On the Fly: Up your game, tie your flies

To the uninitiated, tying flies may seem daunting, but it’s never too early (or late) to start. When your creative juices start to flow, the sky is the limit whether you are tying for freshwater or salt. If you are blessed with attention to detail, tying your own will pay big dividends — especially with the picky fish we encounter here locally.

The benefits are paying closer attention to the size, shape, and color of your offerings, plus building an understanding of why the fish key in on a certain insect, or more specifically, the life-cycle stage of that insect. One caution: Many people who are starting to tie try to bite off more than they can chew, attempting the most difficult flies before learning the basics, which ultimately leads to frustration on the vise.

We recommend starting with simple-yet-effective flies like San Juan worms, midge larva, brassies, and simple streamers. Learning how to throw consistent thread wraps on a hook and how to whip finish without giving it a lot of thought is half the battle. We also steer folks away from buying a “kit” and suggest that they simply build up their selection with materials they’ll actually use versus a bunch of stuff that they won’t.