Howdy,
I got bit hard by the fly tying bug a couple of weeks ago and am now suffering from full-body paralysis ... I can NOT get up from the table!
In the space of two weeks I upgraded my original $29 made-in-India vise from BassPro to an Apex and dropped way more money than I should have at the local fly shop (which happens to be cheaper on everything than the big box!).
Probably 60 or 70 flies in, it's already getting easier (i.e., I break thread less, have figured-out how to use a bobbin threader -- you'd think that would be obvious, huh? -- figured-out I can't actually bend a forged hook, etc.). I have yet to fish a single fly I've tied, the river in the backyard notwithstanding.
Field tests this week in South Texas (I alternate weeks between central Texas and Corpus Christi, where I drive a tugboat -- not an ideal fly fishing platform, but I do see a lot of fish).
This forum and YouTube have been great teachers. Mistakes below are my own.
Cheers!