Fly Tying

3 easy flies to tie for beginners (with videos)

Published: 2nd of April 2023 Last updated: 11th of May 2023

Fly tying can be overwhelming given there are countless patterns, materials, and techniques. Here we will present three easy flies for beginners to tie, providing a solid foundation to build upon as your skills progress. By mastering these simple patterns, you'll be well on your way to creating a diverse and effective fly box. There are a lot more flies that are easy to tie, but we've made a combination of one streamer (wet fly), one dry fly and one nymph. Second, these 3 flies are proven all-round patterns making them very broadly applicable for many species and types of water.

1. Streamer: Woolly Bugger

The Woolly Bugger is a versatile and easy-to-tie pattern that imitates a variety of prey, from leeches to small baitfish. It's an excellent choice for novice fly tiers, as it requires only a few basic materials and techniques. Read more about the woolly bugger here

How to tie a perfect, basic woolly bugger

2. Dry Fly: Elk Hair Caddis

The Elk Hair Caddis is an effective dry fly that mimics adult caddisflies. It's a great pattern for beginners, as it introduces essential techniques for tying with hair and hackle. Plus, if it's not neatly tied it doesn't really matter that much, as it's OK for this pattern to be a little 'messy'. There are a lot of variations of this fly that you can tie, so start with the most simple one. You can read more about the Elk Hair Caddis fly here.

Tying an Elk Hair Caddis for Beginners

3. Nymph: Squirminator

The Squirminator is an attractor pattern that imitates various aquatic insects and worms. Its lifelike movement and simplicity of tying make it an ideal fly for beginners to learn. Again this is a fly that you can use to catch a very wide array of species! Read more about the Squirminator fly here.

Tying a  beaded Squirmy Worm 

If you want to explore more flies, have a look at our fly overview here.

Grow your fly fishing passion

Get info based on the rods your own
Save your favorite flies, fish, locations and more
Explore fish, flies, insects, locations, countries and more

Run by fly fishers and completely free!

Create account

Share the link to this post

Save this post in your favorites

More from the library

Allemansrätten in Sweden: what it means for fly fishing

Locations

Allemansrätten in Sweden: what it means for fly fishing

Explore Sweden's fly fishing opportunities under Allemansrätten, emphasizing responsible practices to safeguard the pristine natural environment.

Fly Fishing invasive Brook Trout in Sweden

Locations

Fly Fishing invasive Brook Trout in Sweden

In this tranquil and heartfelt video, Rolf embarks on a spontaneous fishing adventure near his home, inspired by rumors of brook trout in a nearby lake.

Monofilament (Mono or Nylon) vs. Fluorocarbon for your Tippet and Leader

General

Monofilament (Mono or Nylon) vs. Fluorocarbon for your Tippet and Leader

Deep dive into Nylon (monofilament) and Fluorocarbon for your tippet and leader. Explore the pros and cons, features, and performance of each material to make an informed decision for your next fishing adventure.

New Zealand proposed new licence category - the Designated Waters licence

Locations

New Zealand proposed new licence category - the Designated Waters licence

Summary of NZ's proposed Designated Waters Licence: managing angling pressure, affecting resident/non-resident anglers differently, and next steps.

The difference between Pike and Musky

Fish

The difference between Pike and Musky

In this article we cover the differences between Pike and Musky, from their species distinction, visual identification, global distribution to fly fishing tactics.

Fly fishing with Terrestrials

Flies

Fly fishing with Terrestrials

Discover the thrill of fly fishing with terrestrials! Learn techniques, best flies, gear, and tips for targeting many species with this exciting fly pattern.

View all content

Grow your fly fishing passion

Get info based on the rods your own
Save your favorite flies, fish, locations and more
Explore fish, flies, insects, locations, countries and more

Run by fly fishers and completely free!

Create account

Locations to go fly fishing

All these locations are curated by local fly fishers. Wether they're guides or hobbyists, they're all experienced so you'll get the best information straight from the source.

New Zealand 🇳🇿

Tekapo Region, Central South Island

Sight fishing in clear mountain rivers and streams

Stream

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

France 🇫🇷

La Saâne

Serenity and trout between the cows

Stream

Brown Trout

Sea Trout

New Zealand 🇳🇿

Tongariro River

Big trout in a big river

River

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

New Zealand 🇳🇿

Taranaki Region

Immersive sight fishing against a picturesque backdrop

River

Stream

Brown Trout

Perch

Rainbow Trout

Switzerland 🇨🇭

Lac de la Gruyère

Pike and perch on lake Gruyère

Lake

Perch

Pike

Switzerland 🇨🇭

BachtellachS® at Seeblisee

Fly fish the unique Cherry-Salmon Breed on the fly

Lake

Arctic Char

Grayling

Rainbow Trout

Austria 🇦🇹

Zemmbach (Finkenberg)

18km of river among beautiful mountains

Stream

Brook trout

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Germany 🇩🇪

Wiesent

Ample opportunities for all levels to catch trout and grayling

River

Brown Trout

Grayling

Sweden 🇸🇪

Stockholm Archipelago

Over 30,000 islands and endless fishing possibilities

Sea

Lake

Pond

Canal

River

Stream

Atlantic Salmon

Bream

Brook trout

Garfish

Ide

Perch

Pike

Pike-perch

Rainbow Trout

Roach

Rudd

Sea Trout

View all locations

More fly fishing resources

Brown Trout

Fish Species

Discover different fish species. Learn about their habitat, feeding patterns, the flies that work best, and more.

Albright Special knot

Knots

Learn fly fishing knots. All knots are clearly illustrated with step by step instructions.

Caddisflies (Trichoptera)

Entomology

The study of insects. An entomology library focussed on the information relevant to fly fishing.