keeper359

Any of the materials you mentioned will work fine, just add them to the hook shank in small batches.

Check out this link for some ideas on wet flies http://hatchesmagazine.com/blogs/Hatches/category/ray-bergman-collection/ I pick one and just copy what I see until it looks good to my eye. Don is a master at tying.

I use a three drawer plastic tool chest for traveling it holds plenty of materials for any number/ style of flies I may tie and a smaller bag when I know I won't have the room for the bigger box or heading over to my local fly shop to tie a few flies in the afternoon with some friends.

I use microfibbets on my Mayflies, Three per fly I tape the bundle to a white card so I can see them as I count them and remove them for tying in. As long as I don't sneeze after I've cut them and before I tie them in I'm OK. I also use magnifying eye glasses (5X) that I picked up from Duluth Trading Co. They help when I have them tied in and want to seperate them a little bit.

Welcome and good fishing. "Tying Saltwater Flies, 12 of the Best" by Deke Meyer is a good starting reference. It discusses tools and has color photo step by step tying instructions.

Welcome to the club I do the same thing myself sometimes. Before long you wil have a nice assortment of material to choose form. Good tying Kevin

Look at a few and try several if you can. See if there is a local chapter of Trout Unlimited or other club and go to a meeting and check out what some of the other tiers are using. Get the best vise you can offered, it will be worth the extra money you spend. You get what you pay for. Happy tying

If you already have a vise, HMH makes several different tube vise attachments. First is the statrer kit which has a pin holder that is held in the vise jaws and comes with two different diameter pins, I have this set and it works fine,next is the premium tube tool, the only difference I see is the pins, and last is the tube vise converter, all you have to do is replace the jaws on your HMH vise if you have one. I have the starter kit and it works well. I've been hinting for the converter kit for Fathers Day, I'm hopeful that I'll have a new toy soon. Check out thee website for more info HMH Vises. There are several size diameter tubes the larger the tube the larger the fly, they come in 5 inch lengths which you can cut to size for the type of fly you are making. A good book to get is "Tube Flies Two, Evolution" by Mark Mandel and Bob Kenly. also check out some of the flies on this site. Hope this helps Happy tying Kevin

Welcome to fly tying, You said you are going to school in Boston, well there are plenty of tackle and fly tying shops in the area. You should also be able to find a chapter of Trout Unlimted, where you can meet other fly fishermen, they usally meet once a month. You'll meet other tyers who will be more then willing to help you learn. Also look in your campus library for books on fly tyig they may have some that you can check out or they maybe able to get some for you. Also don't rule out saltwater fly fishing, after all you are right near the ocean and there are plenty of fish in the sea. Good luck Kevin

He who finishes with the most toys wins, let the games begin.

Nicely done.I have to agree with using a larger hook. I have found that when learning a new fly recipe starting with a larger hook let's me see the overall appearance better. I cann't tell from the photo angle but it appears that the head is crowding the hook eye a little, that's something to be mindful of when tying. Keep up the good work .

Welcome and good tying. The vise is a good choice for a beginner. I used one for a very long time. Have fun with it. We are only limited by our imaginations when tying Kevin

You may also want to look for half necks or the 100 saddle packs. The only disadvatage of those saddle packs is the hackles in one pack are for one size hook, unless you only tie in a narrow range of hook sizes then they'll do fine.

Thanks, more toys to get

I have been using permanent marker to add some detail to my flies. I have been coating them with Sally Hansen glitter nail polish to add some flash, which makes the marker ink run. Is there anything I can use to keep the ink from running before I apply a the nail polish?

Duluth Trading CO. has magnifying reading glasses to 5X. I use them for all my small fly tying. Kevin

Everyone hit the nail on the head about starting slow. Get the best vise you can afford. With time you will probably be like the rest of us ( I really am just speaking about myself here ) you will have boxes full of material to tie with. Always keep your eyes open for that new material that you may be able to use, I find it everywhere. Remmeber you are only limited by your own imagination. Most of all have fun with it, that 's what it's all about.

Thanks for the feed back Todd. I find tying to be a relaxing, worthwhile hobby. There is no greater satisfactions then creating a fly and catching some fish with it. I would like to see some of the flies you are tying. Sometimes it's hard to find time to do the things we enjoy so we have to make the time. But, don't take it away from your kids, they grow up to fast. Kevin

I've been tying some tube flies for stripped bass and blue fish, have you ever tried them? You can make the fly as long or short as you would like.

I'm new to this forum and would like some oppions on the flies I have tied this weekend. I've been tying off and on since the mid 80's . Now that my children are older I have more time on my hands for fishing and tying. This weekend I thought I would let my creative side show and I let my imagination take over. I don't know if I tied these to catch fish or fishermen (women too). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Kevin

You can ty some wooly buggers, decievers, clousers or half and half flies. They work for me. Lately I've been tying some poppers using EPDM weatherseal and cann't wait to give them a try. You can find a pattern for them in the spring 2010 edition of Fly Tyer magazine.

Santa gave me a tool caddy (to help me stay organized?) and some books on tying classic salmon flies

It is a nickname my fathjer gave me when I was young. It seemed to fit here.

Epoxied some crease flies and started some #12 foam olive Mayfly bodies