Hi folks!
I'm new to this forum (looks great, by the way), but not new to tying flies. When I was younger I tied mostly panfish and bass flies and bugs using a series of really poorly-made vices. I'm starting my late 60's now and finally live where it makes sense to learn how to fish for trout, too. I'm in "upper east" TN, and if I get the bug again bad enough I'll be looking at some trips to western NC. There's a lot of good fishing here, but I've always been a lake fisherman along with a little bit of fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and rock bass. I have a lot to learn.
My plans are to buy flies to get started (and I nearly have what I need), then get set up to tie my own after I have a better idea of what works for me here - meanwhile, I can be learning a bit about theory and technique as well as reading reviews on vises and tools. The internet's a wonderful thing to a guy whose tying gear usually came from Herter's, and their low-end at that. I'll mostly lurk for a while until I know enough to ask pertinent questions - if my questions haven't already been answered and I imagine that at this stage they have, I'll just need to search for them.
The buy/sell forum will be of particular interest as I progress, at my age I can't see buying new if I can find good used equipment. I try to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.