few years ago I never thought I would have the patience or skill to sit at a table and tie myself a fly. Wanting to add another dimension to my fishing I made the plunge and bought myself a vice and some materials to get started. Threads, flosses, tinsels, feathers and fur, I had all the ingredients and tools before me to have a stab at tying some sort of fish catching concoction. After what felt like an hour later I had some sort of horrible looking “thing” tied up, but as terrible as it looked, I was very proud and delighted with my achievement! Since then I haven’t looked back and have gone on to improve my tying skills and most importantly of all catch fish on them. For the rest of this article I hope to give the reader some useful pointers on how to begin and advance their tying skills without giving up when it all seems too hard.
In the shops and on internet websites today there are many various starter fly tying kits. This is the road I went down and would highly recommend it to the beginner – the Lureflash fly tying kit. First off, it is low cost and you get a feel for what fly tying is like. Kits provide you with all the basic tools such as a vice, bobbin, scissors, hackle pliers, etc. Hooks and fly tying material are also provided and will get you started on the road to creating your first fly. Many sets will have some sort of instruction manual or DVD enclosed and this will initially help you to get something on the hook. If at first you’re having difficulty do try and stick with it as it will take patience. I remember the first couple of flies I tied I used the floss instead of thread for tying materials on… always lay your materials out before you begin and read the instructions!! Take your time and aim to tie a good looking, durable fly in line with the fly you are copying. At the beginning this is going to take time, there are no two ways about it. When I began I was preoccupied with racing ahead and tying as fast as I could but when examining the final product was let down as it didn’t look like what I intended. Even now after tying many flies it will take me about half an hour to tie one salmon fly as I don’t do it regularly. But once the basics are firmly grasped it’s like riding a bike and you can come back to it time and time again.
After tying a few flies and getting the hang of it you’re hopefully enjoying yourself and haven’t chucked the lot into the bin out of frustration! At this stage you’ll be thinking of flies you would like to tie yourself. Flicking through magazines, scrolling down forums and seeing the next “killer” and “must have” fly, naturally enough you’ll want it in your fly box and why not! All flies will have their own list of materials or recipe and from this you can proceed to splash the cash. Buy the highest quality materials you can afford as these will be easier to tie with and look better. However, there is nothing wrong with cheaper material at the lower end of the scale and it shouldn’t be discounted. The “best looking” flies can be better at catching fishermen rather than fish! With regards to hooks, don’t skimp and buy quality. I currently tie salmon flies on Partridge double hooks, Salars, and have never had an ounce of trouble. They add to the aesthetic looks of the fly and most importantly are strong. As for trout, it’s hard to look past Kamasan for quality and price. Hooks and fly tying materials can be purchased in Ireland from stockists such as Pat Nolan of Premier Angling Supplies or online from websites like www.mistpool.com .
From my own experience what I would suggest before attempting exotic creations from far off rivers or seas is look at your own locality first and see what works there. Practising on local tried and trusted patterns that you or others have had success on will yield better results for you and raise that all-important confidence. A mistake I made when beginning was being awe struck by all these amazing flies and wanting to replicate them. I’d tie one or two copies of a pattern, hurry down to the river and then revert back to my tried and trusted or else I’d be constantly asking myself, ‘Should I have that size 12 Green Highlander on instead’ and not concentrate properly on my fishing. Sticking to a couple of patterns and mastering how to tie them will be better for you in the long run. Many fly tying books have been written with “Step by Step” guides and illustrations showing how to tie various patterns. These, along with forums and YouTube channels such as Davie McPhail’s , will provide you with a template you will need to get the ball rolling.
As you’ll see from previous articles and blogs I rarely use anything other than a Shrimp fly or Willie Gunn. This may sound mind numbingly boring but there are two reasons for this; firstly, these names are reasonably loose and I use them more as a reference to the style of fly. A Shrimp style fly has many variations such as Ally Shrimp, Cascade or Park Shrimp but its principle profile is it has a long tail, constructed from hair or fur. Secondly, they are proven fish catchers and there is nothing boring about that! Tied on a range of different sized hooks and tubes, these will interest fish the whole season long. Once comfortable with the style of tying and the proportions have been mastered, one can experiment with different natural/ synthetic materials, colour schemes and so on and so forth. Some of these new combos may work an absolute treat! Three tips I have learnt tying on hooks are:
1) Less is more. Too many flies are over-dressed and this negatively affects their fish catching prowess. Sparse is the way to go and reaching the right quantities will come in time.
2) Steer away from different colour varnishes. Only ever use clear and mix the head colours of your flies up by using different colour threads.
3) Once you have all materials on your hook, take your time with finishing off the head. Keep back from the eye of the hook and give yourself room. A neat head really finishes a fly off nicely and can be the difference between a good looking fly and an excellent looking fly. Finish off with 2-3 coats of varnish and start fishing!
Besides tying on hooks, there is a vast array of tubes of varying weights and lengths to tie on. Plastic, aluminium, copper, tungsten, all have their own applications. Bought with tube extensions to slip the hook into at the rear of the tube, these tubes can be tied onto straight away. Some also require inner tube lining to be bought, which prevents your leader from being frayed. To these tubes, a range of different heads may or may not be added, like cone heads and turbo disc heads. These are added to give the fly and its materials more movement in the water. They may also be added for weight. Looking at professional fly tyers tube flies, you will notice again that there are different manufacturers making these sets. When purchasing, pick one which is displayed most often and appeals to you the most, such as the Propeller Fly system or Guideline FITS tube system. As there are many different tube sizes, be sure to ask which ones are compatible before you purchase as there’s nothing worse than when they don’t fit together! Once a tube needle is acquired (I use the Guideline FITS Tubing Device), one can begin to tie. These types of flies are really worth putting time into as they will form the main ingredient of spring fly fishing for salmon and when the river is at a high flood level. Three tips I have learnt are:
1) The tube needle can be used to burr the rear of the inner tubing with a lighter when beginning to tie a fly and also the head after a cone head/ turbo disc head has been attached.
2) When using metal tubes, make sure to super glue the inside plastic liner to the tube before tying.
3) Use a thread with a thin diameter as this will enable the cone head/ turbo disc head to fit tighter against the materials after the whip finish.
The world of fly tying goes on forever and knows no boundaries. Constantly evolving, there will always be new patterns to tie in more advanced ways than before. Don’t think of fly tying as a way to save money, as it certainly isn’t, but it will give you endless hours of joy and progress you further in the art of fly fishing. Sea, lake and river conditions are forever changing and the ability to tie a fly up to suit at the drop of a hat is a major trump card to have up the sleeve. When you see the dainty sip of a brown trout, feel the electric slam of a sea trout or detect the undeniable draw of a salmon, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that what’s on the end of your line was created with your own bare hands. Could this winter see the start of a new, lifelong hobby?
Jason Nash
