Long story short a neighbor is having trouble with her 13 year old boy. I've been taking him to help me around the house/farm when he's being a pain to give her a break as she has numerous other kids.

One hobby I've introduced this kid to that he really likes is jig tying. I'm not much good at it but he will sit at my kitchen table for hours and tie jigs. Is there any patterns out there that wont break me on materials? I've had him using squirrel tails, thinking we could shoot some Starlings or English Sparrows for more feathers.

Hoping to encourage him to get good enough to maybe sell a couple here and there. So basically to sum it up, any ties or jigs to tie that rely on cheap materials that he could possibly sell?

I’m no expert, but I have caught many steelhead with a lead head jig tied with marabou and a few pieces of Christmas tree tinsel. For stocked trout, I often just use straight silver tinsel and no marabou. There are also some good step-by-step videos online. I use a lot of Wooly Buggers too for trout…Mainly Olive. Pretty easy to tie but require a few more ingredients.

I should also add I'm hoping to have him do some that look good, not only to fish but also to human eyes. Trying to force him to slow down and do something hard properly.

I just started tying buck tail jigs for fresh and salt water.
Most basic, very useful and look pretty good for a novice.
Easy tutorials all over the net.
Some real beauties over on the "Stripers Online Forum", great ideas/examples there as well as links to instructions/tools.
Lotta fun .... and rewarding !
Cheers

Kind of funny, cheap and fly fishing. About as cheap as I can get is fishing beads.




*Disclamer* I do not fish the bead at that distance from the hook, it’s against Alaska regs.

Try Hobbie Lobby for a amazing array of tying materials at a super cheap price. They have everthing but hooks!

I tie flies extensively. Seems like in MN you would be after walleye, pike, sallies, etc. Any kind of lead head with ducktail seems like it would get it done. I use something called crystal flash which is pretty cheap to sparkle things up. Saving whitetail tails is pretty easy. I just skin, split, and dry with borax and I have enough hair for a seasons worth of closures for the sallies here.

Cheap materials are bucktail, marabou, craft fur, crystal flash. Get some in a multitude of colors and you'll be tying for a while.

There are a ton of patterns on youtube. Some with how to as well as sources for material.

Perfect. I was going to make a trip to cabelas with him but this sounds alot cheaper.

Do you have a PayPal account? Sounds like something worth investing in.

You have buck /deer tails?
Have your friends save them for you, can't beat free, and they're the classic material for.....bucktails!, lol

I appreciate that. I've been very blessed this past couple years so i can fund his learning, another member also graciously offered to send some material.

I'm hoping in the medium term to make him self sufficient doing it which is why I was hoping he could gather some of the materials himself from starlings or something.

Chicken feathers and bucktails will probably be the best bang for your buck- do you know someone who raises chickens? The price of hackle feathers is ridiculous at fly tying stores but can usually be bad for nothing if you know somone butchering any roosters or meat birds. Also pipe cleaner are good for adding body to panfish jigs and are very cheap.

I’ll second the chicken suggestion. I use a lot of wooly worms and my favorite hackle is grizzly. Fly tying stores are ridiculous prices but found a good way to get what I want cheap. Go to a poultry meet and buy a barred rock rooster. Skin it and borax the skin and let it dry. You’ll have feathers for a long time at rock bottom price.

Good on you Donnersurvivor. I can't help you with fly tying, had an uncle tied them for me when I didnt use store bought, but if everyone of us would spend time with a kid at the crossroads the future would be a lot brighter

Thank you, ill ask around for some old chickens, I'm sure he would like doing the whole process.

Appreciate all the suggestions from everyone, now I just need him to stick with it, this has been a great carrot so far to get him to cooperate and not be such a Debbie downer.

Get him out fishing with fly’s that he ties himself

While at hobby lobby buy some thin brass wire also to wrap the bodies with for Pheasant tail nymphs and similar patterns .
Next spring / summer start going to garage sales looking for supplies also .
Tanned and dyed rabbit pelts are handy cut them into strips for zonkers and wooly buggers along with maribou get some black , white , yellow and red for streamers .

Rooster pheasant tail feathers are a great material to have also .

Used book stores are another great resource for fly tying books .

I do not know anything about tying flies but I think up in the Mountains a lot of people have Tied a Marshmellow and they look real!! They seem to catch those stocked trout too!!