Fly Tying Starters Kit

[Dr.Shortington]

Hi Guys,

Gonna try my hand at tying some nymphs this winter. i see that they have some kits on sale at Cabella's....will they get the job done? Any other recommendations?

[millsboy79]

I think they have the same starter kit at walmart on 130th for less.

[Dr.Shortington]

Originally Posted by millsboy79

I think they have the same starter kit at walmart on 130th for less.

Really? Wow haha. That's a good tip!

I don't mind getting some moderate equipment, or at least something that won't be a pain in the ass to work with. I would love some suggestions. Has anyone used this kit before?

Thanks!

[millsboy79]

Guess to he a "good tip" it would depend on how big of a sale they are current on at cabelas ... and would need to be the cabelas in Calgary since that's where the Walmart I'm talking about is lol.

Think the larger kit is 69 and the smaller one is 49 (I believe)

As for the kits in general I can't say I have used either. It seemed there was stuff you were paying for in there I didn't need so getting some stuff individually on bulk (classifies ads) was the more economical route for me.

[freeride]

Personally I found the kit that I bought was lacking a lot. If I had to redo it I would just buy the items I need to tie the flies I wanted.

The kit I bought came with a really bad bobbin and thread, hard to use materials... Everything to save money overall on their end but it really hindered my progress in tying.

[fishead]

Purchased a decent kit from fishing hole few years back. The vice was decent but didn't last. I would suggest buy a better vise first.
You don't really need that many tools to start. Pick out a couple flys and watch on YouTube how to tie them.
Small tweezers
Small scissors
Whip finish tool
Thread tool or two
Glue
Might need a couple of other small items
If you are starting with nymphs some of the good ones are pretty basic

[freeride]

I would add in a ceramic bobbin. When I first started I had a metal on that would fray the threads and they would break all the time. Paid a little extra... $14 for a ceramic and it made a huge difference.

[rycoma]

Buy a decent vice most of the kit vices are cheapy garbage. Best advice buy a decent vice that way if you dont like it you can pretty much sell it for what you bought it for. Buy a kit for tools bobbin, scissors, bodkin, whip finish tool. Should be a start. If you are planing buying a kit for materials dont't. Decide on a few patterns based on advice from other tiers that produce. Buy those materials and practice on those patterns. I have a bunch of crap I bought to tie one cool patern and never touched it again. Thats just my opinion

[ShortsideK]

Check the "Buy and Sell" section.
Fishing items for sale.

[Mr Flyguy]

Sorry for being a spelling policeman but jeez guys:

Vice is illegal or grossly immoral conduct

Vise is yes, a fly tying tool

Just say'n

[ShortsideK]

Originally Posted by Mr Flyguy

Sorry for being a spelling policeman but jeez guys:

Vice is illegal or grossly immoral conduct

Vise is yes, a fly tying tool

Just say'n

I noticed that too, but I'm not one to cause trouble. Hahahahahaha!

[fishead]

Originally Posted by Mr Flyguy

Sorry for being a spelling policeman but jeez guys:

Vice is illegal or grossly immoral conduct

Vise is yes, a fly tying tool

Just say'n

Well coming from Mr flyguy
My bad

[Mr Flyguy]

Spelling now resolved back to the thread theme.

Agree that the kits are virtually useless. Get a decent vise and good tools (Dr. Slick scissors if you can afford them and yes, ceramic bobbins). I made some bodkins from wine bottle corks and sewing needles and they work just fine.

Also focus the materials firstly on what you might be using, e.g., woolly buggers, leeches are a good start, then chironomids (keep them skinny!)

Try buying a few different patterns then reverse engineer (copy) them!

[ShortsideK]

A bright, flexible desk lamp is very helpful for us older fellas.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by ShortsideK

A bright, flexible desk lamp is very helpful for us older fellas.

and maybe one of these!

[32-40win]

If you can come up with a reasonably priced rotary vice, it is an improvement over the kit vices. Ceramic bobbins are better, I don't think the the "tension adjustable" versions are worth the money they want for them. There are some cheap ceramic ones at Fishin Hole that worked well enough for my purposes.
Find the material lists for what you want to tie and get those materials. Many ties are just material changes, there are only a few basic pattern styles. If you can find Randall Kaufmann's nymph book, probably at Fish Tales, grab it to start with, it is progressive in technique applications and the flies are all good ones.
Start with the UTC 70 thread, learn how to use it, and go from there. Once you have some idea of thread tension control, you can change up to smaller Veevus or go to Nano Silk type threads. You can just buy white thread and colour it with felt pens. Buy the dubbing kits in the dispensers, if you stick with it, you'll thank yourself for it down the road. Buy the tungsten beads if you want beads, they really are better.
I like using mostly the brushable superglue and Loon or Deer crk UV cured glues, and Sally Hansen clear nail polish hardener. I still use some regular laquer glue as well.
Do some web research on the materials, Hare Line, Spirit River, Superfly, Veniard, Semperfli, Hook & Hackle,Steve Farrar (Just add H20 ?), Enrico Puglisi. You'll find most of the same materials are offered by each mfgr, just slight variations that may or may not appeal to you, and what you want to create.
If you do some research and buy what you need, and learn a bit about alternate materials, you can still do it reasonably cheap with a minimum of stuff to start with. There are zillions of vids out there on You Tube and sites on Facebook with how to use what materials, and how to set up various rigs for fishing the flies you tie.

[Lornce]

Just a thought, If you spend a bit of money on some lessons, you can then make a better judgement call on what tools you should buy and hit the ground running on tying.

[kritofr]

If you are in Calgary and available for a lunch hour downtown, check out Troutfitters per fly class. They have extra tools and supply the materials for what they are teaching that day.