Before I answer the question I want to thank Alan Roe, who taught me the basics very well indeed. Without him setting me right at the start this journey wouldn't have have gone as far as it has. He doesn't frequent this board, and would only make fun of this if he saw it. Even so credit where credit's due. He taught me techniques not flies, and brought me back to the purpose of tying flies to catch fish when I went off into flights of fancy.
The only thing I would have liked to know sooner was how to set up the vice so that tying didn't hurt after a while. I went through a lot of pain before getting that right.
Cheers,
A.