Fly Photography, fly tying, Fly Tying Beginner, Fly Tying Fundamentals

Fly Tying Fundamentals: The Zebra Midge Fly Tying Tutorial

Upon first glance, especially to a new fly angler or tyer the Zebra Midge may appear to be an insignificant fly. Indeed, its simplistic appearance can be quite deceiving, until you consider the role chironomidae play in every habitable freshwater environment world-wide. Although small in size, the chironomid larva which the Zebra Midge imitates, play a major role in the diet of trout throughout the year. At times they occur with such abundance that not having them in your fly box may mean the difference between a fruitful outing or just getting your line wet.

Click to jump down to the step by step fly tying instructions. Continue reading “Fly Tying Fundamentals: The Zebra Midge Fly Tying Tutorial”

Fly Fishing Articles, Fly Tying Beginner, Fly Tying Fundamentals

5 Reasons A Simple Fly Tying Vise Is Best

New to tying? Take my adVISE…

When I first got interested in tying my own flies, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the countless vise options available at various price points. Did I really need a fly tying vise that cost several hundred dollars? Was a rotary option actually worth it or would stationary do? Should I get one with a c-clamp or base plate? Why were there so many knobs and what in the world was that skinny metal arm sticking off the side for?

Ultimately, after asking a lot of dumb questions at the shop, and hours and hours of researching on my own, I decided to purchase a Griffin Odyssey Spider Vise. This vise is geared towards beginners, which at the time described me, but after tying thousands of patterns on this thing, I’m pretty convinced it’s the only vise I’ll ever need. Continue reading “5 Reasons A Simple Fly Tying Vise Is Best”

Fly Fishing Articles, Fly Tying Fundamentals

5 Aspects For Understanding Fly Tying Hooks

Wide Gape, Curved Shank, down eye, sproat bend, 2X long, 1x heavy…what does it all mean? If you are new to fly tying or even someone with more experience it can be a little intimidating to find the correct hook for the pattern you want to tie. Don’t fear! Although there are many manufacturers of fly tying hooks and many more variations of hooks from each, once you understand some of the basic principles you will be well suited to pick the right hook for the desired fly pattern. Continue reading “5 Aspects For Understanding Fly Tying Hooks”

Fly Fishing Articles, Fly Tying Fundamentals

3 Things to Consider When Choosing Fly Tying Thread

When choosing the best thread to use for a fly pattern, there are 3 main characteristics to understand: material type, size, and flat-ability. Of course the color of the thread is also very important, but once you narrow down your search by these 3 characteristics, you can choose the best color available in that type. Continue reading “3 Things to Consider When Choosing Fly Tying Thread”

Fly Fishing Articles, Fly Tying Beginner, Fly Tying Fundamentals

Fly Tying Tools Of The Trade

If you’re anything like me, walking into the local fly shop and throwing down $3.00 for a fly is just painful. I remember purchasing a big hopper in Eastern Idaho for a specific stretch of water. Given the cost, I “wisely” opted to buy only one. Three casts later, a large brown took it off the surface as soon as the bug hit. After what seemed like a few seconds he broke me off, and my hopper was never seen again, at least, not by me. It is experiences like this that have led me to tie my own flies, as well as times I’ve fished waters with zero luck, only to notice the hatches and make mental notes. After some time at the vise and a little creativity, I’ve come back with my own fly and left with success. But, if your Grandpa didn’t teach you to tie and you’re new to the sport, where should you start? Below are a few of the essential tools of the fly tying trade. All recommendations are items that I personally own and tie flies with. Continue reading “Fly Tying Tools Of The Trade”

Fly Tying Fundamentals

Griffin Fly Tying Vise Comparison & Review

So you have dabbled in fly tying and are now looking for the perfect vise. Well, you have come to the right place. We took a detailed look at each Griffin vise and created some videos comparing them to each other. We hope our videos will help you decide which one to get and one of these vises will give you a serious upgrade in your fly tying!

Griffin Odyssey Spider Vise
Are you just starting to fly tie? Try a basic and inexpensive fly tying vise.

Fly Tying Fundamentals, Fly Tying Video's

Hareline Dubbin Fly Tying Kit Review

Starting fly tying is never an easy feat. To make it a little easier, we brought in these starter kits of fly tying materials and tools from Hareline Dubbin, and we think they’re great! They come with all of the items you need to start tying some common and easy patterns — all in one box. All of the kits come with the same basic materials and vary on the tools and vise included. We did a video overview on each one of the three kits as well as a final comparison video. Check them out! They may be just the place to kickstart your fly tying journey!

Hareline Dubbin Fly Tying Kit Entry Level Review
Do you just need the starter materials? This is the kit for you!

Continue reading “Hareline Dubbin Fly Tying Kit Review”