BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FLY TYING

What You Need Tools Materials          
How to  Tails Dubbing Palmering Ribbing Wings Tying Flies  

TOOLS THAT YOU NEED:

THE VICE
Loosen vice and fix the hook into the jaws so it is sitting on an even keel ready to start the tying process
With the point of the hook hidden within the jaws of the vice you are less likely to catch the thread and break it while tying a fly.
When you have more experience you may wish to sit the hook forward in the vice with the sharp point visible. But when starting out it is best to mask the hook point as shown
WAX
Although many threads are pre-waxed these days, it is still a good idea to have a lump of beeswax that you can apply to the thread. When using it, make sure that you run the wax down thee thread quickly and smoothly (left) as you want to avoid any excess sticky wax causing problems in the tying process. Wax helps waterproof the thread, making it more durable and it creates a foundation on which course dubbing material can be held prior to tying in.I will explain this later  
DUBBING NEEDLE
The pointed end of a dubbing needle has two main uses. It is intended for picking out the body of a nymph to give it a natural buggy look and I certainly like to this. It is also good for applying varnish to the head of a fly. REMEMBER to wipe after each application so the varnish does not build up on the point
SCISSORS

It is vital you have a pair of sharp scissors.You will use these for all sorts of functions, from trimming thread to snipping materials. Without a good pair of FINE pointed scissors with RAZOR sharp blades you will never be able to tie a neat fly.

HACKLE PLIERS

To be a successful tyer you need a good grip and the hackle pliers give you this, holding small and delicate materials such as feathers or tinsels tightly and safely while you wind them around the hook. Take care though because it is still easy to snap the materials off at the crucial moment.
Catch your hackle feather in place by the stalk and then use your hackle pliers to grasp the feather higher up
Take the hackle around the hook several times before tying it in again with the thread.   

BOBBIN HOLDER
Catch in your thread just above the eye of the hook by first holding the end between finger and thumb with the thread descending from above 
Turn the end of the bobbin holder clockwise around the hook taking the thread over itself so that it is held in place.
It is vital that your bobbin holder allows smooth rotation of the thread as you wind it around the hook.
DUBBING TEASER
At times you will find the need for a dubbing teaser which will also help to pull out body material to make your fly look buggy. I use a tool that’s actually designed for cleaning inside the barrel of a gun, but you can get purpose built dubbing brushes or a small piece of Velcro is also worth using
A once over with a gun cleaning brush brings out the ‘bug’ in your nymphs.

 

WHIP FINISH TOOL
When a fly is finished you need to be able to secure the thread with a whip finish. Many fly tyers prefer to do this by hand, but once mastered, the whip finish tool makes this task easier to complete and much neater in the execution.
Hold the bobbin in your left hand and the tool in your right. Catch the thread with the two hooks on your whip finish tool as shown
Rotate downwards forming an upside down ‘4’.The bobbin holder remains in your left hand with the thread finishing on a horizontal.
Make a 180 degrees anti-clockwise turn so the inverted ‘4’ is above the hook, trapping the thread on the shank
Twist the tool another 180 degrees to complete the first turn of the whip finish.Now just repeat this five, six times to build up the knot.
Release the upper hook and slowly draw bobbin back while maintaining tension with the hook. When the thread is tight to the hook withdraw the tool. Trim thread and varnish.