The Joy of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick

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Now imagine the same scenario but this time you are using a fly you tied yourself. That adds a whole new level of excitement for me. Now you have the excitement of fly fishing but it’s just so much more.

It doesn’t matter to me if I am fishing for Atlantic salmon, Smallmouth bass, brook trout or even Chain pickerel tying artificial flies for them just makes for more excitement.

Tying artificial flies doesn’t have to difficult at all. A few fly tying tools and materials and you are ready for a new experience that will be with you for life.

Where To Start Tying Artificial Flies

I would suggest that you first find someone that will show you the ropes. I had someone show me and in no time at all I was out buying my own vise and materials.

Having someone show you how to tie flies and then letting you try your hand at it will give you a good indication of whether you will want to do this for yourself. I was hooked right away but I have a few friends that would rather just buy their artificial flies.

My fly fishing friends and myself of course look for fly tying supplies on eBay . It’s a very affordable way to get started. I also use eBay to buy the artificial flies I don’t want to tie myself or just don’t have the time to tie.

Required Fly Tying Tools

The Fly Tyers Vise

To begin with you will need a vise to hold your hook while you are tying. It just doesn’t work when you try holding the hook with one hand.

There are a variety of vise types. I personally have a very basic, inexpensive vise that has worked for me these past 30 years. But you can get some really nice vises. The only thing I wish my vise did would be to rotate the hook when I need to, it would make tying even easier.

Price range for Fly Tying Vises: $30 - $200

Fly Tying Scissors

Scissors are extremely important. I like to have two pair of small scissors. One pair have straight cutting blades while the other has curved blades.

The curved blades make trimming your fly so much easier, especially the body of the fly as it’s usually oval and not square so the curved blades follow the shape making it easier to trim.

I have been using the same two pair of scissors for at least twenty years, maybe a bit longer, and the only thing I have ever had to do was to sharpen them.

Price range for Fly Tying Scissors:

You will need fly tying materials like feathers, hair, yarn and of course a variety of thread colours.

I started by buying a fly tying kit and later I purchased all the supplies and tools a friend I worked with at Sears was selling when his health took a turn for the worse and he no longer went fishing. I still have a lot of things he sold me and that was some twenty years ago.

I have found eBay to be a great place to get the best deals on all things fly tying.

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All those hours of holding your breath all pays off when your line goes tight and the fight is on. That fight is the reason I am still salmon fishing after 30 some years.

I have used a lot of Atlantic salmon flies over the years and most I would say I don’t have a clue about their names but there are a few that I do know the names.

Mickey Finn

One of first early spring salmon fly I was introduced to by my brother-in-law Joe and is still my favorite early season fly is the Mickey Finn. A great artificial fly for those spring black salmon. It has also hooked me up with a few nice sized brook trout as well.

Butterfly

The Butterfly is another Atlantic salmon fly I like using in the early spring right through the fall. I have three butterfly patterns that I use. They look the same but have different coloured wings (red or white) and the butt colour is either red, yellow or green.

Personally I tend to use a butterfly that has a red butt, I haven’t really noticed if the wing colour makes a difference but I have noticed that I get more stricks when the butt is red.

Brown Bug

The one I call a brown bug most likely has a real name, I just don’t know what it is yet. It looks very much like a Green Machine, which is another fly I like to use and have had much success with over the years.

Green Machine

I like using the Green Machine when the water is low. I like to let it drift right up to the salmon’s nose and then just yanking it away as if the bug had been sleeping and just realized it was in a dangerous situation.

It’s one of those flies that just seem to give me confidence in fly fishing for the New Brunswick Altantic salmon.

I couldn’t tell you how many Atlantic salmon I have caught using the Green Machine. Sometimes it just seems to be the only fly they are willing to smack.

I have tried to take some pictures of my flies but I really suck bad at picture taking. I will try again with a tripod and better lighting. At that time, if all works well, I will put up a picture of each of the flies mentioned above.