Fly Tying with Common Household Materials

How to save money and get better results--including 300 full-color photos The novice fly fisherman starts fly tying with a predictable set of materials. His bench is neatly arranged with small bags of elk hair, pheasant feathers, stray pieces of chenille and yarn. But eventually he finds that not only are these materials more expensive than they need to be, they are also largely unnecessary. And so he starts making substitutions, using trial and error to gradually build up a bench of funky, personalized materials that work just as well as what the "experts" recommend. For the first time, here is a book that truly demystifies fly tying, making it accessible to any fisherman with a vice, a hook, a few dabs of glue, and a handful of twisty-ties. Tying legend Jay "Fishy" Fullum brings together a lifetime of substitution experience to give invaluable advice on appropriate substitution materials. He describes how to find them and make them tier friendly, and how to turn them into flies that are practically guaranteed to catch fish.

Jay “Fishy” Fullum retired in 1995 after a career as a designer to pursue his decades-long passion for writing, tying flies, and fly-fishing. In the past twenty years he has designed nearly 150 innovative patterns, many of which are featured in his Creative Tying column in Fly Tyer Magazine. He is the author of three books, including Fishy’s Flies and Fishy’s Favorites. He lives in Ravena, New York.

Chapter 1: Adhesives How to use common adhesives in order to make your tying easier and the final product more durable. Chapter 2: Paints Using dabs of house paint or stripes from a permanent marker adds color to your flies, improving their fish-catching qualities. It also makes them look good in the fly box. Chapter 3: Grocery Bags Plastic bags from the corner store make for marvelous bodies on nymphs and spiders. Chapter 4: Packing Material Don’t throw it away. This material can be used to create great bodies on dry flies. Chapter 5: Plastic Lacing Add flash, weight and establish a great silhouette on many of your favorite streamer patterns. Chapter 6: Eyes Doll eyes, stick-on, plastic and metal bead-chain and more. Eyes make your creations look more realistic. Chapter 7: Craft Store Beads Common craft store beads make for great bead head nymphs and even some unique nymph bodies. Chapter 8: Dubbing Learn how to make your own dubbing with natural and synthetic materials. Chapter 9: Wing Material A creative fly tier can make a lifetime supply of wing material for about ten dollars. Chapter 10: Wings and Posts Fibers from Mylar piping and seat belts cost little or nothing and work much better than the more pricey conventional materials. Chapter 11: Ribbons There are thousands of different kinds of ribbons, and they can be used for streamer bodies, wings, and wing pads. Chapter 12: Yarns The selection changes from week to week, offering the fly tier hundreds of unique possibilities. Chapter 13: Backer Rod and Rubber WeatherSeal One of my best finds in recent years. These insulation materials make great popper bodies for bass and panfish. Chapter 14: Balsa Wood Shape, sand, epoxy and paint this material, transforming a small piece of wood into beautiful popper heads. Chapter 15: Foam Blocks Here are the best types of foam to use, as well as instructions on how to slice it and shape it. Chapter 16: Sheet Foam Tie smaller panfish flies with a single layer, or combine layers to produce larger bass patterns. Chapter 17: Hooks Sometimes it’s better to tie a fly on a hook made for bait fishing. Chapter 18: Great Legs Learn how to put the endless variety of leg material to good use. Chapter 19: Fingernails Possibly the strangest material I use, but the end result is a couple of very productive patterns. Chapter 20: Stretch Cord Found in the jewelry department of the craft stores, this material is used for over bodies and to reduce tippet failure.