Wow, after reading your post and thinking about it I realized I’d been tying for 50 yrs! Before moving to FL I lived in NWNJ, near and fly fished one of New Jersey’s nicest freestone rivers, the Flatbrook. Nothing like fooling a fish on a fly you tied. I remember my first trout taken on a Muddler Minnow I tied like it was yesterday.
There are several materials you can find on your own, if you or a friend know any hunters for deer hair/tails, duck feathers, pheasant tails, etc.
I recall being late for work due to stopping roadside to gut a salvageable roadkill woodchuck, then salting it in the parking lot before punching in! Around this time of year (Feb. and Mar.) Jersey had a Fly Fishing show, around Edison I believe, that kept me and my buddy from going insane due to being cooped up all Winter. (I know several guys fish the river’s fly stretch all Winter.) Try Googling fishing shows near me. But be careful, after a long Winter, it’s easy to part with a lot of cash.
There are several supplies you can find at craft stores like tinsel, beads, wool yarn, etc. After exploring all the non typical sources for supplies, then turn to actual but pricier fly tying supply shops. Ramsey’s Outdoor Store (at least the Ledgewood store) had a nice selection of tying supplies. Other shops exist, especially close to the several well know trout streams in the northeast. Good books and now YouTube are are sources to learn, along with joining a local Trout Unlimited chapter.
You certainly fish a broader range of streams than I have, soon your fly boxes will contain (and you will only truly enjoy fishing with) flies created by your own hands. I got to enjoy fly tying and reloading almost as much as fishing and shooting.
Good luck with your new hobby.
Thank you for the info. It’s discouraging to make such a big change in life (moving south, a block away from the river) only to discover truth in “the grass is not always greener”, pertaining to things you didn’t give a second thought to when considering a “new chapter” in life. For a Jersey trout fisherman, the Indian River certainly is an impressive, fascinating body of water...I guess as long as you don’t look too closely. I can only imagine the frustration felt by the native Floridians that watched the lagoon’s decline.
Thanks again.
Oh, plus...flesh eating bacteria? Might have to get back into golf or shooting clays.
Is the Indian River really that bad? Wife and I moved to Melbourne from NJ a little over a year ago, and I’ve been scolding myself for just researching/questioning tackle shops about fishing the River/ocean, and not actually going yet. Stopped a few times and talked to people fishing along the Indiatlantic (Rt.192) Causeway, no one seemed concerned about the algae. I did purchase (and yard practice with) a cast net (still suck). Brought down my NJ freshwater trout tackle, but know I need to upgrade to beefier equipment, especially if I want to try surf fishing. Do the algae concerns also pertain to fish in the ocean/surf, or just the Indian River Lagoon? I’ve been dying to learn shrimping, and all I hear/read online is about the algae.
Thanks in advance for any info. Look forward to learning.