Good Starter Fly Tying Books for Steelhead & Bass

[whalensdad]

I saw an earlier post that had some recommendations for SW flies. How about books for freshwater flies? I'm picking up my first vice and tools tomorrow. I'm not buying a starter kit, instead getting supplies to tie specific flies. I know some of the trout flies I want to tie, because I'm focusing on those that have worked well for me, however I am going to try steelhead and bass fishing and don't know what flies I should be tying.

[wovenstonefly]

My favorite steelhead tying book is Steelhead Fly Tying Guide by H. Kent Helvie. It's a good book, it talks about materials and has step by steps for a Soft hackle Hair wing, Bronze mallard spey fly, full feather wing spey fly, Dee wing Spey fly and a General practitioner prawn fly. those should show you the basics on how to tie about any steelhead fly. Then there are pictures and recipes for a whole lot more. It's worth taking a look at it's about $25 new.

[peregrines]

There's tons of resources out on the web including videos step by steps and recipe listings for different fly patterns--- but a lot of them assume at least some previous tying experience and familiarity with basic techniques and materials---

So i'd recommend a book that does a good job of providing an intro to tools and materials and basic techniques, assumes no previous tying experience, and introduces a variety of techniques. After you've tied a bit and become comfortable using thread torque to position materials, using a variety of techniques to bind materials in place on the shank, basic proportions for different types of flies, and have worked with a few different materials, it becomes relatively easy to build on that to tie all kinds of other stuff in some cases it'll be a matter of looking at a pic of a fly and a listing of materials. In other cases, it might be a just a matter of looking at a series of pics with abbreviated step by step instructions.

Since you'll be tying trout flies as well as steelhead and bass flies, I'd recommend you consider starting with Charlie Craven's "Basic Fly Tying". It's an excellent intro to tying, and he goes into great detail describing techniques and materials. It'll give you an excellent foundation that you can build on. Although it doesn't really cover bass patterns (other than the woolly bugger which is good for everything including steelhead) there are other resources you can go to on-line for step by steps that should be fairly straightforward once you've got some basic tying skills.

[fredaevans]

Google Trey Combs for Steelhead. Everything he's written is still a classic .. even after 20++ years after publication. Many have 'added,' but they're all just a "follow on."

Fred

[seajay]

Can not give a preference to books. But the guys that have already replied can give you some great direction to a particular pattern or issues. Also if you look at the fly tying forum here there is some great stuff. I am new to tying and it can overcome you. But that can be a good thing also. Now to figure out how to get some pics posted of what I have done so I can get some critique.

[ant]

Charlie Craven has seems to be the go-to guy for tying. If you also want to do steelhead flies, I would suggest John Nagy's Steelhead Guide. It's about all aspects of steelhead fishing, but it has a nice sized chapter on steelie flies which is worth the price of the book in itself. I would also suggest the Orvis Fly Tying Guide. It does a really good job or describing the different techniques used, as well as recipes for the majority of Orvis flies.

My main resource for tying is Google. There is so much information out there that it sometimes seems silly to pay for something that is out there for free.

One way that I've used to improve my skills is to join in on the fly swaps that we have here on the forum. After a dozen or so attempts at tying a fly, you'll start to get it down pretty good.

Good luck!

[whalensdad]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm going to start simple, hares ear nymph, and work from there. I look into Charlie Craven's beginner book as well. Thanks again.

[Rip Tide]

Fly tying is fly tying and you'll need the same skills whether you're tying for bluegills or blue marlin.
Concentrate on learning the basic techniques and material handling and eventually you'll be able to tie what ever you need. Salt or fresh, warm water or cold.
Some flies that you might not believe you will ever need may have critical lessons in techniques important for a good tying education.

I don't ever see this recommended (cuz it's old , 1979), but I suggest Mastering the Art of Fly Tying by Dick Talleur
Every technique that you'll need, taught in a natural progression

[whalensdad]

I'll look it up. Thanks!