Beginning to tie flies

[headhunting22]

All good advice here, but something I'd recommend that I haven't seen yet is to get a good pair of scissors. They dont need to be super expensive, but get a pair of quality, sharp scissors. Anything you tie will look like junk if your material is not cut flush. Another thing I see beginner tiers do is use thread thats too big for small patterns. If you're tying tying size 16 flies or smaller, go for UTC 70 (or equivalent size).

Like others said, kits are appealing to people getting into tying, but research a few patterns you want to start with that have overlapping materials and start with those. Have fun!

 

[salmo]

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.

I sometimes add my materials to the blender. After the first spin or two, if the blend is too spikey I roll it into a noodle shape then cut it with scissors in shorter sections. This shortens the guard hairs and stuff that the blender blades won't cut. With some patience you can get rabbit/squirl dubbing down to superfine. For my dry fly dubbing I always add some CDC and Kapok.

 

[Bamboozle]

It all works; heck folks tie WITHOUT a vise & bobbin although, I know for a fact when I started fly tying I was using tools that were VASTLY inferior to what is available today...

Anyone remember "Sunrise India?"

Back then there wasn't an Internet or a whole lot to choose from so you bought what the shop had in stock which in my case was two pair of scissors (one fine, one not-so-fine), hackle pliers, and a real Materelli whip finisher and bobbin.

Everything worked and seemed fine so I stuck with those tools and my first & second vises (a Thompson style & a Xuron) for decades until many years later when I FINALLY convinced myself to try some new/better scissors...

What a difference... I'll go out on a limb and say anyone that thinks or professes that it doesn't make a difference is more stubborn than I was or still hasn't upgraded to the point of noticing a difference. There's a reason hair stylists and crafters that use scissors all the time for their hobbies use really good scissors...

...They cut better, more precisely and fit better in you hand. This all equates to making the job easier and in my case faster, which means more flies tied in less time. I'm not saying Walmart scissors won't work, but even generic Dr. Slick scissors are a 100 percent upgrade and 1000 times better than what I was using for most of my fly tying life.

I also switched to a rotary vice about 20 years ago and would never look back because there are tasks where it speeds up the process, makes my flies look better and is just a whole lot easier than wrapping stuff around a stationary hook.

I’m glad I stuck with my Materelli tools and bought more bobbins & stuff when they were available because they have served me well. I don't know if there is a regular metal tube bobbin that works as well which may explain the popularity of ceramic bobbins. I only use a ceramic bobbing for GSP so I guess if I didn't use GSP, I wouldn't use a ceramic bobbin...

My biggest indulgence is hackle pliers which I use all the time. However, I think 100% of hackle pliers suck 50% of the time so I have more different pairs of hackle pliers than I do socks.

Bottom line, I'm definitely not saying everyone or even anyone needs the top end of the spectrum in fly tying tools. If I was just starting out the last thing I would do is buy the best until I had many years of experience under my belt and the confidence I wouldn't lose interest in twice the number of years.
Nevertheless, it is somewhat analogous to the incessant argument folks make about fancy tackle...

Selecting fly tying tools shouldn't just be whether better tools or materials would result in flies that catch more fish; it should also be about whether better tools & materials will make the experience of crafting those flies more enjoyable.

At least in my case, the upgrades were well worth the added expense...

 

[dudemanspecial]

I have a Renzetti Traveler. I don't use the rotary function to apply material but I do like to use it to get a good look around the whole fly, sometimes just tweak it one way or the other for certain tasks. I am so used to that I would never buy a non rotary again. Definitely not necessary to learn with though, I tied on a Thompson style for 5 years or so at first.

 

[PennKev]

I would recommend against cheaping out on materials. Yeah you can buy every damn thing in Hobby Lobby and tie it to a hook. That doesn't mean a beginner is going to get good results. In fact, I think it will hinder a newbie's progress.

The first flies are going to look rough. Do you think making them out of random yarn, and hackle that's been crudely colored with magic marker will improve the results?

Dubbing is cheap. A pack lasts forever. Quality hackle can be bought economically in small quantities. Costs only get out of hand when one goes to a fly shop or orders online and just buys whatever looks cool. Yes, there are certain things that are useful that can be bought at craft stores, but it is a good way to fill up drawers full of stuff you'll seldom use. Every tier is going to eventually buy stuff from a craft store thinking it will be a great idea. Sometimes it is, but usually not when they are are first starting out.

 

[tomgamber]

Went from one that tightened with a wing nut to a $20 dollar Thompson AA to a basic Griffin to a Griffin Mongoose Rotary over a period of 40 years. Upgrading as I could afford to.

I do agree about better material though. Its just a lot easier to tie something to a hook that was intended for that purpose.

I bought a bunch of stuff from https://www.avidmax.com/ last year and think I got decent prices at the time. Got some stuff free later as they do a rewards thing but it probably just evens out. I have no local outlet for materials so...