Fly Tying Equipment - Bass Pro Shop

fishingn00b101

fishingn00b101

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Joined
Dec 26, 2013
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71
Hi everyone,

I want to start tying my own flies, and for Christmas my mother-in-law got me some gift cards to Bass Pro Shop (she is really a sweet lady but has no idea there is a difference between fly fishing and other forms of fishing - to her fishing is all the same thing). To my surprise, Bass Pro Shop actually has a fair amount of fly fishing gear on their website. I was hoping to get anyone's input who maybe has ever purchased any fly tying gear from Bass Pro Shops, or if I should just spend the gift cards on something else.

If I do spend it on fly tying gear, does anyone have any specific gear suggestions?

Thanks everyone! As everyone can see I need help spending my money :lol: all suggestions are welcome!
 
I wouldn't buy feathers, hackles, deer hair etc...

I would buy thread, ( I think they sell danvilles), beads, hooks (if they have any good ones), lead wire, dubbing (they have possum)
Ive never used any White River Fly shop stuff, but look into them, maybe pick up there dubbing spinners, hair stacker, scissors, bobbin (ceramic), bobbin (non-ceramic for wire), hackle pliers etc...
Make sure that white river fly shop stuff isn't junk first though
 
My question, what do you have? If you are starting from scratch as I just did not to long ago I have to say whatever you do DO NOT BUY A KIT of anything. Material kits suck and have crappy materials. Tying kits are even worse. I bought both a material kit and tying kit in September/October time frame and have replaced everything that came with them. For the most part cabelas and bass pros tying materials are more expensive then everywhere else.

I did have gift cards and picked up a peak rotary vise from bass pro and it has been fantastic. So if I was you I would pick up brand name tools from Bass Pro. The really important ones first and foremost for me are vise/scissors. If I started over I would have invested in a good vise and decent scissors. You dont need 100 colors of thread although it is nice. Try a few different brands (UTC, UNI, Daneville, etc) of thread before committing to one. Other tools to consider are a bobin or two. Bobbin threader, whip finisher, a bodkin, and a plunger style hackle pliers (handy for handling hooks).

I will say it again. Put you money in a vise starting out. Something in the $150- $200 range gets you into some pretty good vises.

Finally dont think that you will save money tying your own flies. You wont. It is a slippery slope but one I really really enjoy.
 
I'll second what Sal said. Your good to buy pretty much anything from Bass Pro. If your buying online I'd stay away from hackles and capes. Your fine buying feathers like narabu, peacock, ostrich, shlappen, etc. fur, flash, hooks, beads, masks, pretty much anything you'd need your ok to buy there.
 
My question, what do you have? If you are starting from scratch as I just did not to long ago I have to say whatever you do DO NOT BUY A KIT of anything. Material kits suck and have crappy materials. Tying kits are even worse. I bought both a material kit and tying kit in September/October time frame and have replaced everything that came with them.
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I agree about the materials for the most part but there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a vice and premium tools if your not sure if you'll be interested in it long term. I think my wife spent $40 on a cabelas tying kit which inluded a vice and all the tools including a bobbin, whip finisher, hackle pliers and some other goodies. I quickly replaced the metal bobbin with a ceramic one but otherwise have been tying on the kit for 2 years now. I'm planning on getting a new vise in a month or so as I am very serious about tying now and have a lot better idea what I'm looking for in a vise.

Don't go crazy and drop a lot of money until you have tried tying for a while. It's not for everyone.... that's why you see a lot of vises and materials in the swap forum.
 
There is nothing difficult about tying flies. It does not require expensive hand crafted tools made from the finest surgical steel. If you like that stuff there's plenty of it in fly tying. It won't produce a better fly though.

You can save tons of money tying but you may not. Depends on your personality. If you like filling endless boxes with flies you won't save anything. If you like spending 40 bucks rather then 6 bucks on a bobbin you probably won't save money.

You may not like fly tying. It's okay to start on an entry level vise until you figure it out. Again tying flies is not difficult no matter the vise. The only thing I would recommend is a bobbin, any bobbin, with a ceramic insert. Other then that buy what you can afford. I have fly tying scissors and I have 6 dollar fine detail scissors from Walmart that are just as good.

The choices are endless and it's okay to buy the finer things in life just don't buy the hype that you absolutely need all the expensive wizbang stuff. The process is simple and your cheap or expensive tools will last a lifetime. It's okay to buy your tools at bass pro. I prefer cabelas and find the staff in their fly shop to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They did not steer me wrong when I started,
 
Please invest in a fly tying book.
 
PennypackFlyer wrote:
Please invest in a fly tying book.
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Can I ask why a fly tying book would be necessary when there are incredible amounts of high quality video and text tutorials on youtube and around the web?
 
nomad_archer wrote:
PennypackFlyer wrote:
Please invest in a fly tying book.
Click to expand...

Can I ask why a fly tying book would be necessary when there are incredible amounts of high quality video and text tutorials on youtube and around the web?
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I'm with nomad on this one, I have a few tying books, and there awesome to have, but as far as straight up learning how to tie, youtube is 100x better at demonstrating tying techniques and patterns than a book.
Books have there place, and I like them more as a historical reference / entertainment read rather than an actual informational resource. The tying videos are incredible.
 
I would also recommend taking a class - local TU chapter to me offered them for free during the winter months. Or if you have a friend that ties - get them to tutor you. At least for me, there is no substitute for hands on instruction.

I agree with the folks above that you can certainly produce good enough flies with cheap tools. I've seen pictures on here where someone tied flies with vice grips.

Also, start with nymphs and buggers. You get to practice various techniques and they typically allow for a little more error and inconsistency and still be fishable than dries allow.
 
To clarify what I said earlier, I didnt mean to make you think you needed a $150+ true rotary vise to start. You don't but they certainly are nice. I started with what amounts to a kit vise similar to the super AA vises. It worked fine for buggers and bigger streamers but when it came to the nymphs I wanted to tie in #14, 16, 18, 20, 22 the jaws of the vise were too big and I ended up having to work around the jaws of the vise which makes it harder to focus on the techniques. Additionally the cheap kit vise had sharp edges around the jaws that would catch and fray or break the thread. My personal opinion is while an expensive vise is not needed to start some thought needs to be put into what files you intent to tie and how big the vise jaws are and how that relates to the hook sizes you want to tie. It is no fun working around a vise that makes tying difficult for the files you want to tie.

The majority of your tools don't need to be expensive tools. $10-12 scissors and a decent vise will serve you well.

 
Bass Pro fly tying equipment is vastly overpriced!!! You can go online and get most of whatever they have for at least 25% less and sometimes get free shipping if the value of your order meets the vendor criteria.

A few examples; Natural lemon woodduck 12 pcs - $6.49 @ BP. On line fly shop $3.95

White Zonker strips $4.80 @ BP, $2.75 on line fly shop.

Squirmy Wormy material $6.00 @ BP, $2.45 on line fly shop.

BP is 89% more costly for those three items!
 
I work part time at Field and Stream. You can pick up a nice vise on clearance and we also have some tying material cheap as well.
 
Aw "H" call me old school.....I say a book so that you start with one set of rules and designs or steps. To many videos of people who just want to be in a video.

Once you get pretty good with tying you can put the book away and watch videos if you like.

Also Recommending: Fly Tyer magizine and going to a Fly Fishing Show.
 
I like YouTube but I have a book on nymphs, a book on drys and a book with a bit of everything. I like the quick reference without having to watch a video.
 
Bass Pro's "White River Fly Shop" isn't all that bad in my opinion. Of course they will have everything you need to start. Sure it may not be as hip as other fly only shops but if you've got a gift card it certainly can be put to good use. Those cheap AA vises are certainly adequate to learn on. Bucktail assortment from there would be fine and you'd learn to tie basic streamers that will catch nearly any fish. Get some hooks, thread, beads, etc and just dive in. They carry many of the same brands you find in other fly shops so just give it a whirl. I tied on the cheap vise from cabela's for years and it worked great. You don't need to spend a lot to get started for tools and such but material costs will add up as you want to tie more and more patterns.
 
Thank you everyone for the advice! My wife actually got me an Orvis Fly Tying book for Christmas this year, and I've really liked what I've read so far. That along with all the videos online I'm hoping should be sufficient. I plan on taking a class eventually, I know they are offering one in Bedford, PA here soon. I was thinking about getting a kit at first, but I think I just may opt to get the tools separately. I appreciate everyone telling me to not get frustrated with the process. My biggest worry is that I have fat fingers, and I'm impatient, both of which don't go well with fly tying xD. But I've been molding my patience with fishing. I really want to one day say I caught a fish on my own fly. I'm originally from Latrobe, PA so I want to tie a green weenie first haha, go ahead you can judge away. I figure the green weenie won't be too hard of a pattern to start with! Really, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out.
 
fishingn00b101 wrote:
Thank you everyone for the advice! My wife actually got me an Orvis Fly Tying book for Christmas this year, and I've really liked what I've read so far. That along with all the videos online I'm hoping should be sufficient. I plan on taking a class eventually, I know they are offering one in Bedford, PA here soon. I was thinking about getting a kit at first, but I think I just may opt to get the tools separately. I appreciate everyone telling me to not get frustrated with the process. My biggest worry is that I have fat fingers, and I'm impatient, both of which don't go well with fly tying xD. But I've been molding my patience with fishing. I really want to one day say I caught a fish on my own fly. I'm originally from Latrobe, PA so I want to tie a green weenie first haha, go ahead you can judge away. I figure the green weenie won't be too hard of a pattern to start with! Really, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out.
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Its funny that mostly everone that gets into fly fishing / tying feels almost embarrassed to tie a green weenie, when in reality no modern nymph fisherman will have a box without green weenies, mop flies, worms and eggs of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Junk flies work, so don't be afraid to tie up a bunch of green weenies and fish em.

My suggestion is to spend the extra coin on tungsten beads rather than regular beads, it truly makes a big difference.
Tie up your weenies with a tung bead and some lead wraps, and fish em with confidence
 
I'd say stay away from Bass Pro. Get a copy of American Angler and look for the flyshop adds and send for catalogs. Best bet is to find a flyshop near you and make friends!
 
You are going from Latrobe to Bedford for a class? There should be something closer.
 
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