I would like to try tying flies and would welcome some suggestions on the tools and materials to buy to get started. I see mixed reviews on the kits. it seems like a ‘good’ vise and set of tools is essential.
I would prefer not to over-spend but poor tools are never a good idea either.
it would be great if someone could point me in the right direction!
Thanks in advance
First - Welcome !
Second - take a look/see here:
http://flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/
Third - consider taking classes or joining a fly tying group…
Fourth - make it fun
PT/TB 
If you’re looking for a basic vise that won’t fall apart on you, I’d look at a Thompson A; a lot of folks start out on them (me included). Nothing fancy, but it holds the hook, which is what it’s supposed to do. Over time, you may (probably will) want to move up to something with more features, at which point you should find a fly shop (or friends) that have a number of different vises you could test drive.
Like PT said, welcome to the forum.
Regards,
Scott
Second the Thompson promotion. It was the first vise I started with 38 years ago and I still have it. Almost good as new. Cost $20 back then.
Welcome rpb to the greatest fly fishing site in existence. Study the beginning fly tying pages here on FAOL and also other sites. The Thompson A is good advice. I would avoid Kits as they are usually inferior and expensive. There are lots of good used vices and tools on Ebay, as well as materials. If you need anything, a simple request on this site will bring you tons of stuff and usually free. Remember “new guy chops the wood and brings the beer !”
Thompson went out of business about 10 years ago. I don’t know if the current Thompson vises are of the same quality or even the same materials. Someone has revived the brand.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?6385-D-H-Thompson-Vise-Co.
They can still be found on ebay…
[
](http://s305.photobucket.com/user/planettrout/media/BAETIS BWO FALL/Thompsonvise_zps6dcf701c.jpg.html)
…that one is going to my grandson when his attention span is longer than that of a gnat…
PT/TB
The Danvise and the Mayfly true rotary vise are at a good price point and true rotary…the mayfly is made in the USA now.
I would recommend learning rotary techniques from the beginning …wish I had…but it’s obviously not necessary.
Of vises still in production, the Griffin Superior 2A is the next best choice to the discontinued Thompson A. The cheap Pakistani vises are fine to start with, just as long as you recognize that they do not last very long on average.
http://www.dhthompson.com/contact.php
try this to determine if Thompson is still in business. one of the most popular start up vises ever made
Don’t overlook the Wolff Ind Atlas and Anvil vises also,
Welcome to the board ! You only have to cut the wood, make the coffee, and buy the doughnuts if someone can talk you into it.
I would suggest getting a pedestal so you don’t have clamp marks on your workbench. Perhaps what you want is something like this: http://www.basspro.com/Super-AA-Vise/product/10211542/ with a pedestal like this: http://www.basspro.com/Pedestal-Base/product/98221/ .
What is listed as a “bobbin” is more correctly a bobbin holder. Get a ceramic one because it should greatly outlast a non-ceramic one. You might want two bobbin holders.
A dubbing needle is useful and is sometimes even used for teasing out dubbing. Look for one that has a recessed end opposite the needle so you can use it as a tool to tie knots (a.k.a. a half hitch tool).
There are several types of hackle pliers available. I suggest you get at least two. Once should be like this: http://www.basspro.com/Tear-Drop-Hackle-Pliers/product/100361/ or this: http://www.basspro.com/English-Hackle-Pliers/product/22415/ . Another should be like this: http://www.basspro.com/White-River-Fly-Shop-Ezee-Hackle-Pliers/product/100350/ which you should be able to also use as a dubbing twister.
Pick scissors that fit you hands comfortably. You find tweezers useful for picking up beads, dropped hooks, and any number of other uses.
I used the BassPro site for convenience only. Buy from whomever you wish. I am not affiliated with BassPro other than the fact that they’ve gotten an awful lot of my money over the years.
There are a scads of videos on YouTube to demonstrate fly tying. Hans Weilenmann’s channel is very good. He also has an excellent website: http://www.flytierspage.com/ . Other YouTube tyers are Davie McPhail and Alan Bithell. Davie is prolific and Alan has only a few videos. Alan and Hans both post on this website. There are plenty of other channels on YouTube that offer good videos.
I suppose basic decency (not that I actually have any) should lead me to tell you to run away and never consider fly tying again. It is an addiction and it can take over your life. You can end up with a collection of different threads that would make a seamstress blush and more bits of feather and hair than a museum. Run! Run and don’t look back! Flee while you can! It’s too late for the rest of us, but you can still save yourself. You have been warned. If you don’t heed the warning, well, welcome to the Dark Side. Hey, we’ve got cookies and hot cocoa and fudge and…
Regards,
Ed
Yeah, definitely, run now and never look back!
“Collecting” all sorts of different materials to tie flies with becomes a challenge in itself. You find yourself actually wanting to go shopping with your wife at Joann’s, Micheal’s, Hobby Lobby, etc. Hardware stores suddenly take a new twist. Friend and family members will not let you near family pets when you have pair of scissors in your hand. Roadkill takes on a whole new outlook (yes, I have picked up a couple roadkill squirrels to get the tails). Halloween is coming up. This means lots of differently-colored items, like wigs, that can be used for material.
You will eventually have to either go to a good fly shop, or order from one via the internet. Some things, like good hackle, just can’t be picked up in hobby stores. Be prepared to flip out some money for stuff like that.
What kind of fish are you going to be fishing for, anyway?
Ed,
I think you meant Davie McPhail (and yes, he is a prolific, fantastic tyer).
Regards,
Scott
I went with the Griffin Spider rotary vise for my first one. Great vise, holds hooks well. I would stay away from the kits, you get stuff you don’t need, and they usually have inferior vises in them.
As mentioned above, figure out what you want to tie, get a decent vise, and tools, and buy the materials you need. After you get further into it, you will add more materials you need to tie the different flies that you will expand into.
Rinzetti traveler. Hands down best vise for the money. (IMHO)
Well, you’ve gotten a lot of good and possibly bad advise. I make that observation because you did not quantify or qualify your needs. How much are you willing to spend on a vise + other tools? What type(s) of fish do you expect to be fishing for? Lastly, how much do you have to spend on the other tools, materials, books, etc. that are necessary.
You initial request is like someone who wants to build a miniature sailboat and asking what saw should he buy. Okay, maybe that’s a poor analogy but I think you get my point.
Allan
Regal vises are the best for beginners. Easy to load with a hook, holds like a…well, like a vise.
Rob
Welcome!
I think your question is reasonable. If you’re a beginner, you might not know enough about what might be available to provide much detail in your question.
You are lucky to be a beginner in these times. There are many good vises available at very reasonable price points today. When many senior tiers first began, there were not many good alternatives.
A safe bet might be to look at three major vise maker web sites and peruse their offerings and associated prices:
DynaKing, Renzetti, and Regal. There are many other good vises available out there, but these three big manufacturers would give you some idea of what is available and the price points. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of their products.
Rob,
Here is a link to an excellent review of vises in various price categories. I’d suggest you read this over before making a choice.
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/Fly_Tying_Vise_Shoot-Out.htm
Dave