New to fly tying

hunter1

hunter1

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Joined
Jan 16, 2012
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Hi, I'm interested in trying to tie some flies on my own. I have a gift card from Cabela's. I also can add some cash also. Do they have any good beginner kits worth while getting. I have never tied my own flies in the 45 years Fly fishing. What would be a good starter kit. Thank you.😀
 
hunter1 said:
Hi, I'm interested in trying to tie some flies on my own. I have a gift card from Cabela's. I also can add some cash also. Do they have any good beginner kits worth while getting. I have never tied my own flies in the 45 years Fly fishing. What would be a good starter kit. Thank you.😀
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This toolkit with vise from Cabela's can get you started >


Suggest you buy materials and hooks separately to tie specific fly patterns.

You can search videos for recipes and tying instructions like this one >


Good luck.
 
Last edited:
afishinado said:
This toolkit with vise from Cabela's can get you started >


Suggest you buy materials and hooks separately to tie specific fly patterns.

You search videos for recipes and tying instructions like this one >


Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Your right, I just want something to get started with, Then if I like it I'll get better tools and a vise.
 
I took a look at the kit afishinado suggested, it will cover everything in terms of tools that you would need. Definitely stay away from kits that include tying materials. Most times the quality of the tying materials and types aren't very useful. As he said pick a fly you want to tie, and buy the hooks and materials separately. Another suggestion, check and see if you have a fly fishing club or TU chapter in your area that offers fly tying classes. Most times they're free.
 
Jerryc. I do belong to Tu in Maryland. But the club meetings are to far away for me. I'll watch a few youtube videos. Thanks .
 
The fly shop at Cabela's in Hamburg is very unstocked IMO. Almost everytime I stop by for something, it's not in stock at the store. Check ahead if you're not ordering online.

When I began tying, I bought some basic tools (scissors, bodkin, whip finisher, hackle pliers, bobbin) individually. Then I did as afish mentioned. I selected flies I wanted to tie and acquired the materials required. I tend to tie and fish a limited palette of flies so it's easier for me to focus on a handful of specific patterns and materials. If you're not careful you can find yourself buying lots of things you won't use often. Or things that might take you 4 years to get around to using. Or at least that's what I found.
 
I have a different take on getting started. I would spend the money on a quality vise. If you get a starter and decide that you like and will continue to tie, you will eventually purchase a much better vise.
 
joebamboo said:
I have a different take on getting started. I would spend the money on a quality vise. If you get a starter and decide that you like and will continue to tie, you will eventually purchase a much better vise.
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I agree with this line of thought to some extent. You don’t need to buy a top shelf vise to start but whatever vise you’re using needs to hold the hook firmly. You’re more likely to enjoy tying and stick with it having a vise that holds a hook firmly for you.
 
I thank you all. But for now, also having a gift card for $50.00 I'm going with the cabelas kit. I was thinking of getting a better vice from them. But all of Cabelas vice's and tools are low end. Have to use the gift card.
 
i reccomend a decent beginer kit. it will come with a simple C clamp vise and various tools. then pick a fly you want to tie.i suggest a black wooley bugger. they are easy to tie and catch fish. back in high school i had no money so i used a pair of vise grips to tie flies. i hung it off the edge of a table and weighted the other end off with a brick lol. then i tied for a long time using a beginner kit. and now i use a renzetti vise.
 
You can pick some good used vises for less money. You'll quickly get frustrated with a cheap vise that doesn't grip the hook well.
 
I tied, as well or better than many of the people I met, with a Thompson AA vice for over 20 years. I have upgraded as funds allowed but it was more than adequate for tying flies from size 24 to size 2. I think it eas like 25 bucks.

My first one basically had a wing nut to tighten the jaws. That didn't last long but the materials that came with that junky first "vice" were great to get started.

Get a really good scissors and a good hackle pliers.
 
Fly shops will help a lot too. I really got into it visiting one of my local shops and just talking with the people in there. As many have said, pick a pattern and go from there rather than the material starter kits.
 
I also used a Thompson A vise copy for decades before upgrading - simple vises are OK. IMHO, a good pair of scissors really helps.

Agree on not getting kit with materials. Poor materials are hard to work with and can ruin your fly tying experience.

In-person lessons are best and usually are associated with TU chapters or fly shops. Asking either can point you in the right direction. Fly shops want to get you tying and create a new customer.

That said, the amount of fly tying instruction on the web is incredible. Almost any fly you can think of has video instructions and almost all the top tiers have online videos. Books are OK, but sometimes hard to follow. Video cassettes and discs are history. You can see thousands and thousands of flies being tied on-line.

One of the hardest things for most beginners is learning to whip finish. Before trying your first fly it may be a good idea to practice laying down a smooth layer of thread and doing a whip finish. (other early problems are not leaving enough room at the head to finish the fly and using too much material)

Pick a pattern or two that is easy to tie, doesn't have many materials and you like to fish with. Somewhere on this site is a lengthy thread on that issue, but common options are wooley buggers, zebra midges, and pheasant tails nymphs. You may have other ideas and other opinions are endless.

Learn which materials take time to select and which don't. Natural things, like fur and feathers, show a lot of variation and you need to learn what is good from bad. Manufactured things from plastic and metal like tinsel, flash, wire, chenille etc are more uniform and if you buy from a good supplier are usually decent.

Best wishes on your tying. It is a great hobby.
 
For many years, I didn't whip finish flies. I would use several half hitches and head cement. Eventually, I learned to whip finish by hand. I've been tying for over thirty years now and just bought a whip finishing tool a few years ago. I use it occasionally but it's just easier for me to do it by hand. May help throwing in a half hitch before using the whip finisher. I still use half hitches on tiny flies and parachute dries. Whatever works for you.
 
You can try to learn tying from videos or books BUT you'll lack at least one important thing - feedback. There are 3 effective ways to fill this void - a fly tying (in-person) class, tying with someone else who is an experienced tyer (a friend who ties or up where I live, they got together every 1st Friday of the month at the NYS Fairgrounds to tie and chew the fat), or lastly, participate in fly swaps. Most swaps are open to all level tyers. The swaps I offer about every other month are open to all level tyers and include a tying gift to all swappers. Also, I am happy provide additional assistance including pattern suggestions, hints/tips/tricks on tying your pattern choice and providing educational feedback to you. This feedback includes where you did well, where you can improve with steps to make your improvements.

I hope this helps.

Kim
 
Kyle said:
i reccomend a decent beginer kit. it will come with a simple C clamp vise and various tools. then pick a fly you want to tie.i suggest a black wooley bugger. they are easy to tie and catch fish. back in high school i had no money so i used a pair of vise grips to tie flies. i hung it off the edge of a table and weighted the other end off with a brick lol. then i tied for a long time using a beginner kit. and now i use a renzetti vise.
Click to expand...
A nice thing about getting any C-clamp vise is that 1) you can use it as is, you can modify it to fit your future tying desk, and/or you can buy a base for about $20 to add to your vise separately. This works because the post on most vises are the same diameter so most any base will work.

Kim
 
Where can one find a base for 20 bucks? Many are quite pricey.
 
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