Fly Tying For Beginners: Hands-On Instructions for 50 Classic Fishing Flies

gives detailed instruction for these very good flies my nephers loved it

This book does teach you the basics of fly tying by showing you techniques used in the flies later on in the book.They have a nice large picture of the fly and then show you step by step how to tie it. They tell you the species of fish the fly is intended for and how to fish it. This is the best fly tying book I own.

If you're seeking to teach yourself the craft behind fly fishing, this book should be on your radar. You need to know, though, that this book is not the most thorough of introductory books available on the subject and a true beginner might be better served with others.First, the good. Peter's work is very accessible. The visual presentation of the material is by far the best out there. Each of the patterns is rated for difficulty, the types of fish each pattern will catch, the recipe/materials that are required and a step-by-step how-to for each pattern is provided. Every pattern provided has a detailed close-up picture of the fly, large process photos for the critical steps and references to other patterns that utilize the same techniques. There are 14 core techniques shown in depth, all of which are important to know in order to tie a variety of flies. Peter covers the basics of the tools and materials that are available to the fly tier. If you also purchase his "Fly Tying Bible," I thought it was great that there is not very much overlap of the patterns in each book, and where there is, it's presented as an alternate pattern. Overall, it's enough information to get started in fly tying, but there's a lot more to know.Now the bad. In my opinion, this book will only take a true beginner so far, but will leave them hanging in too many places. Starting with materials, I had a lot of questions about the various materials out there and in my opinion, the necessary depth isn't in this book. Frankly, a book that doesn't explain the difference between a cape and a saddle to a beginner is missing the boat. Also, there is no truly helpful information about hooks, which is probably the most intimidating subject when it comes to fly tying. Those themes are consistent for all the materials he presents. While the core techniques are great, I found some of them entirely inaccessible. For example, when I was trying to learn how to whip finish, this book failed me whereas another helped me get it permanently in about two minutes. The patterns are not organized in any kind of way that will help you build upon your skills...figuring that out is left up to the reader and that expertise should not be placed on the beginner. The materials list for each pattern is typically good, but there are some inconsistencies in the hook types. Some are spelled out (e.g. 1xl dry fly, standard wet), yet others just don't have that detail and appear to have gotten past the editor.There's a critical review up here that he does call for a lot of various materials and that is true. Very true. If you follow his instructions, you'll go broke on hooks alone. What's important to understand about tying flies, and Peter does nothing to tell you this, is that it's a creative outlet and you have a lot of flexibility, as long as you have a more in depth understanding of the various materials out there. That will only come with research well outside the scope of this book. For example, the beginner only really needs rabbit fur and micro-fine dubbing, these are your basic wet and dry dubbings...there's no need for "antron" or "hare-tron." You don't need 80 different kinds of hooks - dry fly (14 & 16), wet fly/nymph (12 & 14) and 3XL streamer hooks (8 or 10) are typically enough for the beginner, though some patterns will work better with longer versions of those hook types, like bead head patterns. You don't need to go buy a specific hackle to make a specific tail - use a turkey biot or a pheasant tail instead.What this really is an addendum to Peter's other pattern book, "The Fly Tying Bible." If you look at it as a pattern book, not a beginner's book, then it will serve you well and is worth having on the tying desk. Pick up the spiral bound version (you'll thank me for it) if you're looking for inspiration and patterns...but look elsewhere if you really want to understand the skills surrounding fly tying. If you're looking for true beginner support, I suggest Charlie Craven's, "Basic Fly Tying: Modern Techniques for Flies That Catch Fish" as one of the best I've read.

Looked like a good book for a beginning fly fisherman. It was purchased as a gift.

Husband says exactly what he was needing. Step by step pictures and details

I have been fly tying for over 2+ years now, and this book has things I never knew about! In addition, there is a directory with 50 flys, and excellent (and I mean EXCELLENT) instructions for each.I am very happy with this purchase!

This is a wonderful book with lots of clear photos and information on tying a variety of flies. I am a beginner but this really helps show the flies step by step.

Really detailed info and has lots of pictures. Goes over all the basic info before introduces you to the fundamental ways to fly a tie. Has some neat flies that are popular and easy to follow you can try! Would definitely recommend this for all levels of fly tiers.