Anyone ever tried the White River jig tying kit from Bass Pro Shops? With the time change coming up on us quickly and less daylight after work, I was thinking about trying to learn to tie. Anyone been down this road and care to share?

No Idea Magnet, I bought all my stuff separate. But, I had tied before and knew what I needed. It's my understanding that the kits give a person a decent start. I don't know how good the vise is. But, you need a decent vise, thread bobbin, chenille, thread (I use nylon), sharp scissors (for triming feathers), I use knockoff blade knife for triming after tied), Maribou Feathers or Bucktail, You can buy prepoured hooks which are not that much more than plain jig hooks per hundred. Fly head cement ( I use a toothpick to apply, as applicators tend to clog). Now, to have a nice assorment of jigs, colors and such, you will need about every color of anything you wish. I keep my jig tying items in a medium size tackle box and have just built a bench to tie them on while watching TV with the wife. I have too many kids to let the stuff lay around. If I didn'tput it up each session, I wouldn't have ANY feathers left. LOL,
Good Luck and feel free to ask a question anytime. Nate also ties, and Matthew has a jig tying business. It's a blast to catch a nice fish on something you created.
CR

yea the kits are a great way to get you started tyeing. They come with all the hardware that you need. But when u buy the kit i would also buy a couple of different colors of chenielle. Med thickness is perfect for crappie jigs. While you are at it, you may try to pick up some colored hackle or marabou, (i like hackle tails, instead of marabou) for the tail sections.
The kits area great way to start, its just that they do not give you very much material to start with and have a tendency to be more drab in the color sections on the materials they have.
And as far as head cement goes, I know the purests out there say head cememt is the only way to go, But i use superglue and just use the applicator to put a small spot where the knot was cut.
And it comes with a good video that has the basics on tyeing and how to finish each section and to manupulate the feathers.

Shoot I'd ask old Marcus down there in Brownwood he is supposed to be one of the best. HA HA HA

Messing with you Crappie Magnet let's go fishing and talk about it!

if there is not anyone around that can show you how to tie, then it is a pretty good start. The video is helpful, but I put three layers of chenile instead of how they show on the video. I like fat jigs. Guy showed me that hackle is easier to work with than marabou. In the kit is a lot of materials that you will not use in crappie jigs, but if you ever branch out I guess it would come in handy. A vise, good scissors (get the good ones if you are buying separate pieces) maybe a set of side cutters to cleanup the poured heads, a bobkin (I use mine to drop glue), and thread bobin is about all the tools I use. As far as materials, you need thread, chenile (or what ever body material) and tail material (I use hackle), and some head cement.
I think that kit is 30 or 40 bucks and has all the above and then some, so just price it out and weigh your wants and needs. BTW after a good set of scissors, I would upgrade the vise next, As always just my opinion. Enjoy the hobby, it is addicting.

Crappie Magnet,
That's a good start as several have stated... Watch the video several times before starting then as a guide while tying... All the basics are there to begin with, make sure before buying a lot of extras that this hobbie is what you want to do... I started with the basic kit and now have between six and seven hundred dollars of jig tying materials.... Get with Jeff Shiller for your jig heads he pours them and is very reasonable as far as price.. He carries the 1/16th 1/8th and 1/4 ounce jigs with the very popular #4 hook... I would go into more detail but I think if you sit down watch the video and start to ty you will be on the road.. Then if you have any other questions please feel free to call me or e-mail me, I'd be glad to share some advice... Check out my web site it may or may not be helpfull.
Matthew

Thanks to all for the great info. Is BPS the only source for jig tying supplies if you just want to go and shop? Does Academy have tying supplies? Matt, how do I contact Jeff Shiller?
Hey Matt, congratulations on your successful surgery! We wish you all a speedy recovery. I have your number saved in my pbone, so I'll give you a few days to get rested, and I'll call to visit.

Academy has the kits every now and then, and some of them have a decent supply of cheap tools. Well Cabela's has a better selection os Chynelle to me and has better prices on them and hackels. There is a store off of university in ft worth called backwoods thats has a great tyeing selection as well as Barlows tackle in Richardson.

Crappie Magnet,
You can contact me through my website email or email me at Jeff@fishymemories.com

If you're looking to get some starter supplies, BPS is probably the best place to look. I don't know if Academy sells the jig tying kits. If/when...I say when, because you will it's just a matter of time , you start needing supplies in bulk you can get items cheaper at www.barlowstackle.com and or www.jannsnetcraft.com . Do some price comparisons between the two places though. Some items are cheaper at one place over the other while higher at the other. Also...something to consider is that Barlows is in Texas. You will pay not only shipping, but also State Sales Tax if you purchase things from them on line. They are located in Dallas off of 75 if you can get by there and pick things up. Janns, you will only pay shipping. They are out of state.

My personal opinion is to stay away from Bass Pro. Yea they have some stuff, but go to www.barlowstackle.com. The main shop is located in Richardson and they have everything that you could ever imagine when it comes to jig tying. I don't know where Priddy is, but if it's somewhere in the vicinity of the DFW area, I would be happy to meet you and give you jig tying lessons. The main thing to do it to buy some jigs from different people and take them apart to see how they were put together. The more you make, the better they will look.

FYI, I don't recommend buying the fly tying kit either. It's probably good for starters but.....

#1 - it's most likely geared toward fly fishers. Fly tying and jig tying are a little different.

#2 - video, schmideo. Find someone to show you how it's done. They can walk you through it step by step. If you can get with Nate or Matt or even I could show you my measley attempt at tying and then you could improve on it.

#3 - I never buy "kits" when I can buy individual components. Generally, you get better equipment.

Good Luck

I got the kit and am glad that I did. I still use the vise and bobbin from it. The beauty of the kit is that you get some materials and you don't have to try and cooridnate schedules with people who are willing to teach you how to tie jigs. Where is Priddy anyways? If you decide not to get the kit and can't coordinate schedules to meet with people who can teach you, we'll probably be able to work something out where I can loan you my video I got with the kit. If you're anxious to learn how to tie jigs, I recommend getting the kit. I don't think you'll regret it. Hit me with an email if you have any questions.

Priddy is just south of Comanche, (only place to buy beer out that direction). Great folks in that part of the world. I used to have a deer lease out there..

Fish Killer,
Leave it to you to know where they sell beer. If it is still raining Monday I may check out the slips.