Tie your First Fly – Guide

Sundowner: SFA Winter Fly Fishing Competition

Precisely carded and blended to the perfect prime dubbing. 5 Ranges, each with 6 shades of natural blended colors. Soft Grey, Dark, Medium, and Light Brown.

Tie Your First Fly

No experience needed. No rules. Just start.

Alpaca Caddis Larva.

What You’ll Use

From your starter kit:

  • Hook
  • Alpaca dubbing
  • Flash
  • Wire

You’ll need:

  • Thread - match the dubbing color
  • Bobbin - to hold the thread

Choose Your Method

✔ With a vice (recommended)
✔ By hand (no tools needed)

Method 1 — With a Vice

  1. Secure the Hook: Place your hook firmly in the vice.
  2. Start the Thread: Start at the eye and wind thread to the back of the hook.
  3. Flash Tail: Secure flash at the back of the hook.
  4. Wire: Secure wire at the back of the hook.
  5. Dubbing: Apply alpaca dubbing to the thread.
  6. Body: Wind the dubbing body forward to the eye.
  7. Rib: Secure the dubbing by winding the wire forward to the eye.
  8. Finish: Tie off and trim.

Step-by-step tying process (with a vice)

Method 2 — By Hand

  1. Hold the Hook: Between thumb and finger.
  2. Start Thread: Start at the eye and wind thread to the back of the hook by hand.
  3. Flash Tail: Hold flash at the back and secure with thread wraps.
  4. Wire: Lay the wire along the hook and secure with thread.
  5. Dubbing: Twist alpaca dubbing onto the thread using your fingers.
  6. Body: Wind the dubbing body forward to the eye.
  7. Rib: Wrap the wire forward to secure the body.
  8. Finish: Tie off and trim.

Tying by hand — no tools needed

Before You Start — Read This

  • Wrap a light thread base on the hook — keep it sparse
  • Leave your thread at the back of the hook before starting
  • Tie in flash — less is more
  • Tie in the wire and leave it hanging at the back
  • Apply brown alpaca dubbing to the thread
  • Build the body by wrapping forward — about ¾ of the hook length
  • Keep the body slightly tapered (natural, not bulky)
  • Wrap the wire forward with even spacing to secure the dubbing
  • Tie off the wire firmly
  • Use black alpaca dubbing to create a clean head
  • Leave space at the eye to finish neatly
  • Finish with thread at the front and tie off clean

Tip: Watch a quick YouTube video to refine your dubbing and finishing technique.

We don’t simply dress flies.
We dress the fly dresser’s world.

Images

Tools you can use

Fly Tying Thread

Fly Tying  Bobbin

Fly Tying Half Hitch Tool

Fly Tying Whip Finisher

Fly Tying Vice

You Tube

Basic illustration of applying dubbing to a thread to create a body

Finish off your fly with a Whip finisher tool

Finish of your fly with the Whip hand method

Finish of your fly with the Whip half hitch tool

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Jacques Lucas
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