Through The Eyes Of A New Tyer
by Samuel Fava

It was the middle of August 2005 and I was on vacation with my family in the mountains of New York. One night during a lull I wanted to find something to do and I stumbled upon my brother's long forgotten fly-tying kit. It contained Jack Dennis’ video “Getting Started Fly Tying” and his book “Western Trout Fly Tying Manual”; some real basic materials, a Master vise, and the basic tools. I watched the video while thumbing through the book and really took an interest in what I was seeing. After watching about 2 flies being tied I quickly set up a makeshift tying table and started from the beginning with the Hare's Ear Nymph. My favorite tie for my first night was the Black Wooly Bugger. The next night I found myself tying some patterns from the book like a Black Ant, the Hornberg, a Paradrake, and some dry flies like the Royal Wulff. From that vacation on it became my passion and mission to learn all I can about fly tying. As a matter of fact, my first day back I researched more about fly-tying on the web and found the FTF and instantly became a member. 

The things I’ve learned from the friends I’ve made are priceless and otherwise would have taken me years to learn and develop on my own. One of the first things I learned was I basically still knew nothing about the fly-tying world. I instantly took interest in the realistic flies and tried my hand at them after putting more materials together and learning the fine techniques that are needed to tie such great works of art. I’ve also learned how to properly tie durable, effective flies for most circumstances. There have been many learning aids that I’ve picked up along the way. Some have taught me a great deal; others have just shown me more pattern choices. Among my favorites is Oliver Edwards’ “Flytyers Masterclass” book & Oliver Edwards DVD collection; these alone have taught me a great deal and I’ve developed a great respect for Edwards and his work. Not only does he show you how to tie these very productive flies but he also shows you their fishing techniques and his reasoning behind it. I have taken a great interest in his Polish Woven Nymph patterns and their variations. These mimic a lot of nymphs with the right color materials and variations; choices you can make; some with tail and beards, wing-cases and legs, and you can even change the materials for different effects and looks. At first they were the hardest flies I'd ever tied, but now they seem to tie themselves.

I’ve also enjoyed the works of Jack Dennis, especially his book and video combo “Tying Flies with Jack Dennis and Friends” which taught me some great variations to patterns I’d already known and some I haven’t seen yet. Jack really takes the time to show you very detailed step-by-steps of each fly so even a rookie such as myself can keep up, but can even be good for an intermediate tier. Now, if you want to hit the fish with something a little different than the common flies everyone is using, I recommend “The Flytier’s Companion” by Mike Dawes. This book was given to me by a dear friend who instantly was eager to help me learn fly-tying. In this book are a great variety of flies for trout, steelhead, seatrout, and some others. As for the Internet, there is a ton of material out there if you know what to look for. It has been the greatest help to me as a new tier and I’m sure even experienced veterans can learn a thing or two.

One of the best places for a beginner fly tier is E-Bay. There are so many great deals out there for materials, hooks, books, etc. As an example, I just bought 600 Dai-Riki hooks in different sizes and application types for $50 and the “Fly Tyer's Masterclass” book by Oliver Edwards for $35 (still in the wrapping) which sells elsewhere for $100 and up for used copies. The biggest help has been the great group of people involved in the Fly Tying Forum and Talk Fly Fishing. At these forums you make friends daily and constantly learn more than you will ever learn elsewhere. As for the future, I’m looking to learn more about classic wet fly patterns and their history, tuning my tying skills the best I can and always trying to expand my knowledge of fly tying. As for understanding trout another great friend of mine has given me a book “Fly Fishing For Trout In Streams”, which has a lot of info about the gear, fishing techniques, and their environment. Even though this book has little to do with fly tying directly, it has helped me understand some of the needs for the different flies and their variations, based on the world from a trout’s point of view. It’s a must-have in my opinion for cold water fly tiers.

In the beginning I had a lot of misconceptions about fly tying. One of my greatest misconceptions was that it was going to be easy to learn with little needed materials. This was due to my lack of knowledge about the variety of patterns. I believed there were just dry flies and nymphs. If you make the right friends they can save you from a lot of headaches and wasted money on selecting the right tools and materials for your needs. Another misconception is that fly-tying and fly-fishing is just for trout. I quickly learned this is not true. You can fly-tie and fly-fish for bluegill, bass, pike, tarpon, stripers, or anything else that has fins in fresh or saltwater.

With the great variety of hooks and materials, you can virtually tie anything your imagination thinks up. It still amazes me how many people actually enjoy tying their own flies over buying from the fly shop. I think it really holds on to the tradition and history of this great pastime.