On fly-fishing: How to tie your own flies and what tools you need

Fly tying and football season go together like peanut butter and jelly.

For me and many fly tyers in the valley, not much is better than setting up a vise in front of a TV screen with a football game on in the background. It’s a great way to fill your fly box while drinking a beer and keeping up with your football team or fantasy points.

After learning all of the necessary knots, how to cast your rod and hopefully how to hook, fight and land a fish, the next progression in your evolution as an angler is to tie your own flies. There’s a very special and rewarding feeling when you catch a fish on a fly you tied yourself. As with casting, tying is an activity that gets better the more you do it.

Starting to learn how to tie can be a frustrating endeavor if you don’t have the proper guidance. It’s ideal to have a friend show you the ropes before trying to go off tackling the basics on your own. If you have to learn on your own, the internet is your best friend. Doing a simple Google search on fly-fishing, you will find hundreds of links and videos. The great thing about the videos is that you are able to pause and rewind to see crucial stages of a particular fly.

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