Raiderhunter,

I feel that you have gotten great advise from Gandolf, so I will not repeat what he has already said. As far as what to buy, you might want to look into the "Whiting Introductory Dry Fly Hackle Pack". It comes with four half capes (grizzly, brown, ginger, and med. dun) for around $60.00. These colors will cover alot of patterns, and the Whiting hackle is always very nice. There are many options for hackle on the market, but this is hard to beat for the money. There is a online retailer that has this pack in their catalog. They always have free shipping and I believe they have a online coupon for 10% off through June. Shoot me a PM if you want there address.

Good luck, Tony