Fly Tying Kit for Beginners?

[Wildbrowntrout]

Any good suggestions on a good fly tying vise with materials and manual? I figured I should get started fly tying now. Also, I can buy flies online for about 50 cents a piece with $5 shipping. Would it still be cheaper to tie or just buy?

 

[RCFetter]

Wildbrowntrout wrote:
Any good suggestions on a good fly tying vise with materials and manual? I figured I should get started fly tying now.

Really need to know what your budget is. Otherwise, I would start out with a cheap vise, a few decent tools and buy good quality materials to tie a walts worm, greenie weenie and pheasant tail nymph.

Also, I can buy flies online for about 50 cents a piece with $5 shipping. Would it still be cheaper to tie or just buy?

The conventional wisdom is that tying is more expensive than buying flies. However, with one year of tying under my belt, the quality and style of my pheasant tail nymph is light years ahead of a 50 cent pheasant tail.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

RCFetter wrote:
However, with one year of tying under my belt, the quality and style of my pheasant tail nymph is light years ahead of a 50 cent pheasant tail.

He's not kidding - I've seen his workmanship, and agree 100%.

 

[JackM]

Fly tying has to be a passion or it won't work out for you. I think it saves money if'n you don't buy more materials than you actually need. This said, there is a cost to sitting at the vice that is expensive to people who really don't enjoy it. I have learned this lesson for myself.

If you are tying a dozen or less flies at a sitting a couple times a week, I'd get an inexpensive AA vice. Choose the flies you want to tie, that are relatively easy and buy only the materials and tools to effectively tie those pattern. If you find you enjoy the craft, build your tool and materials arsenal little by little, expanding your repertoire of patterns. Your passion will guide you from there.

Every fly angler should have a cheap vice and a handful of tools and material, no matter how much they enjoy tying.

 

[poopdeck]

The expense question can best be answered with a simple yes and no. It all depends on you. I tie only what I think I need. I don't buy a lot of stuff to tie special things that I mostly don't use. I don't hoard material nor do I maintain stuffed fly boxes. I unquestionably save money or I wouldn't do it. I find it enjoyable but there are more things that I find more enjoyable, like actually fishing, then fly tying. Its raining today so I'm gonna tie up some hares ears which I use a lot.

There is always a start up cost that must be factored in but the more flies you lose the quicker you will recoup these costs. At least thats what I convince myself of. If you catch the tying bug it could very well consume the contents of your wallet. I started with an AA vise and only upgraded due to an inheritance otherwise I would probably still be using the AA which, for my needs, was more then adequate and acceptable to me.

 

[OldLefty]

Buying inexpensive flies - or expensive flies, for that matter - limits one to those patterns available. There's the major difference between someone who buys flies and someone who ties flies. When you tie flies you are the one who determines which materials are secured to a hook in the way you choose. If you want comparaduns or cut-wing dries you tie what you want to fish. You're the creator and producer.

I always recommend staying away from kits. You end up with so much you likely won't use. Buy the basic tools and accessories and a limited amount of materials and gain some experience. As for a manual, there are so many tutorials on youtube it's incredible. Once you gain some experience with the basics of tying you can buy materials to tie the flies you want to carry to fish.

Is it cheaper to tie than buy? I can't even begin to think of how many times I've looked at tying materials and said, "I need to try that." I bought the stuff and never used it. Therein lies my answer to the question.

 

[Tiogadog]

At this point in my life (firmly in the grasp of middle aged), I find I have more time to tie flies than I do to fish them.

You will not save any money if you end up sticking with tying your own. That said, I can tie 25 Green weenies for about eight dollars. My tying inventory is probably more expensive than my fishing equipment.

Like OldLefty said, stay away from kits. Go to a good fly shop and tell them what you want to tie. Buy the best tools you can afford, because if you end up liking tying you will eventually buy better tools. If you do not enjoy it, you can always sell them.

Pick a few patterns and start with them

 

[nfrechet]

 

[GenCon]

Heritage-Angler wrote:

RCFetter wrote:
However, with one year of tying under my belt, the quality and style of my pheasant tail nymph is light years ahead of a 50 cent pheasant tail.

He's not kidding - I've seen his workmanship, and agree 100%.

^^ I will have to second that.

GenCon

 

[Cold]

Great use of that image there, Norm.

I can just see Pesci looking up from a vise across the table and going, "You think this is funny?"

 

[Chaz]

Cabelas sell a kit that includes the needed tools. You can find that online. This is how I started out. I bought the kit, then ordered the thread from uni-cord in a selection of about 30 colors, and from hare line ordered a kit of multiple colors of dubbing. At the time it all was less then $30. Perhaps the other kit that Cabelas has that includes thread and dubbing and hackle will keep it under $100.
As I got better and the tools wore out, I bought the good stuff to replace the tools.
The kits include a vise.