Start Tying Your Own Steelhead Flies and Jigs
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
One of the best parts of steelhead fly-fishing is learning the art of steelhead fly tying. While you can buy pre-made flies, there is nothing more satisfying than tying your own flies and being able to share with your friends the fact that you caught a 20-pound fish using a steelhead fly you made yourself.
Tying your own flies can be a very relaxing and enjoyable hobby as well as very rewarding when a steelhead decides to take the fly or jig you tied yourself. While it is not complicated, steelhead fly tying for steelhead fishing can be a very delicate art when tying some patterns. Jigs are some of the easier types to tie and may be a good choice for tying if you are just starting.
The first piece of equipment you will need when you start steelhead fly tying is a good quality fly vice. This will hold your hook while you are tying it together. You will want a vice that can hold all sizes and shapes of hooks, and one that is easily adjustable.
Get a bobbin this will hold your thread. A bobbin will keep your thread tight, and easier to use, while you are tying your fly. Bobbins come in a variety of sizes, but they all do the same thing. Spend just a little bit more money on a bobbin and you will not have to worry about it cutting the thread before you are through tying.
You need to have a good pair of scissors too. To start out with, one pair of scissors is enough, but as you get better at steelhead fly tying, you will want to have a variety of shapes and sizes to meet the needs of the flies you are tying. The loops should fit your fingers comfortably, and they need to be sharp.
Hackle pliers are small pliers with enough constant tension designed to wrap hackle feathers around the hook. As with scissors, they come in all shapes and sizes.
Find a good bodkin, which is like a needle on a handle. You can use a bodkin to not only tie the steelhead fly, but also for delicate work that requires a small, sharp point like separating out pieces of feather and fur.
Of course, you will also need a large selection of threads, feathers and fur to match the different types of flies you want to match. Mink fur, deer hair, elk hair, and pheasant feathers are good materials to work with as are peacock, and turkey feathers, along with a good selection of yarn and dubbing.
If you are just starting out, or maybe you have been thinking of tying you own steelhead flies for a while but just were not sure of what you needed. There are many fly tying kits available from a simple basic kit to kits with everything you may ever need for fly tying on the market to day.
Several books and websites available can teach you steelhead fly patterns for steelhead fly-fishing. It would be impossible to explain in just a few short paragraphs all the patterns and techniques. One such site with plenty of information and patterns is Salmonfly.Net. The best way to learn how to tie your own flies is to experiment and keep doing it. You will eventually find techniques, and patterns that work for you, and be well on your way to becoming an expert on steelhead fly tying for your steelhead fly-fishing adventures!
Take a look at some of the Fly Tying Kits
Here are fly Tying Kits available on Ebay too!!
One of the most important parts of your tool kit will be the fly vise when choosing your vise it is imperative that you have a vise that is easy to use and even more importantly that it holds your fly hook securely. Purchasing your fly vise is no where to try and save on your budget I recommend buying a vise of high quality remember you get what you pay for.
English hackle pliers are quite reasonably priced They are a good choice for starting to collect your tying tools. Some of they more expensive hackle pliers have revolving handles, a lot like those found on whip-finishers. Pliers with a revolving handle helps prevent the hackle from becoming twisted while wrapping the hackle around the hook.
Tying the bucktail streamers you will find a hair stacker is essential. A good hair stacker will have some weight to it selecting a brass hair stacker makes good since for this reason, as it will allow you to use less energy when straitening the hair. This is just my personal preference however.
The thread bobbin is a great tool for holding your thread and makes the wind of the thread around the hook a lot simpler then fighting the thread strait off the bobbin itself. Make sure when purchasing your thread bobbin that the barrel which the thread goes through does not have any sharp edges as this is not a good thing when winding your thread around the hook.
Whip Finisher