The Fly-Tying Bible: 100 Deadly Trout and Salmon Flies in Step-by-Step Photographs Hardcover-spiral – Picture Book, March 1, 2003

Like the fly tying book it does show easy way to tie fly's

My copy has gone missing, think I lent it to a buddy, in either case am buying another copy (that is a very strong endorsement for this book; going back and buying this book for a second time). Of the seventy to a hundred books or so I have read on fly tying. This is one of two books on fly tying I feel I almost need (if I ever need to own a book for pleasure). If you have been tying for a while, and have not read “What the Trout Said about fly design and other mysteries”, by Datus C. Proper, it is the other book that would be hard to live without. The Fly Tying Bible really helped me to learn to tie flies. It is logically, laid out, time efficient, compared to looking things up on the internet (which has some great tutorials, and will help you to become a proficient tyer), plus it is a book so it can be taken places the internet does not go. As others have stated, this books only flaw is that it does not do a great job with materials substitution. It took some time to understand what materials could be substituted in fly tying; I would not recommend going out and buying all the materials he lists for flies, at one time I spend at least a couple hours looking up on the internet, finding materials that can be substituted. If you read “What the trout Said”, you will understand fly design, which is much more helpful than set fly patterns. The lack of good information about fly material substitution is only partly because people make money from selling materials, it seems to be tradition, plus fancy flies “art” are not separated from fishing flies, (hint trout never talk about art or tradition) and certainly because people have strong opinions on fly patterns, colors and materials, but have a harder time listening to trout’s opinions on these subjects. New tyers might as well learn early that fly tying is full of this type of tripe, my favorite being a pattern that called for a teal feather, I am a duck hunter and I am sure the author did not know that there are Green Wing, Blue Wing, Cinnamon Teal and I believe a very rare Hawaiian teal. I am sure if given a feather of various Teal species, plus a Redhead, Canvasback , and Pintail ducks he could not tell the difference, and I have been told clearly by thousands of trout changing these feathers around that they do not care. This book was very helpful to develop, a set of basic fly tying skills, learned in a logical sequence, that build on each other, with good fly’s that "trout say are good", it is an invaluable resource. It falls into the usual trap of patterns vs understanding fly design, but to a much lesser degree than most fly tying “pattern” books.

There are many out there who would recommend this book to beginners. While it certainly does have the information to help a beginner get on their feet when it comes to fly tying, this is more of a book to pick up when you have the basic skills and knowledge of materials down. This is more of a book of patterns than it is an introduction that will truly teach you the skills you need to tie flies. It's important to have a reasonable understanding of materials and methods before you can just jump right in and tie these flies up. This book, while it tries to go into the basics, just doesn't have the depth to truly help the beginner fly tier.That said, it's an excellent book. It will give you the recipes for virtually all the most important patterns out there and even some of the lesser known ones. I love that it classifies them by types of fish each fly is for and provides a reference to this information in the back of the book. It's broken out into very logical sections - dry flies, nymphs, streamers, hairwings and wet flies. The information for each fly pattern is easily accessible and quick to scan through for inspiration. For a serious beginner or even a seasoned tier, this is probably one of the most important books to have on your tying desk. Do yourself the favor and get the spiral bound version, it's worth it. Although this book focuses primarily on the freshwater trout flies, you'll find a few for char, sea trout, grayling and salmon. All of the information is presented beautifully and in a very accessible manner.Aside from the fact that it's not a true beginners book, I do have a few critiques about it. First, there are some inaccuracies with the difficulty ratings for each fly. For example, the book presents the wooly bugger and the F-Fly as three and four star rated difficulty. This can't be right because they're some of the simplest flies to tie. Second, I wish he would have provided more accurate and consistent details about hook selection. Although I realize there's a creative aspect to this, some patterns will just say "10-16 hook" when it should probably say wet-hook or dry-hook. I would also agree with some of the critical reviews that he calls for a great variety of materials. What's important to know, and isn't explained, is that you can easily substitute similar materials. (You don't HAVE to get yellow antron, you can use nearly any yellow dubbing as long as you understand what's good for dry versus wet.) For the beginner, the six pictures per fly may not be sufficient to get you from beginning to end, although he does verbally explain each step.Even with all that, it's still probably one of the most important books to have in your arsenal.

Great reference. Some of the materials are a little outdated and/or super obscure. Half of the dry flies call for seal fur...never have I purchased or seen seal fur available at any of the fly shops I shop at. You will likely need to find at least one substitute material for some of the flies in this book.

This author, Peter Gathercole, has this and another book entitled, Fly Tying for Beginners, that are absolutely indispensable for fly tyers. The step-by-step, full color pictures are really nice and a wide variety of flies are offered. I really enjoy the fact that this book is organized into types of flies so you can work through dry flies, wet/nymphs, streamers and hair wings. The spiral binding is also really, really nice. If you don't have this book, you are missing out.

This is one of the best, perhaps the best one volume book on the subject. Do not consider online sources, you need a book in front of you. This has plenty of color plates which you need. There does not seem to be a single one volume book on the subject, but this is close. It deserves to be in a three or four volume library on the subject.

This review is actually for my dad (he doesn't do the internet reviews).He got the book for Christmas and was VERY HAPPY! He was flipping throught it getting more and more excited. H ewas going around to everyone in the room and showing it off. The really nice part was that it was in color and since he has to use glasses when he ties flies the colorful instructions are very nice. And the book is a good size it fits good on his little table. I like that everything is labeled and has all the tools needed to accomplish the flies.All in all it is a great book for any person who is looking to get a good book on how to tye flies.

This is truly the fly tying bible for all keen fly dressers. It provides a stage by stage fly construction using the best techniques. The book has a wealth of knowledge and identifies some of the most common flies used here in the UK and the US. The step by step construction leaves you in no doubt on how to successfully contract the fly. The early part of the book demonstrates the skills and techniques used in fly tying to ensure that you are able to build the flies in a secure and usable format. (Wont fall apart the first time out). I keep this book close as the references help me each and every day. A great book and well worth purchasing if your serious about fly dressing.

This is an excellent publication, well worth the money.As a beginner fly tier, I found both the introductory sessions and the specific fly instructions most helpful.The ring-bound format is ideal, allowing the book to be folded open then propped up at the back of the bench for quick and easy hands-free reference.Although regularly reprinted, the book down not appear to have been revised since first publishing in 2003. It is showing its age somewhat, with no reference to new developments, both in artificial materials and new fly patterns. Using my two years of subscription to Trout Fisherman as a guide, I found it contains a number of flies that appear to play little or no part in present day angling, while new and widely used flies do not appear at all -- examples, just with lures, being the Cat's Whisker, Pitsford Pea, Humungous and Snakes, as well as Blobs and FABs.An excellent little book, which would benefit greatly from the production of a new edition.

Has fundamental flies to tie. I was a complete beginner and followed the intstructions and produced some very nice flies/lures. Pages in book stay open at the selected page and picture and paper quality very good.

A very good book plenty of sound information in perfect condition.A perfect addition to my fly bench

Great book - really nice format & the ring binding means it stays open easily. Looking forward to tying some new flies 👍🏻