Help & Advice

[woz]

Some of you may be aware I've started out down the everlasting long road to learning the skills and knowledge of river fishing, streams and becks! I've been out with a couple of our long standing experienced forum members and on my own half a dozen times. So far I've sort of got by on shop bought flies and my attempts at the odd tying. But feel this is one of the areas that is holding me back so to speak... As funds are very tight and limited due to redundancy and unemployment, shop bought flies are now off my list (at least locally and where quality is concerned) and as for making my own, at present due to lack of materials so are the majority of these too. I tend to struggle with dries and emergers due to hackle selection and colour choice available at my disposal. Nymphs and bugs and spiders seem to be easier to replicate but again I'm struggling with materials.

The help & advice I would appreciate from you is...
Can you recommend a forum member who would be willing to tie a selection of any or all of the above as cheaply as possible?
Can you recommend a retailer for the above again as cheaply as possible?
Or can you recommend a forum member or retailer for materials for the above?

Many, many thanks on bended knees in advance of your replies

Woz

[woz]

As a couple of days have passed and have had no replies other than a single PM (you know who you are and I thank you) I'd like to "Bumpty Bump" my thread...

[Mrtrout]

PM sent Woz.

[woz]

Originally Posted by mrtrout

PM sent Woz.

And replied Steven thanks fella!

[Whitegoatie]

This would get you started with tools and vice:

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/trade-cla...ols-offer.html

Pick up a pheasant tail next time your out, buy some brown thread and your off.

Depends how tight your budget, but once you have invested in the basics you can produce almost what you want. Materials are always coming up on here at great prices, you can easily spend a fortune and end up with stuff you will never use. Make a list of the flies you want, make list of materials to tie them. In an ideal world you will have all the materials on the list, or you can improvise and make do.

[woz]

Thanks for your reply Whitegoatie...

I already have a vice and tools fella and a small selection of materials and threads, being predominately a reservoir/stillwater angler my materials, hooks and threads tend to bias towards those types of flies. I'm not bad with buzzers and the odd lure but when it comes to dry flies I'm hopeless, anything with a hackle or anything small to be honest...
I'm hoping to learn the techniques and with the aid of some of the SBS's posted on here and elsewhere I hope I will be able to achieve some kind of resemblance to them.
My main downfall is materials selection, acquiring the correct materials and from where, being unemployed has a major bearing on purchasing the correct materials and hooks, especially locally. There is to my knowledge only one retailer who I have used within an hours drive to purchase materials and flies, but paying £1 a fly and more in some cases is well out of my reach at present until I get back in to work...
But thank you for taking the time to reply it is appreciated!

Cheers... Woz

[Mrtrout]

Tying a para type fly, or most dry hackled flies is much easier than you think Woz, even I can do it,!!!! they wouldn't win prizes, but they catch fish.
I have included some basic instructions with the flies, and large badger hackle etc to set you off.
Good luck with the job hunt, can't be easy.
Steven.

[woz]

Originally Posted by mrtrout

Good luck with the job hunt, can't be easy.

It isn't fella, to date I have applied for 47 vacancies, many of which I wouldn't have considered at all previously (pay and type of work) and so far I have had 1, yes 1 interview. That's it period! No other replies, not even sorry you were unsuccessful.
But you've got to hang in there and keep trying!
Right off out for dinner at the in-laws...

[x dave x]

Shipmans .... cheap as chips mate, hooks from 12 to 16, throw on some dubbing, bit of tinsel wrapped round, bits of foam, wool, white carpet fibre, antron etc sticking out both ends, en voila!!

Dave

[mancfly]

Essential flies have a good range of river flies, mostly at 50p mark.

Fly Fishing Salmon Flies/Fly Trout Flies/Fly, & Fly Tying Materials for sale

Also: Trout and salmon fishing flies online

PM sent about materials.

Alan