Every angler new to fly fishing and tenkara will inevitably ask themselves the question, “should I learn to tie my own flies?” Usually, the impetus behind this is a perceived cost savings over buying flies. And that certainly seems like a valid reason once you peruse the prices in the fly bins of your local fly shop and realize that, ultimately, every one of those flies will end up snagged on the bottom, stuck in a tree, or lost to a fish (or, perhaps, simply fall apart). But when pondering this question, rather than cost savings, I think the beginning angler should instead consider some other reasons that I think are much more important. Everyone has their own reasons for tying their own flies, but here are a few I think are are worth examining and will lead the novice to answer the question with a resounding “yes!”
1. It’s rewarding
I started tying almost immediately after I started fly fishing. For me, the reward of catching a fish on a fly I tied myself was enamoring and completed the circle of the sport I so romanticized. Think about it … here is this highly discerning creature that has evolved to be an expert at entomological discrimination–like a celebrity chef with too-high standards–and YOU fooled it with something you created out of unlikely, alien materials such as feathers, tinsel, and some fur. What a sense of accomplishment! Of course, fish aren’t as smart as fly fishing lore has made them out to be. But still, there’s a sense of pride when a pattern you tied yourself is accepted by a trout. You’ll “get it” the first time it happens to you.
2. It gives you freedom
There are literally millions of effective fly patterns. Some recipes are published, some are kept secret, and some still haven’t been tied yet–they lurk in the imaginations of countless unknown fly tyers (maybe even you). But if you don’t tie, you are limited to what is commercially available. Granted, there are probably thousands of patterns that you can buy from a fly shop, catalog, or online, but your imagination is more expansive that the offerings fly companies deem as “salable”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had customers that came in and described a fly that their guide or fishing partner gave them that they wanted to buy but that I knew wasn’t commercially available. After determining that they didn’t tie, they were crestfallen. Especially after I told them it would be quite easy to replicate. If they did tie, I could have simply handed them the materials they’d need and they could go home and easily reproduce the pattern. And that’s what you can do too if you start tying. You can not only copy the standard patterns, but create anything you want. You’re free to let your imagination run wild and be creative: substitute this material for that. Change the dimensions. Adapt the color scheme from one pattern to another. You can do anything you want and are not a slave to the paltry selection most fly shops offer. You are limitless.
3. It gives you an edge
And that brings us to competitive advantage. Since you’re free from the standards of the fly shops, you have the edge on highly pressured fish. While everyone else is presenting a #16 Adams to fish that have seen that drift overhead 25 times already, and that they’ve already been caught on, YOUR fly is unique. Fish might not have PhDs, but they are able to be conditioned. And when you’ve been traumatized 10 times after eating something that looks like every other Adams #16 from the fly shop, you’re probably not going to take the next one that floats by. But what about something different that looks buggy and you haven’t been tricked by before? Trout are opportunists. They can recognize patterns based on repetition and will avoid ones they’ve been conditioned to learn lead to negative experiences. But they’re willing to experiment. So if your fly looks different than the 100 other standard patterns those pressured fish have seen that day, you have an edge. Even on tough waters.
4. It broadens your horizons
Joining the ranks of those who tie will give you a backstage pass into circles that you might not otherwise access and ultimately make you a better angler. Through tying events, forums, and Facebook groups, while you’re learning to tie, you’re also networking with people who will share all kinds of information about presentation techniques, new spots, and more. You’ve joined a club who’s members take care of their own and it will take your overall fishing to a new level.
5. It’s fun!
I’ve always said that if every river on Earth dried up, I would still tie flies. It’s a creative endeavor that can be relaxing, exciting, and just plain fun! As I mentioned above, there really is no limit to what your imagination can do by substituting materials, changing color, and inventing your own patterns. It can certainly be addictive, but it’s a good addiction to have! And sometimes the funnest part is coming up for the name of the pattern you just invented!
What about cost?
I alluded to the cost question earlier. And I’m going to answer that question the same way I answer every question in fly fishing: it depends. Like I said, the first thought most novices have is that they’re going to save a lot of money by tying their own flies. And their spirits are quickly diminished once they realize that there’s a substantial upfront investment to getting started. You need a vise, some tools, thread, materials, etc. It all adds up. Probably to a price tag you won’t like. But like anything in the fishing world, you can take take it to whichever level you want. You can get started with a second-hand vise, some roadkill, and your mom’s sewing thread. Or, you can go for the Renzetti vise, esoteric feathers and silk thread. And there’s everything in between. I’ve gone all routes and the best advice I can give anyone is to choose their own. Don’t feel intimidated by people that have $300 vises and are tying with fancy tools. I’ve done that and it wasn’t fulfilling. Today, I tie with cheap yarn and materials that would make the artisan guardians of the art cringe. But I don’t care. I enjoy my time at the vise just as much as my time on the water and I catch just as many fish than they do.I’m not arguing that cost shouldn’t be a factor in your decision or that you can’t save a few dimes per fly, but to me, the reasons above far outweigh $$$.
Conclusion
Now back to the original question: “Should you tie your own flies?” I hope you’ve decided that you definitely should. The very first fish you catch on a fly that you’ve tied yourself will be an epiphany and from there, you’ll never doubt it again. Not only that–it will lead to a lifelong passion and add a new, deeper, and more personalized dimension to your craft. If you have any questions or need help getting started, contact me. I’d love to help you get into what could be the most rewarding decision you’ve ever made (as it has been for me).
What are YOUR reasons for getting into tying?
Please share in the comments section below to inspire future tyers.
Jason good to see you back! I started tying because it seemed the next natural step. By the way, I still have my first vise a Thompson Model A and a pair of Thompson scissors. I do think that for someone who wants to get started with tying tenkara flies can be less expensive than getting into tying western style flies. Material wise, maybe not tools.
I have always enjoyed your articles. Glad you’re doing it again. I think Tenkara flies are probably cheaper to tie. You don’t need all the different hair hides you use in western flies.
Hi Dan, you’re probably right about tenkara flies being cheaper. But again, you can also go overboard with it and end up spending half your paycheck on materials every month. It’s all about how deep you decide to go.
I think it’s just more convenient. No need to find a fly shop or wait for it to open or wait for an online order to arrive.
I started tying in 1982. I paid for a guide trip in Yellowstone. I watched Craig Mathews as he tied up some deerhair mice for a guide who walked into the shop looking for some in the fly bins.
After cranking out 2 or three for the walk-in customer, Craig quickly shifted gears into tying his famous Nature’s Stone.
After watching this transpire, I was told tying lessons were $20. Having nothing but time on my hands I accepted the offer to pay for a lesson. Jackie, the wife of Craig Mathews, taught me to tie a Green Drake nymph.
After my trip to Yellowstone I started buying ever VHS tape on flyfishing and flytying I could find. I watched Doug Swishers video tapes and decided to take the flytying plunge.
Like Jason said, flytying can become expensive and an addictive on its own. I’ve been down that path. In 2020, I have minimal supplies and I can tie beautiful flies, and different types for far, far less than what I normally spent in the past.
I started tying as an exercise in dexterity, with basic tools & materials. It’s also easier to tie sakasa kebari than trying to find them in the fly shops. Since Jason wrote his article about the Shetland Killer and other flies using Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift wool, I’ve been tying those & other variations (Cheap Date) exclusively with good success. There’s something about catching fish on a fly you tied that’s extra special.
Old Thompson Model A user also!
Thompson Model A! I started on that vise. I think everyone did. Eventually, I worked my way up to a Regal Medallion and now that’s the only vise I’ll tie on. I’m not a fan of the full rotary vises. I like the simple, strong, spring-loaded jaws on the Regal.
Hi Jason. I am very glad to see that you are back in the saddle, again – you and your articles have been been greatly missed in your absense. And this was an especially good article to put up on your return.
I came to fly tying through a backdoor – my grandfather gave me an old Thompson A Model vise before I even started fly fishing. And I made several false starts in fly fishing (trying it and giving up on it because I had no success) before it finally took hold on my third try.
That third time around I enrolled in a casting class put on by a local fly fishing club, which got me going in the right direction. Then I took a fly tying class they offered in the Spring, and liked it so well that I eventually joined the club. We met once a week for 6 weeks. All the tools, hooks and materials were supplied by the club for a small class fee, with a different tying instructor at your table each night, so we got different instruction and a lot of individual attention with only 5 students per table.
The first flies we learned to tie were the: black/grizzly/red butt Wooly Worm, then a White Marabou Streamer, and A Chartreuse, Bead Chain Eye Shad Fly big patterns. The wet flies were next with a dubbed body, tail-less Black Wet Fly , and a Brown Wet Fly with a tail. Then on to the Nymphs – a Peacock/brown legs/white wing case nymph, and a Brown Marabou Nymph, with a brown Goose Biot wing case on it. Dry Flies came last, starting with a Royal White Down Wing Trude pattern, the Turkey Wing Kings River Caddis, a Quill Gordan, and finishing up with a #12 Swisher and Richards Blue Wing Olive No-Hackle Spinner. This series of patterns were chosen because the tying techniques involved taught a beginning tier the techniques needed to tie just about any fly that’s needed for trout fishing, and then some.
There was one gentleman who oversaw all the classes and visited each tying table repeatedly each night. At the conclusion of the last class he took some time to talk with me for a few minutes as we were leaving. He said, “You have a real talent for tying flies. The flies you tied were really nice and you have a feeling for doing it most people don’t have and will never develop. This is something you could become really good at and I would like to encourage you to take up fly tying, seriously.” That was when I decided to join the club. I no longer belong to that club but I still do tie flies. And for me, tying flies is just as important to my enjoyment as the fly fishing is.
When I started tying, it was to save the cost of buying my flies. But I soon learned that I spent far more money on fly tying materials than it would have cost for me to buy my flies. There is a tendency to buy the latest, greatest new materials, and anything that catches your eye and looks neat will end up being bought, 90% of which you will eventually end up just storing and never using on the flies you fish the most. Try to control your buying impulses by only buying fly tying materials you have a dedicated, specific, intended use for and need of. Other wise, your fly tying storage area will end up looking like a well stocked fly shop. This is one area where the One Fly Theory really pays off for fly tyies….Karl
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Jason, Great article. I’ve heard that one way to keep cost down is to first try flies tied by your local Fly Shop. If the fly does well for you, then buy the materials to make your own. Chances are you will eventually turn into a Fly Tier with you own ideas. This way, you won’t buy materials from a kit that includes material for Pan Fish, Trout, Salmon and Salt Water fish. I still own a Salt Water Hook that is the size of a Dollar Bill and have material that I’ve never used. Doesn’t seem so bad, but I’ve been tying for 46 years —– Vince
Hi Vincent, that’s a good point. I usually advise new tyers not to buy a kit or just a random selection of materials. Rather, buy materials based on specific patterns and build their materials library that way. Otherwise you end up with things you’ll never use or you won’t have that one thing you need to tie a specific pattern you want.
It’s not the dark art some make it out to be, I started with an exacto knife clamped into my bench vise. I bought some wool and sewing thread at my local thrift store and got some hen hackle from a local farmer. The first fly was pretty ugly but I caught fish on it the first day, needless to say I was hooked! I’ve upgraded to a $20 vice off Ebay and bought some thread and hackle, not a huge investment but a huge amount of fun. I love experimenting with new ideas and colors to see what will or won’t catch fish. There is nothing more fun then catching fish on something you created when nobody else is catching any. When they ask you what pattern you are using I usually say I dunno I just made it. It’s also a nice way to spend a cold snowy day when you can’t get outside. Just keep it simple and have fun! I added a photo of my first fly
Jason, gotta love the Regal Medallion! I have a c-clamp that I bought some years ago and paid $18.00 for brand new! The local Sportsman’s Warehouse got a bunch in from one of their locations that was closing its doors. The manager of the fishing department was not a fly fisherman and had no idea what they cost. When I asked how much he said “how does $18.00 sound?” I told him I thought that sounded fair and couldn’t get to the register fast enough!
I also have a HMH Standard. But there’s just something about tying on that Regal.
WOW, that is the find of the century! I know what you mean about there being something special about tying on a Regal. It just feels right and natural. I think most people wouldn’t “get it” until they try it.
Jason… was wondering where to insert my latest comments…
after spending hours diving into dozens of your older articles, contemplating the desire to upgrade my fly tying tools, made the “big” decision, took the leap and got a new vise–and yes a Regal Medallion (however not the deal Dave R got above–wow)…but after starting to fly tie out of necessity when I moved/lived in the Alaskan bush (St. Mary’s on the Yukon River), I had no choice but to tie my own…but the good news, there were only 2 flies you needed to tie for all the salmon and grayling out there…Howie at the Alaska Fly Shop in Fairbanks in 99 gave me one fly tying lesson, armed me with a bag of inexpensive tools and materials and I was on my own…and guess what–I was in fly fishing heaven those 5 years in St. Marys…casting my own flies to salmon rises and catching every other caste… no lie!
anyway now 20 years later having returned to Oregon and having discovered the wonderful world of Tenkara, I now love the new Regal…what a difference from my $40 clamp vise…also have continued to use yarn(per one of your other articles) as a body base now for almost all flies I tie–Tenkara and Western, e.g. my latest woolly bugger batch looks great using various colors of yarn as bodies… and finally am now using “Firehole Sticks” hooks(again from one of your articles) almost entirely as I only am tying trout flies #8-14…
anyway, Jason, know you remain an inspiration and source of new fly tying ideas… thanks … keep writing and passing on more of your new ideas!
Thanks for your kind words Brad! I’m really excited for you and you reminded me of how much I miss fishing for salmon and steelhead. I need to get back east or north soon!
I started tying bass and panfish flies when I was 15 years old—40 years ago.
I think that learning to tie on larger hooks was an advantage because learning the basic techniques was easier on larger hooks without becoming frustrated.
I quickly became hooked!
When I started tying on tiny trout hooks I was not sure if it was a step forward or a step backward—LOL.
It was definitely a challenge at first but I quickly adapted due to all I’d learned tying larger flies.
As far as cost, I bought a kit with a Thompson Model A vise, accompanying basic tools and a bunch of materials for $30—I used all the materials tying bass and panfish flies.
I still have the vise and some of the tools, they’re all still perfectly useable.
It’s a route that served me well.
This is the first complete “fly” that I tied on my own—I even tied in a weed guard.
Back then, spinning deer hair seemed like magic to me! LOL
I was proud!
Well done Martin. I hate spinning deer hair. It’s my least favorite tying technique.
Jason, I just found your excellent website as I am now getting into Tenkara fishing. I started tying when my parents gave me a Boy Scouts of America fly tying kit after they saw me trying to tie plants on treble hooks to imitate the flies a local fisherman was using, That was in the mid 60s. Having recently moved to NE Tennessee with the Watauga River next door, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park a couple of hours a away, I decided it was time to get back focused on fly fishing. Really looking forward to fishing Tenkara in the mountain streams here in the southern Appalachians. Thanks so much for the informative articles.
Cool Steve! Let me know if I can help in any way.
I had to practice spinning hair a LOT prior to that “fly.”
The learning curve was steep—there were no videos back then.
It was frustrating at first, but I eventually got it.