Assembled "Al Cambell" kit?

Hey gang,

I'm looking to get into fly tying, and I have been doing my homework on what to buy. (I own nothing at the moment.) To give you an idea of how I like to buy, I go for bang for the buck. I certainly have a limited budget, but I'm not scared to spend a little extra if it brings me a lot more in quality and performance.

With that in mind, the archived "beginner kit" article by the late Mr. Cambell seems like a match for my way of thinking. Only thing is, it's quite an intimidating list to put together for an online order. (No shops around me.) All that leads to my question:

Does anyone sell an assembled kit as per Mr. Cambell's list?

One complication is I do intend to deviate from the list and get a Danvise instead of the Griffin 2A. What I'm looking for is a kit of the bobbins and scissors and bodkin and hair stacker and etc. and etc..

Any and all advise welcome for the complete newb.

Thanks!

Tyler

BT's fly fishing products, (see the sponsor page for link) appear to have what your looking for for $150 including the danvice. any tools that arnt there you can add later.

Eric



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Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

Tyler
H&H (Sponsor) has the tool and vise's. Check them out.

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Don't forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water's of the Au Sable await you!!

Cactus

Thanks for the quick replies!

I do think I want the rotary feature. Don't know that for sure, but it seems like a worthwhile feature.

As for what flies I will tie, I don't really know. I fish mostly warm water, so panfish and bass flies are what I will do most. I will get the occassional trout opportunity, and I hope someday to try out the salt. The later two will be rare occassions, so I'll focus first on the warm water bugs.

When I was asking about Mr. Cambell's list, I wondering about a brand-specific kit. Being new to this, I don't know a quality brand from a poor one, so I am trusting Mr. Cambell's expertise. I have seen the myriad kits available for tooling, but I am too unsure to just buy one because my feeling is junk is the most expensive purchase one can make. I was hoping that perhaps a sponsor had taken Mr. Cambell's list and made a package deal of it for us FAOL newb's. From what I hear you guys saying though, it sounds like I need to get my H&H catalog and make my own kit in my online shopping basket. I guess I was just being lazy as well as hoping that there would be a discount in a combined kit.

Thanks again guys!

Tyler

Tyler,
I think you are correct in getting the rotary feature from the git go...it is a neat way to tie and learning to use it early will have you use it more....wish I had...sure you can to anything without it but you are more versatile using rotary...can't beat the Danvise bang for the buck and Al's video [and I think DVD] on rotary tying is worth it IMHO.



[This message has been edited by ducksterman (edited 16 July 2006).]

Heck,, doing this stuff yourself is part of the fun... Start making the list!!! http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif

Well, true, it IS fun to make hobby shopping lists.

I am just so ignorant about this I am a little indimidated. One fun aspect of fly tying does look to be the never ending quest for supplies...old fur coat at goodwill, the feathers from next years pheasant hunt, hair and the tail from next year' deer hunt, and etc.. (Dang! I've thrown away a LOT of good stuff the last few hunting seasons!)

Thanks again.

Tyler



[This message has been edited by tyler (edited 15 July 2006).]

Tyler, I would add to the materials list dry fly hackle in Grizzly and maybe red or orange (or grizzly died to red or orange). Sulfur is another good color for me when I tye for panfish.

What part of the country are you in?

Ed

Just went through the same thing in regards to getting into fly tying. I bought the Dr. Slick tool kit and for the money it was well worth it. With this kit you have all the tools you need to start out. Seems to me that the kit is pretty good quality. You can get the tool kit at Cabelas or FeatherCraft.

I did spend extra money on a Renzetti Traveler rotary vise, but knew that I didn't require something like this for for a beginner. Get what you can afford.

Ron

A couple words of advice from a beginner to a beginner. Choose a couple of flies you want to tie and don't go out and just start buying alot of material. This will come later. I selected a few flies to tie at first which included the wooly bugger, pheasant tail nymph, black ant & Adams. These are good flies in my opinion for the beginner to learn the basics. Once you learn these to tie these flies you really start to get the hang of things.

Another good recommendation is buy a good quality fly tying video. The one I purchased is from Bass Pro and very highly recommended. In this video Lefty Kreh walks you through the whole tying process. Very informative video for the beginner. Also read everything you can on this site in regards to fly tying. The fly tying section has really helped me alot as a beginner to understand the basics.

I have tied some flies and already caught trout so if I can do it anyone can do it. Its really not that hard.

Ron

Be prepared to save,,, the 'first' fly you tie! and the first fly you tie that you catch a fish on! Don't let these gt away from you. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif

I second the motion on the Dr. Slick tool kit. VEry good quality, good value. The handles of the bobbin threader and bodkin serve as half-hitch tools (useful for rotary tying). And, pull out the top foam insert and you'll discover it comes packed in a nice fly box.

Wow...thanks again gang. Good stuff.

OK, so I'm eyeing the Dr. Slick kits now. They do look nice. Is one bobbin enough to start with, or should I add a second? What about scissors?

I am in West Texas (Midland to be precise). I will be fishing in the Dallas area and the Hill Country most of the time.

I do intend to keep my "firsts" flies, thanks for that tip! Maybe I'll get lucky and the first tie and catch will be the same fly. (A newbie can always dream!) :-)

Tyler

[This message has been edited by tyler (edited 16 July 2006).]

Just buy the Dr. Slick kit now and add on later as you advance. I'm still using only one bobbin that came with the kit. The bobbin that comes with the kit is ceramic so it's pretty good quality. The scissors seem to work well.

Cabelas isn't a sponsor, but a great starter kit with a vise that doesn't slip is their travel kit. Has all the tools, is enclosed in a cool wooden box, has a sharp little non-rotary vise all for less than $20 last time I looked. I use these in my beginner classes and many of the tiers keep them for years before upgrading. I still use them when I travel. Great for setting up in a motel room when on the road. JGW

[This message has been edited by white43 (edited 18 July 2006).]