In need of some help!

[poopdeck]

Great outlook! There are all types of fly tiers. I would use up everything you got. Your not going to win any fly tying photo contests with some of that material but you will catch many fish on great fishable flies you can tie with those materials. I'd use the pheasant tails to tie pheasant tail nymphs. All you need is some copper wire that you can pull out of any small gauge electrical cord if you don't want to buy it (a spool of wire to tie hundreds of flies will only cost the price of one fly). Or you can just use mono or thread or nothing. Ain't fly tying great! I would use something though just for durability reasons.

Enjoy the hobby. It need not be expensive, materials or tools, if you don't want it to be. Who knows you may end up liking it and spending more money on it but it's not necessary.

 

[Baron]

I'm tying on a $19 vice that holds hooks very nicely. A year ago I swore I'd never tie and waste my time like that. Sometime in September I started tying, lol.......Nothing like it.
Now I'm developing an interest in the classics but it will be years until I can properly emulate them. In the meantime I'm catching fish on my own ties.
If you want to catch fish you have a great collection. If you want to tie with authority and accuracy you may need to make some choices here and there. Usually the fish don't care.
You didn't raze your house yet I hope. These guys all mean well but but sometime seem gruff. They were all encouraging to me getting started and will continue to be my go-to for help.

 

[Steeltrap]

Use the "good fibers" on those pheasant tails you have. Any webby fibers on 'em just toss. But you have enough good fibers on those tails to make some quality pheasant tail nymphs.

 

[tabasco_joe]

afishinado wrote:

PennKev wrote:

redietz wrote:

PennKev wrote:
Keep the herl, the marabou, and the bucktail. Throw the rest in a junk drawer.

Or send it to me. I can use everything there. I can't even imagine tying without pheasant tail.

You can have it. I like pheasant tail, but would not choose those ones.

With the exception of the three item I listed, this collection of "materials" is pretty ratty and not really a good start for a serious attempt at learning to tie.

There is no better way to end up frustrated and owning a bunch of ugly random flies than to try to learn how to tie with the wrong materials, and junky materials.

True ^

And I'll add crappy tools and vise to this.

I learned tying with a junky vise that didn't hold a hook firmly as well as crappy tools and materials. My bobbin holder cut thread and I never was able to tie on materials with the proper tension without cutting my thread. Therefore the materials on my flies would always spin on the hook. So I had to tie with ridiculously heavy thread and they ended looking like Frankenstein flies. In addition, my dries ended up being wets because I never tied with good dry fly hackle. I was only a kid, so it didn't matter much, but it took me a while to learn what the "secret" was to tying decent flies.

So good advise to buy some decent tools, materials and hooks to get started. Tie some simple flies to start and buy only the materials needed to tie those flies. Soon you will accumulate a decent inventory of useful material to tie other patterns. And the tools should last you for decades and thousands of quality flies.

Good luck.

Nothing beats spending some time tying with some experienced veterans. It's not just knowing how to select good tools and materials. It's knowing how to set up and use the tools. How to select the right materials for that fly. How to store materials. What techniques work best with certain materials.

When I first started tying I was fortunate to participate in a monthly tying group made up of local TU members. I learned in weeks what would have taken me years to learn.