Which fly tying kit should i buy?

[skye 0]

I've recently started fly fishing, and am completely in love. I live in texas and fish bass almost exclusively. I grew up fishing baitcast " " style. So the whole fly fishing endevor is completely alien to me, especially the fly tying part. I have never known, and still do not know a single person around these parts that fly fishes. I relize that not all fly fisherman do not tye, however, i plan to.

 

Like most hobbies i get involved with, I aim to purchase entry level equipment....as to "test the waters" , but do not want to buy crap.

I've been looking at some fly tying kits from some of the "big stores", i.e. BPS, which come with tools, tying materials, and even an instructional dvd...

mostly around fifty to sixty bucks.

 

I've decided that this avenue suits me best, but I still dont know which one to choose. (which kit/where from?) Please some advice or a point in some direction would be worlds of help.

 

newbie for now,

skye

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

I don't recomend any kits your better off in the long run to purchase a vise and the basic tools then pick a few patterns you want to tie and buy the materials you need for them patterns

[Denis Lamy 0]

I don't recomend any kits your better off in the long run to purchase a vise and the basic tools then pick a few patterns you want to tie and buy the materials you need for them patterns

What Paul said!

 

Try to find a local flyfishermen club or a local shop, it's somewhere you can buy or rent/borrow the tools and buy the materials. They will help shorten your learning curve a lot.

 

Remember it's a hobby, it cost a lot, but less than therapy.

[Flyweaver 0]

I agree with the above. There is an old thompson vise on ebay starting at $10.00. try to avoid cheap copies, especially used, as they do not last. Get a pair af good scissors,hackle pliers,bobbin and you can make a dubbing needle from a cork, dowel or piece of antler and a needle. Pick a pattern you want to tie google a tutorial,get your material and your good to go.Also if you can seek out someone or an organization that can help you.

[oatka 0]

Well, I often take the opposite side on this. buy the kit. Sure, in the end you'll have crap materials and cheap tools, but you can learn to tie using both. you'll be out $50 or $60 bucks, but if you decide you hate tying, then you are out only $50 or $60 bucks. If you find you don't like tying and you bought top of the line everything, then you are out way more. so sure, buying the best material and tools upfront is a great way to go if you can see the future and the future says you will use it for years and years....but, since I doubt you can see the future, you can't rule out the possibility that you'll hate tying flies and wish you had only bought the stupid kit so you weren't out hundreds of dollars. see....for me, $50 would be hard to come by, so twice that would be impossible......BUT, if i wanted to get into knitting, i might be willing to buy the $50 kit (after stealing $ from babies and grandmothers) just to try it out.....instead of waiting 8,000 years to save up the money to buy the best of the best knitting needles. plus, you got to remember, no one here knows your finances so it's easy to spend your money. in fact, i suggest you buy the best tying materials, and drive them home in a new car!!! it's the only way to do it right!

 

whatever you decide, have fun tying!!!

[agn54 0]

Most people on here are dead set against kits, but I started on a BPS kit and don't regret it one bit. Perhaps things are different for me since I fish the salt, but the BPS kit was a great starting point. It came with basic tools of decent quality for starting out and an DVD of Lefty Kreh showing some of the standard saltwater flies - deciever, clouser, half and hald (all of which are great bass flies by the way) along with a few others, all of which are flies that need to be in any salties fly box. The kit was built around the dvd so you got all the materials needed to tie them. The materials were of good qualitly and some of the most useful ones you will need (bucktail, craft fur, hackles, krystal flash, super hair, lead eyes, etc.). I have since used up most of my materials from the kit but have replaced all that I have used, in other words I continue to use alot of the same materials regularly on numerous different flies.

 

Going to a local flyshop is a good idea, but based on what you said about not knowing of anyone around you who flyfishes, I'm assuming you don't have one. Also, picking a pattern and getting the materials for it is good, if you have any idea what patterns you want to tie. When I started out, I didn't know of any patterns, much less which ones worked for my type of fishing or ones I wanted to tie. I couldn't tell you a clouser from a hole in the wall and I had no one to show me. The DVD helped immensely with this, it beat blindly searching around the internet trying to teach myself. In any case, my experience with a BPS kit was a good one so I say don't get discouraged from getting one if you want, it is a great place to start.

[skeet3t 0]

I started with a kit about 15 years ago and still have the purple deerhair! I have found that I can get by with about 6 or 7 patterns here in east Tennessee. That eliminates the need for a truckload of materials. Go online and look up the local chapter for Trout Unlimited or Federation of Fly Fishers. They can get you headed in the right direction. You might be able to get by with just a few tools and materials.

[day5 0]

Mike (oatka) what if you end up hating tying beacus of the crap tools that you got in the 50 or 60 dollar kit? Im dead set against tying kits.

[oatka 0]

Mike (oatka) what if you end up hating tying beacus of the crap tools that you got in the 50 or 60 dollar kit? Im dead set against tying kits.

 

that's definitely a risk. I'm just offering up that there are other reasons to buy a kit over building your own. Most people suggest not to buy kits....that's fine...for some. 15 years ago when I started tying, if someone told me not to buy a kit, and I would have had to buy everything individually for twice the price, i probably wouldn't have tried it. I was willing to drop $50 on a kit and have everything ready to go, instead of dropping $100 and having to figure out what i needed, or having to talk to someone at the shop about it.

 

I think it's like a lot of things. You can drive a piece of junk car and get from point A to B, and for a kid who's 16 years old, that's a dream come true....but, after driving for years, you start to realize there are better cars, with more options and drive much nicer.....and you upgrade.

 

I think many hobbies are like this. you can go all out, or go entry level. Anyone who loves the hobby and has been doing it for years would probably suggest "all out", because of quality, but many beginners just want "entry level" and have everything all selected for them even if it's cheaper quality.

 

Just offering up the fact that there are reasons to go with a kit.

 

one last bit......I bought a kit 15 years ago, and yes it came with crap scissors and less than ideal materials (took me a while to realize this, but had used up most of them by the time i realized there were better materials out there), but now 15 years later and 5 kids later, i still use those scissors, bodkin, vise......by giving them to my kids to use. I've definitely gotten my $50 out of it. The one thing i'd suggest is don't pay extra for a DVD or any video....youtube has anything you'd need. i wish i had youtube 15 years ago.

 

 

[agn54 0]

I think it's like a lot of things. You can drive a piece of junk car and get from point A to B, and for a kid who's 16 years old, that's a dream come true....but, after driving for years, you start to realize there are better cars, with more options and drive much nicer.....and you upgrade.

 

I think many hobbies are like this. you can go all out, or go entry level. Anyone who loves the hobby and has been doing it for years would probably suggest "all out", because of quality, but many beginners just want "entry level" and have everything all selected for them even if it's cheaper quality.

 

Just offering up the fact that there are reasons to go with a kit.

 

 

I agree with you on this. By the same rationale, if someone wanted to learn to play the guitar, I certainly wouldn't tell them to go out and by a Les Paul with a Marshal half-stack because eventually they will want one. The tools that I got with my vice were very functional, although of course I eventually realized there were much better options. The cheap can be good for learning, especially on what damages them. I learned the hard way that it's not a good idea to try to trim that last hair of bucktail from the head of the flywhile the head cement is not dry, or to cut wire and mono with my scissors, or when reaching for materials with my scissors in my hands to try not to bang the scissor tips into the desk. All lessons Im glad I learned with cheap kit tools.

[flytire 0]

Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Many Fly Shops have similar type kits as well

 

Bass Pro starter tool kit

 

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...p;currentpage=1

 

Cabelas Starter tool kits

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...rentId=cat20431

 

 

many folks tell you not to buy a kit but never tell you what to specifically buy.

 

with all of the negative comments on buying kits, you would think someone would actually put together a basic medium to high quality tool kit (no materials).

 

 

non rotary i would look at a vise similar to this one

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...&hasJS=true

 

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/O...-Tyer-Vise.html

 

for a rotary vise look at this one

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...&hasJS=true

 

for tying tools look at these

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...&hasJS=true

 

 

for materials, pick out 5 flies you want to tie, GOOGLE the recipes and buy those materials.

 

tying lessons at your local fly shop will lessen the learning curve quite a bit.

[hankaye 0]

Howdy;

I'm new to all this stuff as well. found a State based Forum that has been helpin' me out quite abit.

 

Saved ya some leg work and found this;

 

http://www.easttexasflyfishers.org/index.htm

 

they are part of the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF), chances are you might find some help there as to gear, places to fish (ya might already know those), what works best where. All that kinda stuff ...happy searchin'

[dilettante 0]

As others have mentioned, a used vise might be a good option. I don't know much about kits. However, I started, and still use, a hand-me-down Thompson. I picked up a decent scissors, a knock-off whip finisher, and a budget ceramic bobbin. I didn't have to break the bank, and I'm having lots of fun.

 

It is possible that I might enjoy myself a bit more with a Dyna-King, HMH, etc. But, since I'm new, I probably don't know any better. Perhaps, ignorance is bliss.

 

Good luck!

[Njardar 0]

If you buy a kit and don't like tying you are definately out the cost of the kit. However, if you buy a good entry level vise (i.e. Peak Rotary) and dont like tying you can easily sell a vise like this here or on e-bay and recover some of you investment. But if you like tying you will not have to buy a good vise down the road, which is what you would need to do with a kit vice. Same goes for tools and materials. My two cents worth.

 

- Charlie

[Ddevil00 0]

I'd stay away from kits. When I started out I thought buying a kit would get me started off on the right foot.. couldn't have been more wrong. Ended up being more frustrated with the terrible quality of the tools/mats. Just take the time to do some research on some vices/tools and go from there. The Danvice isn't bad to start out with and it's inexpensive. As for tools, i find not to skimp on quality.