I want to learn to tie my own flies and have looked at the kits from Cabelas and BPS. Are these kits a good place to start and are they worth the money or just a waste of material. There is a club close that has a night that they get together and tie and I plan on stopping by one night also. Any help for a newby. Keith

Whiteowl, I bought one of those kits about 12 years ago......and I'm still using it. Granted, I don't tie a whole lotta tiny trout stuff, but for the bigger stuff (i.e. wooly buggers, clousers, deceivers, etc.) it does just fine. The jaws on the vise are just not tight enough to hold a #16-#26 size hook tightly. I have tied on the nicer vises like the Renzetti, and yes, they are much nicer to sit down and work at for a while (especially with the rotary feature), but they are a luxury and not a necessity for the bigger flies (in my opinion). Go get you one of those starter kits....you won't be sorry. It sure helps ease the pain of a 25 degree day (like today). Z

The weather is kinda what got me to thinking more about it. It is kinda hard to leave a nice fire even though I do have some thngs I COULD do. I even called the local Orvis shop and they have a kit for about $60, just did not go get it.Seems like a good way to get started. The bigger stuff is what I want to tie for now at least. Wooly buggers and stuff for sand bass. Keith

Yessir, just get a kit and dive right in. There are several different schools of thought on the best way to get started, I won't even go into mine. Heck, just start tying

There are sometimes trout kits and bass and saltwater kits. A bass or saltwater kit ought to be a fine way to start. You can still tie smaller bream files and if you ever decide that you want to tie really small stuff, a vise upgrade is no big deal.

Just realize that you ain't gonna save money (although that's a good tale for the frau) but you will have a heck of a good time and a sense of satisfaction when catching a fish on a fly that you tied with your own hands.

Here is a good place to start with some easy beginner patterns.

Just got back from Gander Mountain with a new toy. Now I must get started. Has the basic tools and stuff and a short book. What would be a good book to pick up that would be of help? Keith

Keith

As you have an internet connection I would say to spend the book money on supplies and use the various online tutorials. Set your vise up by the monitor and tie right there. That was how I learned several years back.

I disagree about the not saving money statement. I went to Gander Mountain a couple weeks ago and spent $22 on clouser materials. That weekend I tied 25 1\0 size clousers in chartreuse\white. That's a $40-$80 savings(depending on where you buy from). Plus, you can put as much cement as you want on them for that extra durability.

Another question. Al's site says you really must use a whip finisher. The book that came with the kit says to use several half hitchs to finish the fly. Which do you preffer? The kit did not come with a whip finisher so for now I will be using several half hitchs to finish. Is it something I need to get right away? Keith

Once you learn how to use a whip finisher, you will never go back. Starting out, however, it is worth it to learn to half-hitch finish (if you tie hair bugs it will come in handy) but consider getting a whip finisher the next time you shop for materials and know that it will take a little time to get used to using it.

As for saving money: if you buy specific materials to tie a specific fly, yes, over time you can save a few bucks compared to buying the flies. But if you get to the point where you realize that, for example, the grizzly cape you have is not the perfect size, color or density for the exact look you are going for, you will soon be the proud owner of hundreds of dollars worth of chicken parts. Then you might decide that you need to tie that same fly in 4 different sizes and three different colors. Then the variations come to mind, while at the same time you suddenly realize that the dubbing that you have been using is inferior to the stuff you found while digging through a sale bin at some out-of-the way fly shop on the banks of some river three states from home.

It goes on from there and soon you start saying thinks like: "Hi, my name is Dan and I'm a fly tyer."

Hey Dan,We will be at the Mason City Park in March(10,11,12)Come by and visit. Dale

A good book to learn fly-tying: The Fly-Tying Bible by Peter Gathercole. In this book the basic techniques, tools and materials are good explained. But there also a lot of insructions of differnt flys with good pictures shown. I don`t know, if it�s available in The USA. And I hope there not too much mistakes in this poste.

Well,I have been tying some of the flys on Al's site and they dont look great but not to bad either. Thought I would try the fall midge emerger but dont have squirrel hair and will try with red austalian shepherd hair. Also had to go to the barn and get some tail hair from my wifes old mare. If she finds out I cut some hair from the dog she will have a fit.I know it will not be the same but I need the practice. Will let yall know how it works.Keith

Hey guys, don't forget about the big convention in Arlington Saturday & Sunday. Lots of fly tiers, demonstrations, and much more. See you allthere. Trout bum

Whiteowl, you might go to your local fly shop and ask the proprietor (sp?) to put together a kit containing materials for the flies you want to learn to tie. Instead of stuff for flies for yankey trout or whatever, you'll have materials for what you will be fishing with. For a second book,after the Fly-Tying Bible, look at " Simple Flies" by C.Boyd Pfeiffer. This is a 'what to' instead of a 'how to' fly tying book. By the way, I often brush my wifes short haired black cat to get dubbing material. Just be carefull not to cut too much from any one spot and you May be O.K. Ralph

I started tying flies this year and started out with an entry level kit. It has been a good investment so far and meets all of my needs. Just like the previous posts say, I find myself tying the larger bass flies mostly. We don't do a lot of trout fishing down in these parts. However, I will tie some smaller dry flies before my yearly trip to Idaho.

One thing you may find out is there are a lot of fly patterns on the internet. You can find instructions for virtually anything. This is both good and bad. The more flies you see, the more types you will want to tie. I have spent a lot of money buying different size hooks, different color buck tail, deer hair, chenille, thread, bead chain eyes, lead dumbell eyes, flash, polar flash, maribou, hackle, etc. I probablly have enough to start my own fly shop. It can be very addicting (just like fishing).