Beginning to tie flies

[Ggrove]

Hi, I’m looking at purchasing a kit to begin tying flies. Does anyone have recommendations as to what to buy? Also as far as materials go, how far can I get with just pheasant and chukar feathers, and deer hair? Any advice is also greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Bamboozle]

My advice, it is easier but don't buy a kit...

Determine a budget, buy a vise, scissors & a bobbin then buy the materials needed for a particular fly and move forward from there.

You'll end up with better tools and a lot less materials that you will never use.

Good luck!!

 

[afishinado]

My advice, it is easier but don't buy a kit...

Determine a budget, buy a vise, scissors & a bobbin then buy the materials needed for a particular fly and move forward from there.

You'll end up with better tools and a lot less materials that you will never use.

Good luck!!

+1 ^ Great advice.

Having an experienced tyer teach you is best, if not pull up videos to learn to tie a fly.

Buy decent tools, have a buddy or a fly shop help you with that.

Tie flies you fish with right now.

As Boo wrote above, buy materials and hooks to tie a few of those flies.

Start with easy to tie flies like simple nymphs and wooly buggers, green weenies, etc.

Learn to tie them well and move on to other flies.

This way you will slowly accumulate materials and hooks for flies you actually fish.....no wasted effort, time or money.

Good luck.

 

[jifigz]

I bought a kit from Cabela's that had all the basic and crude tools I needed. It worked well enough. I started with only a color or two of bucktail and just began tying it to jigheads. Guess what? They caught a lot of fish!!!

Pick simple materials, or maybe just enough stuff to tie one or two colors of woolly buggers, and then have at it. Those tying tools kits aren't great, but they are good enough. Keep it simple to start. Basic bucktail jigs/streamers or woolly buggers are where I would start.

 

[afishinado]

I bought a kit from Cabela's that had all the basic and crude tools I needed. It worked well enough. I started with only a color or two of bucktail and just began tying it to jigheads. Guess what? They caught a lot of fish!!!

Pick simple materials, or maybe just enough stuff to tie one or two colors of woolly buggers, and then have at it. Those tying tools kits aren't great, but they are good enough. Keep it simple to start. Basic bucktail jigs/streamers or woolly buggers are where I would start.

I bought the same tool and vise kit, I believe, to use as my traveling fly tying kit back-in-the-day.

They weren't the best or worst, but worked well enough to tie a few flies on a fishing trip.

Worth $39.99, IMO.

If you really get into tying you can always get a better vise and tools and use that tool kit for traveling.

Cabela's Tool kit >

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/white-river-fly-shop-standard-fly-tying-tool-kit?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CProprietary%7CGeneral%7CNCA%7CNVol%7CNMT&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9q6BhCDARIsACwUxu70gFP9d5VMWLlgG4TX4AdjgZ0wwfWwQANQKwaWQTwA5Q4nnTIlCV4aAgEeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[tomgamber]

There are some really good kits available today. Some are pattern specific and come with tools you can use. Upgrade later.

 

[dc410]

You don’t have to break the bank but start out with some decent quality tools. You will quickly get frustrated with a vise that doesn’t hold a hook securely, a scissors that isn’t sharp or doesn’t close accurately at the tips or a bobbin holder that frays or cuts your thread when you are just about done tying your fly.

I agree with the above recommendations on materials - focus on a few basic patterns and expand from there. Pheasant feathers and deer hair are both great materials and you can do a lot with them and they will be very useful in many patterns as you develop your tying skills. I have some Chukar feathers from one that I killed a few years back - I just haven’t really figured out what I want to use them for yet. If I would have to do over I would have skinned out the whole Chukar skin. The small feathers up near the head and neck would make some awesome soft hackles. Good luck with your new addiction (hobby). Hang out around the Fly Tying Forum and you will learn lots of useful information and tips. Don’t get overwhelmed with it, just go at your own pace.

 

[JimNovo]

You don’t have to break the bank but start out with some decent quality tools. You will quickly get frustrated with a vise that doesn’t hold a hook securely, a scissors that isn’t sharp or doesn’t close accurately at the tips or a bobbin holder that frays or cuts your thread when you are just about done tying your fly.

I agree with the above recommendations on materials - focus on a few basic patterns and expand from there. Pheasant feathers and deer hair are both great materials and you can do a lot with them and they will be very useful in many patterns as you develop your tying skills. I have some Chukar feathers from one that I killed a few years back - I just haven’t really figured out what I want to use them for yet. If I would have to do over I would have skinned out the whole Chukar skin. The small feathers up near the head and neck would make some awesome soft hackles. Good luck with your new addiction (hobby). Hang out around the Fly Tying Forum and you will learn lots of useful information and tips. Don’t get overwhelmed with it, just go at your own pace.

Great advice.
Get great tools, then pick what you want to tie and buy just those materials. As you want new patterns, buy those items.

 

[skeeter bite]

I was right where you are one year ago. I did not buy a kit, I bought a vice, and the tools necessary to fly tying. I was fortunate in that Trout Unlimited sponsor a series of lessons on fly tying right here in my town at the local campus of Penn State each winter. I took the classes and learned the basics of tying and the fly tying lingo. I spent as much time as possible practicing last winter at home using videos on You Tube about how to tie the flies I wanted. When I decide I'm going to tie a new pattern I swing by the local fly shop and pick up any materials I'll need that I don't already have.

 

[jifigz]

I'm not disagreeing with you guys, but those vices in those Cabela's kits are more than serviceable. They securely hold hooks; they just don't have a rotary feature. I've been tying for 13 years, and I still only use a Griffin Odyssey Spyder. A good vise helps, but I wouldn't jump right into a "good vise." Good vises are expensive, and you might not like tying.

If you want to spend more, I fully recommend the Spyder from Griffin for about $100.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

I'm of the camp that a kit has its place. I still have a few of the tools from the kit I bought about 45 years ago. I used the vice for many years to tie large streamers and to hold flies while coating them with lacquer. As one mentioned, there are better kits out there then a cabelas. google. j Stockard, Orvis
24% off

Orvis Premium Fly-Tying Kit

Tie classic and proven fly patterns with this fly-tying starter kit.

www.orvis.com

 

[poopdeck]

I would not start with a kit but the message, “buy great tools” is very misleading. The tools needed for fly tying are very basic, inexpensive, and do not require Swiss watch precision. A 10 dollar ceramic bobbin about covers your bobbin needs for life. An 8 dollar Terra whip finisher covers your whip finisher needs for life. Scissors are all very sharp anymore and can be purchased anywhere for a song and a dance. I’ve never spent more than 10 bucks for a pair and have yet to experience poor cutting. You can spend far more if you like but they will bring absolutely nothing to the table.

The vise is the only truly important items needed but it has only one very simplistic job and that is to hold a hook securely. A good vise can be had for a hundred bucks. There is no need to spend hundreds and hundreds on a vise. People talk of rotation, while nice, is of little to no value in tying 99% of flies you will be tying for fishing. I’ve never owned a tru rotational vise and don’t have any plans on buying one. Whatever you buy just make sure it holds a hook solid which typically means to stay away from store branded knockoffs and kit vises. Don’t start off your fly tying career drinking the koolaid. Expensive tools bring nothing to the table except added expense. Expensive tools will not tie a fly faster or better and they will not decrease the beginner frustration level. It’s a fun and easy to learn hobby, enjoy it but there is no need to go all goofy on expense ”quality” tools to start. Remember, you may hate tying but the tools won’t change that. Just stay away from the kit vises.

 

[PennKev]

A 10 dollar ceramic bobbin about covers your bobbin needs for life. .

The vise is the only truly important items needed but it has only one very simplistic job and that is to hold a hook securely. A good vise can be had for a hundred bucks.

Griffin offers great options for both of these items at these approximate price points. Griffin bobbins are essentially the standard by which any others are compared.

 

[JeffK]

I tied with an old-school knock-off Thompson A vise for 30 years until I got a better vise (HMH Spartan, which used to be cheap). Agree with bobbin and scissors. Can get good, inexpensive snips/embroidery scissors from a sewing or embroidery shop - if they are around, may have to go on-line.

Big thing is to learn what good materials are - tying with poor materials will make your tying no fun at all. Not so hard to find good materials with anything made in a factory, like thread, tinsel and wire - tougher with natural materials like fur and feathers. Tying with poor hackle is a complete waste of time IMHO.

 

[abixler1955]

The vice is indeed the most important tool. I started with a Renzetti Traveler. Price back then under $100.00 (shows my age). They are now a little over $200.00. If you are serious about continuing to tie your own flies, I would opt for the Renzetti. Worst thing to have is a bad vice with hooks not being held tightly. You will quickly become discouraged.

 

[salmo]

Troll YouTube for hacks. I also have a bunch of material that I can share with you. PM me and I’ll send you some extra that I have. I strongly suggest going to yard sale and flea markets to look for a coffee/spice blender to start blending your own dubbing. You get custom textures, colors in amounts that you will need. Also pick up some permanent markers. White or cream dubbing can be any color that you want.

 

[Kms]

I picked up a new Peak rotary vise from Fbook for $100, and I’ve seen many other decent new or lightly used vises similarly priced there. I only use the rotation to see at a whole fly, so as others have written a fixed vise could definitely be sufficient. After the vise the bobbin is definitely the most important tool. I’ve learned that I like Rite bobbins, but I think that’s very much a personal choice thing.

Scissors, dubbing, thread and other tools and materials are endless and can be cheap or expensive depending on your choices, but I wouldn’t try to go cheap on hooks or hackle. When you start with hackle I think the Whiting introductory packs are a good value. Four very nice half saddles or capes in four different colors (typically grizzly, black, brown and cream) for ~$80 or less that will produce a ton of flies. I bought some stuff from other decent brands, but the Whiting stuff seems noticeably better.

 

[jifigz]

The vice is indeed the most important tool.

I will be the voice of dissent on this one. I do not think the vise is the most important part of fly tying. Of the vises that I have used, I have never found a vise that would not hold a hook. I have, however, used bobbins that were hard to get thread out of so you were more likely to break thread while wrapping it. I have used a bobbin that cut thread every time you pulled on it due to it missing the ceramic insert. I have used scissors that pushed material out of the way during the cutting process instead of making a nice clean cut.

I think that the vise is no more important than the other tools. And in my experience, a vise has never let me down, but many other tools have. If I could settle for a cheap vise as long as I had a mediocre bobbin and pair of scissors and whip finisher.

To start, those are the only 4 tools needed. Bobbin, vise, whip finisher, and scissors. All other tools are secondary/needed for more advanced stuff.

 

[salmo]

I picked up a new Peak rotary vise from Fbook for $100, and I’ve seen many other decent new or lightly used vises similarly priced there. And if/when you decide you need hackle, I think the Whiting introductory packs are a good value. Four half saddles or capes in four different colors (typically grizzly, black, brown and cream) for ~$80 or less that will produce a ton of flies.

Also a white/cream neck can be almost any color you like if colored with a permanent marker. When I tie an adams, which calls for grizzly and brown hackle, I use a grizzly with half of the feather colored with a brown marker. A cream hackle can become bule dun in the same manner. Synthetic Macrame cord can be wings, dubbing or post material for parachute posts, etc. White 2mm craft foam can become black, red orange or yellow too. Hobby Lobby, Joanne Stores, Michaels are great sources for storage boxes, markers, cutting tools, glass beads craft fur, craft foam and yarns. I don't consider myself frugal - I'm a freaking cheapskate!

 

[Dr.J 1952]

All the previous recommendations are good. Here is something that may be a little advanced but may help with dubbing. Sometimes it is hard to buy the exact color of dubbing needed. You can buy a small electric coffee grinder off of Amazon for under twenty bucks. Sure you can mix by hand but this is much, much better. I use my own mixes for Green Drake nymphs, dark brown sulphur nymphs and early BWO nymphs. I was tying some Walt’s Worms the other day and the Hare’s Ear Plus I had as a little too spiky. I had some other Hare’sEar that was a little softer but no antron in it. Took some white Antron yarn and cut it in small pieces, added the Hare’s Ear and mixed it in the grinder. Turned out great.