Fly Tying Made Me Love Fishing Again

Wanted to put out a little PSA for anyone on the fence about getting into fly tying.

Short answer: just do it.

I started tying about 7 months ago because I thought it would save me money. LOL. I’m pretty sure that’s how most people justify buying their first vise.

And to be fair… if you only fish a handful of patterns, you will probably save money in the long run.

But if you’re like most of us, you’ll immediately fall down the rabbit hole and suddenly convince yourself you NEED:

– 14 colors of dubbing
– 29 threads
– three types of CDC
– and an entire drawer dedicated to materials you bought for one specific pattern.

So yes… there’s definitely a cost that comes with it.

That said, tying flies has honestly made fishing feel brand new again for me, even after fishing for over a decade. And It will make you a better fisherman. No Joke.

When you start tying, you naturally begin paying attention to way more details – bugs, proportions, color variations, hook sizes, water conditions, all of it. You stop just fishing flies and start actually understanding what’s in the water.

And catching your first fish on a fly you tied yourself? That’s a different level of satisfaction. Doesn’t matter if the fly is ugly either. The fish never care nearly as much as we do.

If you decide to start tying, here’s my biggest advice: don’t get frustrated early on. Everybody’s first flies look rough. You couldn’t force feed a trout my first fly.

Eventually though, it starts to click. And honestly, tying can become one of the most relaxing and creative parts of your day.

Also, don’t be afraid to start small, and maybe hold off on dry flies at first. A simple midge pattern with thread, wire, and dubbing is more than enough to learn the fundamentals. Once you get comfortable with those basics, everything else gets way easier.

To end it off, here are some golden rules that I wish I knew beginning:

– Buy a decent vise.

– Never throw away your first fly

– It’s okay to cut materials off and restart

– Twist and untwist your thread constantly

– Just because your fly doesn’t look professional
doesn’t mean it won’t catch fish.

– Support your local fly shop!