Learning the Art of Fly Tying

Right, I will volunteer this information up front. I am no fly tyer. So please be gentle.

I want to improve my tying this year. Fly tying must surely add a whole extra dimension to fly fishing which I am currently missing out on. I don’t quite feel like the kid not invited to the party but on the few occasions I have knocked together a handful of the garishly coloured feathers from my starter kit, I have felt a sense of creative achievement I suspect will only get better when fish start taking a partial view to them, enough to have a nibble. It will also mean getting full value from my magazine subscriptions, rather than skipping through the fly tying pages.

So with this goal in mind I hauled down from the attic my starter kit which I had purchased some years ago (rediscovered after a recent move). Its contents include little in the way of natural colours. Some of the items look more suited to making Christmas decorations than flies. It’s clear I will need to purchase new materials to progress.

The following comprise my first efforts of the year, using perhaps the most un-fish-frightening materials I possess:

Any bets on their fish catching ability? Any tips welcomed too.