New to Fly tying

[Gravity Orange]

Can someone give me some good Ideas for a beginners fly tying kit and what kind of stuff specifically I should get? Cost/ materials and all that jazz. I've never tied before but it is something I would like to get into. Thanks

[Gravity Orange]

Oh, and I don't want garbage stuff....I want something that is going to last me for many years

[DennisS]

You may have asked a load question to many people. Not sure if your talking material wise or tool wise.

 

The first thing I will mention is if there is a local Fly fishing or fly tying club join it. You maybe able to get ideas there and some hands on help before you go and spend good money then find out you don't like it.

 

I will start with the tool side a tompson AA vise is a good start. That runs around $45. then comes a good pair of scissors spend a bit of money on these (doctor slicks $23.) then bobbin either fluted ceramic or get the ceramic tube type. Then some hackle pliers. then a Materalli type whipfinisher(this is the easiest one to learn on). If you decide you want to go a rotary vise then I suggest t

he Peak for is ease if use the build and the price. $169. This vice hold the hooks well and will tie from a size 2 to 22 with the same regular jaws you can get midge jaws for this vice if you feel you need them.

 

Material most dubbing will be good enough. Hackles spend abit of money on these Howard hackle are not bad they run around $45. but Whiting and Metz are your best at about 60 to will over $125 per cape. I would purchase at least a grizzley saddle & a brown Saddle These 2 will tie most patterns you will tie.

 

You will need some decent Peacock hurl and then some Pheasent tails and then some molted hen hackle capes.

 

There is a lot more but this will get you started.

 

I hope this helps a bit

 

Good Luck

 

Tight Lines Always

Dennis S.

[RangerBob]

Hook & Hackle Co. has this handy guide on-line on their website.

 

http://www.hookhack.com/startying.html

 

Also plan for a suitable tying bench area.

 

http://fishing.about.com/cs/beginnersinstr...a/bl031209a.htm

 

Later you might plan to build a portable tying kit away from the aforementioned "Mothership Tying Desk" -- like to bring down to your local tying club, vacation, or tying streamside. Helps to double up on tools, one for the desk, and one for the portable kit. Then pack away some small quantities of materials you'd keep at the main bench.

 

http://www.globalflyfisher.com/tiebetter/k...rtable_kit.html

http://www.lyndenhuggins.com/Fly%20Fishing...Tying%20Kit.htm

 

SEE ALSO THIS POST FROM THE SHERMAN WAY BACK MACHINE:

 

http://forum.nlft.org/index.php?showtopic=839&hl=portable

[Gravity Orange]

Geez there is lots to choose from....my head is swimming with all the ideas. This is definately something I can really see myself getting into but I'm gonna need help along the way.

[RangerBob]

Geez there is lots to choose from....my head is swimming with all the ideas.  This is definately something I can really see myself getting into but I'm gonna need help along the way.

Or, start how I started out. Figure out what patterns you fish with the most and buy the materials for them and work your way up. For me it was the San Juan Worm -- red chenille or just red copper wire. After that the Griffiths Gnat (peacock herl and grizzly hackle). Then... on to the Elk Hair Caddis -- needed a patch of elk hair and a brown cape.. and so on. Soon, you will have more road kill then you know what to do with. Yeah.. 15 years ago myself I though it might be cheaper to tye them.. then to buy them.

 

What is your tying level at right now? What flies do you fish with, want to learn to tye?

 

Lotsa folks will be eager to help.. just let them know what you need to know EXACTLY.. and take it one step at a time. One fly at a time.

 

Learn to master the basic patterns. Start with a Wooly Bugger (a prooven fish catcher), then the GRHE (Gold Ribbed Hares Ear), a Prince Nymph and so on. By learning one pattern at a time.. and style.. you'll soon learn the skills needed to tye up just about anything. All flies are just variations on a few themes -- and getting the proportions right. Easily mastered after tying a few.

 

http://www.tie1on.net/prop.htm

[Gravity Orange]

My tying level on a scale of 1-10 is a 0. Never tied before. My most common used patterns would be prince nymph, BWO, Green Drake, parachute, San juan and probably hare's tail. Thats what I used mostly this year anyways. Those as well as some monster buggers and green minnow types for Pike and walleye. I want to get good tools, start out slow with a couple of those patterns and learn as much as I can from as many of you guys as I can.

[RangerBob]

My tying level on a scale of 1-10 is a 0.  Never tied before.  My most common used patterns would be prince nymph, BWO, Green Drake, parachute, San juan and probably hare's tail.  Thats what I used mostly this year anyways.  Those as well as some monster buggers and green minnow types for Pike and walleye.  I want to get good tools, start out slow with a couple of those patterns and learn as much as I can from as many of you guys as I can.

Perfect! Now we have a place to start together and work from.

 

BUY THIS BOOK! IT'S A MUST! BUY IT TODAY BEFORE YOU BUY A VICE OR ANYTHING ELSE!

 

http://www.killroys.com/bookstore/manual.htm

 

STEP 1 - For Tools:

 

You can go out and buy 'pre-assembled kits', but as was suggested by Dennis you can likely get quality stuff by pieceing it together yourself for not much more. Usually in beginner kits the tools are of so - so quality to extreme crap (i.e. You'll likely be replacing them in one or two years -- or tossing them into that portable tying kit I mentioned).

 

Where do you reside? What shops are accesible to you? Let us know resources you have access to and we can provide you with our informed decission on a given kit.

 

The most sound advice is to start with a standard Thompson Model A vice -- been around for 100 years -- likely will be forever and more.

 

http://www.about-flyfishing.com/library/weekly/aa110798.htm

http://www.tah-usa.net/onthefly/vices.htm

 

OKAY, SINCE YOU ASKED NOW. I PERSONALLY HATE THE THOMSPON A VICE. Simply cause I hate having resize it for a variety of hook. If you get a Regal Knock- off or other Jaw Vice (like Dennis mentioned) you will have a quality vice for the rest of your life -- that you'll likely have moved up to anyways.

 

 

But starting with the Thompson SHOULD BE A PRE-REQUESITE - paying your dues. Learn it.. and know it. Then when you upgrade -- guess what -- dump it into the portable tying kit! =) On Screw Base Vice versus Pedastal Base-- well that just depends on your tying environment. Make your first one a screw down -- then move up to a pedastal later. But again depends on your desk, work area. Pedastal can go anywhere -- you'll want this for sure.

 

Ditto -- you'll need sharp scissors -- find a pair you LOVE-- never let another soul TOUCH THEM - EVER! Should be sharp enough to cut a single hair from the back of your hand and not grab. You next need a bobbin (cermaics are nice), and then non-slip hackle pliers. These are the basic three tools you ABSOLUTELY need - just for starters to learn with.

 

You'll likely need doubles later on, as scissor become dull or curved for certain applications or fit / feel -- indeed whenever you find a shinier new tool you can use well -- use it. A whip finisher -- once mastered becomes invaluable. There are many varieties -- I guarantee you'll like one -- and stick with it. Don't worry about it for now. Just, learn the basic half-hitches and finger whips. You'll wish you had one day when you can't seem to find that missing whip finisher you've come to rely on.

 

STEP 2 - The Patterns

 

The San Juan Worm is the place to start! Really! You need hook, red thread, and chinelle. You will not have invested a lot of money yet - but you will learn the first step. How to apply thread to hook, and then, how to secure a material to said hook. The BEST pattern to start with -- and it catches fish. Nuff said.

 

Two of the best patterns here:

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac020904.html

http://www.westfly.com/patterns/wet/sanjuanworm.shtml

 

The easiest one here:

 

http://www.questoutdoors.net/skills/ftying...n_juan_worm.php

 

From there, for a Prince Nymph you'll need to acquire these materials, and here are the most basic tying instructions. Note that the materials are listed in the same order they are usually tied on.

 

Materials

Hooks: Mustad 9671

Thread: 6/0 black

Weight: .015" lead wire

Tail: brown goose biots

Rib: gold tensile

Body: peacock herl

Legs: brown hen back fibers

Wings: white goose biots

 

http://www.tie1on.net/princtm.htm

 

BWO - Blue Wing Olive

 

Tip on Dubbing: Start by buying assorted dubbing packs.. rather then individual packs... you'll get more variety -- and you can replace each type / color as you use it up. In this case one that has BWO in it, Adams Gray, you'll get the picture.

 

http://globalflyfisher.com/tiebetter/bwos/

 

After those I'd master the Wooly Bugger, Hare's Ear... but save them parachutes for later on.. LAST. They pose a challenge unto their own. But soon after doing a few you'd be able to look at this and figure out exactly how to go about tying it. Master a few dries like the Adams first -- get handy with that hackle tool. Then a parachute whatever is just a slight variation.

 

 

Tye a few dozen of those all above... and see where you get. Soon you'll be wanting to tye more and more.. and you'll accumulate more and more stuff... including knowledge and skills. Pike flies and the rest will seem easy after that. Until you see woven bodies and realistics -- and then your head will explode like mine did.

 

STEP 3 - THEN -- More Reading. More Tying.

 

Read, read, and read. Tye, tye, and tye. Yes, if you have a local tying club for hands on that will help jumpstart yah. However, I taught myself from Dave Hughes American Fly Tying Manual -- but what I couldn't master I learned from a friend / or someone in the know as I went along. A few DVDs here and there from the library (also a stellar resource to call on!).

 

I can't recommend Dave's book enough MYSELF, or Jack Dennis Fly Tying manuals.

 

Like the above examples it covers basic tying techniques in photos step by step, has a solid list of patterns listed in it -- which you soon decode after you tied a few.

 

So, learning the proportions of a type of fly.. knowing the materials -- you are off to the races. Even decoding them secret flies from the fly shops when you bring samples back from abroad.

 

Tying a few flies -- even if they don't look right to you -- or in the book -- you'd be quite surprised to see they still catch / fool fish.

[SilverHilton]

Sound advice, Dennis & Ranger Bob.

 

Gravity Orange, if I was going to offer any supplemental advice it would be to find a well lit desk to hone your craft.

 

Robin

[Gravity Orange]

Thanks guys....Damn thats alot of information, but its all good stuff!!. Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll have my own kit and start working on these patterns...maybe even attend a meeting or meet up with a few of you. Thanks for all the good info...stellar!

[albertabowhunter]

If you live in the Edmonton area, let me know, I have lots of pheasant tail, aand lots of deer and moose hide.... I got me a bull moose this fall, and 4 Whitetails.... So, if you need hair.... I'm giving away....I can even set you up with some nice mallard flanks and wing feathers...also got som goose quills left over....

 

I plan on bringing a few things to the next meeting I make and donating them to NLFT if they want them....

 

 

 

Later

[SnoWolf]

Hola

 

I started with one of the starter kits that comes with all the tools and some materials. The vice was fairly good but I upgraded the scissors right away and the bobin I use for stuff other than thread.

 

I also got a kit for my brother(different supplier) and was not very happy with the quality of anything inside of it.

 

After 20 or 30 flies I upgraded my vise to a stand alone one. To this day I still have most of the material that came with the kit. As I started buying more I found the stuff that came with the kit to not be of the same quality as the new stuff I was buying.

 

I have been tieing for 2 years now so here is some advise from a newbie.

 

Do not buy the kit!!!

 

Spend extra money and buy good tools. By that I dont mean go and buy a $300 vise. I'm thinkin somewhere in the $40 to $70 range. These are good vice's and you could sell it relativly easy for round the same price if u decide its not for u.

Get a good bobin and scissors.

 

As the fine fallas b4 me said, buy just the supplies u need to tie 1 or 2 patterns and go from there. I stop by my fave stores every payday and buy at least $20 worth of material. It did not take to long and I now have a bag full of stuff to tie with.

 

Books- Definatly some books.

 

Lastly but definatly not leastly, join a club. I highly recomend NLFT if u are in the Edmonton area, as I would not be tieing anywhere close to as good(as a rookie can) as I am now if I had not joind thier ranks. There are some really good tiers there and everyone of them is willing to give a hand to a beginer or vetran alike..

 

If I have not already done so I would take this (and any other) time to thank all the peeps at Northren lights for all there help. You guys rock.

 

 

Sno

[Gravity Orange]

I'm pretty much going to do everything you suggested sno. Now I just need some good brand name vices, scissors, boobins and all other tools I'll need to start out. As far as materials go, your right....I'm only gonna start with 2 or 3 patterns that I use the most and only get stuff for those...I figure the first 20 or so I tie are going to be garbage anyways. And I do plan on attending next wednesdays meeting, hopefully it all won't be over my head. Maybe I should just come to one of your guys place and you could walk me through a simple fly tye.

[SnoWolf]

Kewl

 

The second set of flies I tied where Griffith Knats. As u can emagine they where not what u would call really good looking flies. Ugly, scruffy, not symetrical at all little things.

 

Had a trip lined up to Staufer Creek and my bud bailled at the last moment. Not being one to let this kind of thing stop me I headed out anyway. Took me a while to find the spot I had been told about as I had never fished the creek b4.

 

I headed out upstream and it was a nice sunny day. Fished and walked for a couple of hours and came to the realiztion that trees truely do love to eat flies way more than the fished seemed to.

 

Just when I thought that I had been sent on a wild fish chase I saw this spot on an outside curve that had one of those ondercut banks that I had heard so much about. I worked my way over to a spot that would allow me to cast to this bank and did not have verygood luck at landing my fly anywhere close to where I wanted it to go.(Damb trees).

 

So after a few tries and a slight pause to tie on another of those funny looking griffith knats I finaly dropped the fly where I wanted it to go. I watched the fly float around the bend with a little bit of disinterest and thoughts of all the wasted time and money when suddenly the water boiled and my fly was gone.

 

I set the hook and began the fight of a lifetime. He pulled and I tugged, I pulled and he tugged for what seemed like hours. At one piont I thought I was going to loose him as he wrapped around some weeds and then really started to pull hard.

Now I was not really sure what to do, and after some quik decission making I walked over and netted the biggest Brown trout I had ever caught!!!!! (All 6" of him)

 

This was really exciting. Was my first dry fly take on a fly that I made as well as my first Brown trout.

So be not worried about how they look in the begining because all u have to do is find the right fish for that hook.

 

Sno

 

BTW - Waste of time and money or not, I'll not soon be giving this up.

[Gravity Orange]

I hear the last sentence man....there's nothing more zen that being on a lake or river in the middle of the mountains with no one around for miles.

[dave robinson]

Gravity:

When you come out on Wednesday to the NLFT&F meeting

you will find a small group tying beginner flies

The instruction is nearly one on one.

Feel free to watch or join in.

[Gravity Orange]

That is really what I am looking for...1 on 1 instructions. I'd like to be given explanations about the tools and then shown how to do some basic patterns. Also some advice about what kind of tools I should buy would be nice....I've already had a few discussions and it sounds like the Griffin or the Regal vises are the way to go. Dave, are you gonna be there to help me along? Anything I need to bring?

[dave robinson]

'far as I know I'll be there.

If you have some equipment, bring it along.

If not, we have some loaner stuff for short term use at the club,

while you get your own stuff together.

Your biggest initial investment will be the vise

so you may want to look closely at a few beore making that purchase.

 

The beginner group is in the middle of tying a sequence

of about a dozen beginner flies.

You can join them in mid stream once you have a few basic skills

(attaching thread, pinch wrap, wrapping basic materials and whip finish)

I can give you a hand with those.

I'll also see if I have a copy of the beginner seminar handout from last year.

It has some advice on basic tools equipment and materials.

 

On that note, we will be offering our one-day beginner seminar again this year,

most likely after the Fishin' Hole Outdoor Show in March.

Highly recommended, and NLFT members get a price break.

Not sure if we'll be doing a public intermediate one after that.

 

Oh yeah and we run beginner and intermediate casting seminars in the spring too.

Even veteran casters learn a thing or two by attending or helping with those.

(My double haul improved a bunch last year)

So stick around, there's lots to learn and a great group to learn from.

[jjtopspin]

Gravity, the first book that I bought when I started tying about 3 or 4 years ago was " The Basic Manual of Fly- Tying (Revised Edition) by Paul N. Fling & Donald L. Puterbaugh from Chapters. I learned a lot from this book before I bought my basic tools and materials, then joined NLFT. You will get a lot of help and guidance from the experts.

Joe

[Gravity Orange]

My plan is basically to buy everything all at one time, once I get some training and more knowledge about exactly what stuff I want to buy.

[albertabowhunter]

Thats a big shopping cart! good luck on that.... And to top it off you'll never find it all in one store...

 

Best of luck though!

[Gravity Orange]

Ahhh....the magic of E-bay

[albertabowhunter]

Yes, e-bay, but who know if you ar going to get what you want...and if you dont like it, you cant return it.... but hey, I hear their are some great deals on e-bay....speaking of wich I gotta check out the DU website, see whats on the auction block this week.

[DennisS]

Gravity Orange good to meet you last night. I hope the info on the vice helps you. Hope to see you out more.

 

Tight Lines Always

Dennis S

[Gravity Orange]

I definately plan to be out more Dennis. Thanks. What was the name of the vise you were using again? You said you got it at the fishing hole?

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dave for teaching me one on one some tricks of the trade...I learned alot from him and I can't thank you enough. Looking forward to learning more from him and from other members I never got the chance to meet properly. Planning on getting my own vise and tools soon Cheers to all you members

 

Yayy...I created my first fly...a Griffiths Gnat!!