i wantto get into fly tying after now being involved in fly fishing for a whole year this up coming weekend the problem is that i buy most of my flies on line because its cheap. it seems just like fly fishing its expensive to get into but once your in its easy as far as money wise to stay in. for fly tying i added up all the stuff on cabelas, and it equaled out to like 70 bucks for the neccesities for tying a gold ribbed hares ear, pheasant tail, wooly bugger and wooly worm. i mean i am including the tying tools and the materials. is there a place that is like discount. for instance online there is blue fly cafe and big y fly company, etc.
deon;
Be carefull. This is big step and a very rewarding step for sure. But I suggest staying away from any “Kits” as I have yet to see one that is any good. Check out Hook & Hackle, a sponor here, for tools and materials. A very good example of what not to buy is a “Bodkin”! A sewing needle stuck in the end of a piece of dowel is just as good! I’ve got to look up my items list for tools from H&H but it comes to about 30 bucks for the basics, including a vise!
Check out Al Campbell’s Beginner series here on FAOL. It will be one of the best guidelines and teaching aids you will ever find.
Tools, etc and how to use them and a progressive tying program for you to follow and it costs you nothing.
Another good source of tying supplies is BT’s who both are excellent tiers and have good products that will not break the bank.
They are Sponsors here on this site and you can find them by going to the Sponsors page from the main menu.
Welcome to an adventure you will become very addicted to and hopefully will come to enjoy as much as most of us here do.
You will not save money tying your own flies. If that is your motivation, then you will be far better off, moneywise, to just keep buying your flies.
However, if you are looking for something fun and rewarding to do, aren’t afraid of acquiring an expensive if wholesome addiction, and like to do things your own way, then fly tying is worth the effort and investment.
I’ll second the ‘don’t buy a kit’ advice. Buy the best vise you can aford, some basic tools like scissors and such, then go buy the materials to tie whichever fly you want to start with. Learn to tie one fly, then move on to the next one you want to fish. That way you only have materials you will use. Less waste, as an awful lot of the stuff in a ‘kit’ you will likely never use.
I disagree on kits in the that kits are not always a bad thing. For a beginner not know what you’re getting into or what you need and not having a mentor to teach you in person, a KIT is the most economical way to get started.
You can tie the flies, go fish them, and if you decide you don’t want to continue tying your own after that, you could probably sell the tools, DVD and remaining materials on eBay for your purchase price less the value of the flies you got out of it.
If you decide to continue your new hobby, upgrade the tools as you deem necessary, and add materials for specific patterns you want to tie as you go along.
In the meantime go to your local library and request any an all fly tying videos/DVD’s they can get for you. Those are like free rentals!
I’ll agree with Bassbug on this one, However there is one caveat I don’t know anyone who decided(except for Marco) they didn’t like tying.
Oh, Marco’s reason is He didn’t think His were any good.(I think that’s His reason, told Me once but its been awhile)
If your sole reason for wanting to tie flies is to save money your making a huge mistake. Fly tying is not a way to save money, it actually will cost you much more, if you want to tie flies to create patterns specific to your fishing needs then go for it. If money is your primary concern then buy your flies online for .50-$1.00 a piece. The cost of an average set of tools and a vise alone will cost you more then the flies you can buy and have for years of fishing.
Deon, it is technically possible to save money tying flies, but only if you are very disciplined in your purchases and tie enough to amortize the cost of tools as well as materials. What tying does for me is it gives me the chance to experiement and make changes to standard patterns. It becomes a hobby in its own right. If you do get involved, at some point you will look back on the $70 entry fee and smile nostalgically.
If you want to try it out, the Bass Pro Trout & Panfsh Kit isn’t bad. Buy the pedestal mount, which is extra. Watch the DVD 2-3 times. The first time, just watch it through to get general ideas. Later, you can watch it for details.
Just one caveat, we really DID warn you about tying’s addicting nature.
Ed
P.S. Watch your conversations. You don’t want to be caught in your break area at work saying something like, “I really got lucky with a Bitch Creek Nymph I tyed up Saturday”.
Fly Fishing is expensive? It’s dirt cheap compared to what some bass guys spend on fishing. Even some of the “I won’t fish anything but custom $5K bamboo with handmade reels” types are pikers compared to some bass guys.
That Bass Pro Trout kit is a good way to start. If you choose not to go with that, do as Norman suggested and get a TOOL kit, one with no materials and buy the materials specific to what you want to tie. Of course, this means that with each new pattern you want to tie, you will have to go to the fly shop for more materials and will look at other stuff and spend more money.
what flies to do you fish? you can buy “kits” from hook and hackle, a sponsor of this site, that will give you a particular fly, instructions and everything you need to tie some of those flies for about $20 that with a few tools will get you well on the way to tying, just pick the flies you want to start out with.
As was stated you will not save money. You mentioned wooley buggers. Ok so you tie a dozen olive and blacks, then you say you need some tan and ginger then you need some with legs, then beads, then you nee some size 8’s then size6’s oops now you need some mariboo. You see you $25.00 already and you hav’t even satrted on drys, emergers, parachutes, midges s/h’s and just plan junk flies. this time next year you’ll have $200.00 of stuff and will NEED more. Oh, you will have to upgrade your vise and have a tying lamp also.
Go ahead and start, you’ll see what we are saying. Dare you.
thanks guys for the advice i am going to look at that hackle and hooks thing and the other sponsor, i am also going to invest in the bass pro kit, but am pretty set on buy all of it seperate or buying a tool kit and then some materials.
I started out with the Bass Starter kit by BPS. The vise stinks, but it will get you started. The video is good. I ended up getting another vise, and a lot more materials down the road. I would of saved a bunch of money by buying flies in the long run. I do however love tying flies, and I can make them in any color I want (if I can find the proper material), and I can tie flies you cannot ordinarily buy at local shops. The shop near me hardly sells warm water flies, and that is the kind I use most often. I have wanted to tie lots of different patterns, but substitute whenever possible, otherwise the materials would take over my house, and cost me more of a fortune than I have already spent. The hobby is very addicting, but I would not go back to NOT tying at all. I love fly tying, and it keeps me sane when I cannot be fishing. It will keep you out of trouble too…lol.
First I would like to welcome you to this wonderful family we have here. I to only recently started tying not to save money but to save myself.
I suffer from Ptsd, depression and anxiety stemming from military service. It for me have along with this forum and one other hobby of mine saved my life.
Tying flies is more then just rewarding it is a door into a whole new world of fly fishing for you. It along with fly fishing is also a wonderful and rewarding link to our past. Tying flies can be as basic as the patterns you stated, fully dressed salmon and bass flies, or my passion fully dressed trout flies.
Tying flies weather new or old patterns are an art-form that not everyone can learn or wants to learn or can respect, but it needs to be in your heart as well as your mind and honestly I believe in your soul. It very quickly becomes a major part of you as a person. You will find that you will lose yourself in the vice for hrs at a time some times.
Myself and a few others hold web classes every week to learn how to tie flies from the simple scud or brassie to complex salmon flies or woven bodies. As stated Al Campbells beginning fly tying is a wonderful start and with it now becoming a video podcast is a great means to learn. I used it myself and still refer back to it.
The web is a wonderful resources as well. If you look up on youtube “Learn fly tying with” their id a wonderful British chap that has a great collection. Books will be your next best friend. There is a book out their called complete fly-tying kit. It is a basic vice that’s not bad and hold the hook well, some basic tools and what you need to tye some flies. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Complete-Fly-Tying-Kit/Steve-Probosco/e/9781603800105/?itm=16&USRI=fly+tying
I hope this helps.
Char
I took a fly tying course at the local community college and bought the kit put together by the instructor (a fly shop owner), and it has served me well for many years. But, if your goal is to catch fish, check with the local fly shop (if available) for the best flies and techniques. I think you get a lot of great info for $20.
Okay… Okay… I’ve got to put in my two cents… Fly tying is Crack! It’s more than addicting than crack and it is well worth it… I started out with one of those $12.00 kits that now cost $30.00 on ebay… it wasn’t bad and I still have it! It just out grew my production rate. Then I went to another vice… a Regal which I picked up half price for $75.00 and I outgrew it, and now I’m into another vice that I’ve almost outgrown… This is over seven years of tying, and it was only the third vice that I spent more than $150.00 for the vice, but I know I didn’t need too… I still could’ve bought cheaper and had just as good a vise. This was the vise I wanted. The proof in the pudding is you can spend as much or as little as you want in the hobby… and have just as much fun! It’s all in what you want and are happy with. I was happy with my $12.00 kit for two years and I had a great time making flys that caught fish…
Oh, by the way… make sure one of the first flys you learn to tie is an Olive Wooly Bugger… I think it is probably the “go to” fly when nothing else is working. Be Blessed, and Fish on!:tieone:
First contact your fly fishing shop, Trout Unlimited or Federation of Fly Fishers and see if there are any fly tying classes locally. Lots of people take these classes and will give you good advice on what to buy. If you can get a beginner’s class, you will learn basic techniques and maybe have an opportunity to try different vises (also known as “vices” as fly tying is a vice). Just buy what you need. Stay on line and do your research you will find many opinions for what is good and not. However, this fly tying vice is going to cost you mucho dinero. Good luck and happy fly tying!!
I have the Hook & Hackle starter kit. The vise works great for me and it had plenty of starter materials. I immediately got hooked enough to join the FOTW club, and continue to gain experience and learn new tricks every time I sit at the table to push out a few flies.
The best part… i carry 2 fly boxes, and both of them are almost completely full now.
I was happy with my $12.00 kit for two years and I had a great time making flys that caught fish…