The Orvis Fly-Tying Guide

This is the book that got me started fly-tying and I am an enthusiastic fan. What makes it a perfect book, in my eyes, is that it focuses on very detailed step-by-step descriptions for tying a relatively small number of flies. They are selected to cover a wide range of styles and techniques -- so by the end of the book you have tied a few streamers, a few nymphs, a few dry flies, a few terrestrials, and a few saltwater flies. In doing so, you've learned a number of key techniques, starting with the basics (tying on the thread, tying on materials, etc) and ending with some more intermediate skills (like spinning deer hair; using epoxy, etc). Most importantly, once you've mastered a few of these flies, you've got the basic tools to start exploring the web. Fly tying websites and youtube are great sources for fly tying patterns and inspiration. After you've worked through parts of this book, you're ready to start taking advantage of all the information floating around the web. If you're looking for a book that covers hundreds of different patterns, this book is probably not what you're looking for (although the appendix does contain color photos and materials lists for a hundred or more flies). But if you're a beginner, looking to learn basic skills through tying a few very useful flies, this is the perfect book.

Once again, Tom Rosenbauer delivers a clearly-written, practical, and insightful book on fly-fishing. This time he looks at tying and gives many practical tips--especially on the use of tools and materials. For example, a beginner is hit with all these tools--which ones are best, which ones to use, etc. Rosenbauer gives clear descriptions of which tools are most useful, what they're used for, and which ones you don't really need. At the same time, he gives tips from his experience--also useful for the expert. The bulk of the book is, of course, the fly-tying receipes. He provides many photographs of each step in making a fly. The many photos are probably more than the expert will need, but very important for a beginner. For the expert, you get many great fly receipes. Overall, highly recommended fly-tying guide.

The plain English explanations and simple, step-by-step directions make this the best fly-tying guide for the novice tier. It's also nice that the author provides substitutions for materials that the tier just might not have lying around. I throughly enjoy working from this book, and have become an avid fly-tier working with Mr. Rosenbauer. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting into fly tying.

I just began to investigate the world of fly tying. This was the third or fourth book I read in detail, and the only one that provided enough detail to actually tie some simple flies correctly.It provides a good combination of clarity on specific techniques, and step-by-step instructions on tying several patterns. Both the photos and the text are clear and easy to follow. Also, things are not made more tricky than they actually are, a problem with some of the other books. I also just bought the Benchside Reference, which I agree with all is an indispensible reference. I could not put it down after I got it from the library, and that is saying a lot for a reference book. I think with the two, the typical beginner could tie a decent Wooly Bugger in an hour -- I did.

The book shows in very clear colour detail the upright (hair & feather) wing, parachute, klinchammer, dubbing, hackle and has a vast number of fly patterns. This book is very good for beginners and those who are experimenting and starting to advance. Reading this book should give anyone a good strong basis on which to build.