There’s a lot to love about fly fishing, but for many anglers, their favorite part comes before they even get to the fishing hole—fly tying. Plenty of anglers tie their own fly-fishing flies, but is it worth it?
If you ask us, of course! We’ll go over the benefits of tying your own flies and what you’ll need to get started.
Benefits of Tying Your Own Flies
There are many benefits of tying your own flies—both practical and emotional. Let us explain why so many anglers craft their own flies!
Greater Satisfaction
Ask any angler who takes the time and energy to tie their own flies, and they’ll tell you that the reward at the end is simply sweeter. You get the satisfaction of crafting something with your own two hands, and then you get to see it put to use and help you catch your next trophy fish.
Do you know what’s more satisfying than hooking a great, big trophy fish? Catching a trophy fish courtesy of a fly you tied yourself! It adds another level of satisfaction to fishing that makes tying your fly-fishing flies worth it!
Unleash Your Creative Side
We all have our creative, artistic side, and tying your flies introduces that side of ourselves to fly fishing. When tying flies, there’s no limit to the flies you can come up with of all different shapes, patterns, sizes, etc.
If you only buy your flies from a store, you’re constrained by what they have in stock and by what they recommend instead of what you want. Get creative and experiment to find the ideal fly for you and your fishing hole!
Competitive Advantage
A practical benefit to crafting flies is that it gives anglers a competitive advantage. Instead of using the same fly from the store everyone uses and that the fish have seen 100 times, you can create something new and different. That fly will have a better chance of piquing their interest.
Fish aren’t that different from us—they get tired of eating the same thing repeatedly, so offer them something new!
Fly-Tying: Getting Started
Are you ready to start tying flies? Great! You’ll need some basic fly-tying supplies to get started first. Some tools that every fly crafter needs include:
- Vise (stationary or rotary)
- Whip finisher
- Bobbin
- Hackle pliers
- Bodkin needle
- Scissors
You can get all these separately, or many fly-fishing shops sell beginners kits with all the essential tools you’ll need to get started. Get your supplies, get tying, and begin enjoying fly fishing even more!
