Teaching Fly Tying to Kids: Where To Begin?
The author with his daughter Lucy, then four years old, discussing fly color. Lucy has always been an arts and crafts kid, and her peripheral interest in fly tying began to grow when she associated it with time on Daddy’s lap and another opportunity to be creative. The actual link to fly fishing came later.
Many of Us Who Tie Flies and Have Children Would Love To See Them Take Up the Hobby
If you aren’t a parent, maybe you have some young relatives or know some local youngsters who have shown an interest in fly tying.
Time spent tying with kids can be fun, productive, and higher quality than most people think.
Before you go down that road, here are a handful of things to keep in mind.
1. Keep It Simple
We’re not going to tie fully dressed salmon flies here.
By keeping the patterns simple, children can stay focused longer and have a greater appreciation for the fly building craft. Kids don't learn math by starting with calculus, so reflect on that principle when starting to teach kids how to tie flies.
Many youngsters enjoy the process of learning tying techniques that can broadly apply to many patterns. Just wrapping thread on the hook can be a good time for little newbies at the vise.
As for material and color selection, well, that can go on for some time and be quite amusing.
2. Start With Large Patterns
“Large” is a relative term. This fly, tied by an eight-year-old student, is on a saltwater size 2 hook. Compared to most trout patterns it’s huge, but for many saltwater situations it’s below average. Note the sparsity and sense of proportion…Not bad for a youngster who'd only been at it for a few weeks!
In the interest of being able to properly gauge what's actually being tied to the hook, I advise that children start by tying larger flies.
This is for the benefit of both the teacher and the pupil. It's much easier to view the progress of a fly under construction when all ingredients are readily seen during the process, as well as being seen after the fly is complete. More advanced notions such as color blending, proportion, sparsity, and others are also more obvious when tied large.
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As an added feature, I often used brightly colored thread that need not match the pattern being tied so a youngster can see the path of construction.
Who cares if the colors don’t match? Your student won’t, and neither will most fish.
3. Hands-on Time Matters
Even basic concepts such as thread wraps can be entertaining for little ones. Notice the exposed hook point; this was an impromptu lesson where Lucy jumped on the author’s lap and wanted to help. Thread wraps were made far away from the point. Subsequent sessions had hook points covered.
Everything is theory until put into practice. Fly tying is no different.
Yes, showing technique is beneficial, but until the rubber hits the road and rookies start using the vise and tools themselves, they really won’t grow. Only watching and not actively participating can be discouraging to students regardless of age.
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Of special note when teaching fly tying to children are a few safety measures, particularly when dealing with scissors and hook points. Good tying scissors are razor sharp and their use with young ones should be supervised. Hook points are an always present hazard for any fly dresser, but children can be especially unaware. My solution is to stick a pencil eraser onto the hook point and tell the student why it’s there and what could happen if it wasn’t.
With some common sense, kids can have fun cranking out flies at the vise without too much risk.
4. Manage the Expectations
Lucy (now 6 and an avid angler) soaks up knowledge from Sean Murphy at a local fly fishing expo. The fly is a psychedelic combination of material and color, a true extension of her creativity, and here she's observing how to perform a whip finish. The enthusiasm for the hobby can carry into the future where skills will continue to develop.
Don’t push too hard. Remember, kids who are learning to tie flies are kids.
It doesn’t matter whether or not the flies they tie would actually catch fish. Let them be creative with material selection and design. I've let my daughter use many fly tying materials for other arts and crafts projects because this lets her become more familiar with them and what they can do.
Fly tying is an activity that should be fun, not stressful with unreasonable goals. Every child is different, and because of that each will get something a little different from tying flies.
Above all, have fun!
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About Captain Mark Dysinger:
Mark is the owner of Flyosophy Charters. He's located on the Connecticut coast and guides in the nearby waters of Long Island Sound, where he specializes in the Northeast slam of striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore. Mark is a recognized authority on fly fishing for northern pike. His works have appeared in numerous online and print publications, and he has contributed to a handful of books. Mark is a regular fixture at the Northeast fly fishing shows, where he readily shares fly tying tips and fishing strategies. His fishing activities can be followed on the Flyosophy Charters Facebook and Instagram.
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Mark Dysinger
Comments on this post (16)
Great article. That Lucy is some tyer. One of her flies hangs out on my tying desk with all the other ones I save from the pros!
— Pat Brennan
Please recommend the best book for my 10 year old grandson to learn how to tie files…he has a small kit, no instructions.
— Susan Hartly
Thanks for the advice.
— Evan Morgan
Great article. My 4 year old granddaughter saw me tying and wanted to help. It was a lot of fun for both of us. She is learning, as am I, how to tie. This article will be of value to both of us. Thanks and keep up the great work.
— John Ferrantino
Hi, my name is Braden Miller and I am 12 years old. I have been tying for almost 3 years. Recently I have attended a couple fly fishing shows and I have received a couple of great opportunities. Also I have done two interviews/videos with Alex from TFO about kids are the future of fly fishing and how we need more youth interested in the sport. I want to get an event together with my local store, Green Top, but I don’t know how to approach them. Do you have any tips or ideas you could pass along? I have a good following on IG and I have made some contacts in the fly fishing world, I just don’t n ow how they will take a 12 year old.
Thank you for any advice you can give me.-
— Braden and Casey Miller
Hi Mark
I read your blog on teaching kids to tie flies with interest. I am an Art teacher in the UK who is about to embark on teaching my pupils (aged 7-13 years) to tie ( and draw) their own flies. We are spending the year focusing on the author Arthur Ransome who was a very keen sailor and fisherman who tied his own flies. I am hoping each child I teach might be able to come up with their own fly/pattern which we could display together. At present we have no kit as such and I am hoping to acquire a vice and materials. I am sure someone has already taken up Tom Johnston’s kind offer of donated kit for children on your blog? If not I would be happy to pay postage etc .. to the UK??
In the meantime thank you for your blog!
— Tiggy Bawden
Tom, I will reach out via email. Many thanks.
— Mark Dysinger
I have about a $1000 worth of fly tying materials, vise, thread, packaged feathers, full footlocker) etc . that I would like to donate to someone who helps kids…..Do you know of anyone that would be interested?
Tom
— tom johnston
Love the article. My kids are 8 and 10 and have both been tying since they were 3. They are both fascinated with the various colors and all the different materials. Early on I adopted the strategy to let them go through my materials and use whatever they wanted. Yes, hanks of crystal flash and clumps of dry fly hackle later, they’ve enjoyed tying with me and have flyboxes full of their creations. And lo and behold, my son just last week asked me if I’d actually teach him a real pattern!
Guess my theory has been that giving them carte blanch to use whatever caught their eye would make fly tying something they loved and we could enjoy together. It’s probably cost me hundreds of dollars and it’s been worth every penny. My next step of my master plan? “Hey Jack and Reese, how about tying up a few dozen game changers for your old Dad?!”
— Brad Billingsley
Mark has been a good friend for many years and has been an inspiration. I was once having a difficult time matching the right fly to a hickory shad run that large striped bass were targeting near my home in Mystic, CT. Mark to the rescue! He tied a twelve inch articulated deciever and tossed it out into the darkness. Did it work? You bet!!!! Great to see Lucy on the vise! Awesome article.
— Phil Sheffield
Hours at the vice with a 5 yr old granddaughter were precious. Seeing her excitement when she caught a fish on a fly she tied was probably the best experience I have ever had on the water. She decided she had to tie a purple and pink sow bug because the fish will like those colors. Great article. Thank you.
— Bob Lorimer
John, I don’t know any parents who wouldn’t be willing to invest a little bit in their child’s hobby. I hope that I’m not the only one…
— Mark Dysinger
Yes, I think it’s great to teach the younger kids of the future.
The one problem is that the Parents don’t want to spend the time to teach their child fly tying if they know how and also spend the money for fly tying tools and whatever is needed to tie that fly.
— John D. Meyer
I have taught fly tying for many years on Cape Cod
and am now teaching adults at the South Yarmouth Library. The rewards are great, and many people have found a new interest in life.
Life is good.. joe oclair (flycatcherflies.com)
— joseph oclair
I tie for an event here in Tennessee called “Kids Fish Free Day”. I have taught kids all the way from 5 years old to teenagers. It is just a simple pattern but the kids have fun doing it. And there is no greater feeling than when a child catches a fish on the fly that they have tied.
— Dan Moneymaker
Great article. Keep them coming. Kids are the future of fly
fishing.
— Jay Nastasi