reviews

Basic Fly Tying

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Basic Fly Tying--All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started, byJon Rounds, editor; Wayne Luallen fly tier and consultant; photographs by Michael Radenich; illustrations by John McKim. Published by Stackpole Books. 80 pages in a 8.5 x 11 inch format. Full color. $16.95 retail. Available in some fly shops and online (google title).

asic Fly Tying, subtitled "All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started," has detailed directions for seven standard flies: Woolly Bugger, Hares Ear nymph, beadhead Pheasant Tail nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Comparadun, Adams, and Marabou Muddler. The seven flies are chosen because they are easy to tie, work well on many streams, and demonstrate a range of styles.

The directions are highly detailed. For example, the Woolly Bugger is described in 43 steps spread over eight pages; each step is illustrated with a photo. In some cases, the photo is accompanied by a drawing showing a fine point of construction.

The book also covers basic points about tools, materials, and techniques. It has a spiral binding, which means it will lay perfectly flat on the table so you can easily refer to it while tying.

Basic Fly Tying is a good, useful book. Many beginning tiers will be reassured by the minute level of detail. I could quibble with some of this book's suggestions; for example, it recommends debarbing hooks with the vise (Don't do it! Use pliers instead!).

Anglers thinking about getting into fly tying should also look at Randall Kaufmann's book, Fly Tying Made Easy for Beginners, which is also reviewed on Westfly.

Bottom Line: Decent book for beginning tyer, but I like Randall Kaufmann's new book better. Reviewer Rating: 3

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 01/06/2003.

User Reviews

5=tops  3=average  1=low

No user reviews have been submitted yet.

You must be registered and logged-in to submit review comments. How to do this.