6 tips for tying better flies (and doing it faster, too)

I’ve been part of the fly-fishing world for 35 years, and in all that time, I’ve never met a fly angler who doesn’t want to tie flies. I’ve only met anglers who do tie flies, and those who sheepishly say, year after year, that they keep meaning to learn. If you fall in the latter category, I’m here to help. Although I learned pretty solid fly-tying fundamentals when I was in my teens (yep, that’s me above, nerd glasses and all), it took many seasons before my time at the vise became truly productive and enjoyable. Here are some fly-tying tips I wish I’d figured out years ago…

Looking for even more help? You can see all of Outdoor Canada’s expert fly tying tips at www.outdoorcanada.ca/flytyingtips. And for fly pattern ideas, check out our running list of the all-time best flies for Canadian anglers at www.outdoorcanada.ca/musthaveflies.