Fly Fishing For Beginners | Fly Tying Kits And Supplies

In the previous post I discussed several different types of tool every fly tying beginner will need to get started. In addition to the tools you will need some materials to make your flies. The basic fly tying materials include:

1. Hooks - You'll need an assortment of hooks designed for tying wet, dry, nymph, and streamer flies. The general size range will be from size 10-16 depending on what you will be tying. Mustard makes a good quality hook and they can be found at most quality sporting goods or tackle stores. In this category I'll include bead heads and head cement as well.

2. Hackle - These are long narrow feathers usually from the neck or saddle area of a rooster or chicken. Hackle is often died and usually available in a wide range of assortments, various hades of browns, blacks and tan will be the most common.

3. Dubbing - This is the material used for making fly bodies and you will want an assortment of colors in this as well.

4. Thread - Here you want to look for colors generally in shades of brown, black , tan an olive. they come in various sizes but 3/0 and 6/0 will be the ones you'll use the most often.

5. Fur and hair - squirrel tail, deer fur, fox fur, calf tail are all common in fly tying. The squirrel tail will be the one you definitely need to have on hand. All of these can be found online fairly inexpensive at eBay.

This is a basic list of the types of materials that the beginner at fly tying will need. Often the easiest thing to do is purchase kit with an assortment of all of these items. Before you go out and purchase a bunch of materials read some books, look online , rent some videos about fly tying to give you a better idea of what types of flies you want to start out making. You don't want to buy a fly tying kit or materials and get them home and find out you don't have what you need to make the fly you want. If there is a local fly tying club in your area I highly recommend joining and teaming up with an experienced fly fisherman to help instruct you.