Need help building a starter kit

[philbush1127]

I wanna start to tie my own flies and have no idea where to even start. Does anybody know of a company that makes like a whole starter kit with tools and vice? Does anybody have one they would like to sell to me?

 

[half fast]

Everybody that markets tying supplies sells a starter kit. Google returned 295,000 results in 0.33 seconds.

I recommend that you look into taking a basic tying class that provides equipment before buying your own stuff. That's advice I didn't follow years ago, as classes were few and far between back then. I'd go that route if I were starting over.

 

[BigJim2x]

half fast was full throttle on this one. There are a plethora of starter kits available.

I too am toying with the idea of tying but have decided to buy my flies for this season and during the winter find a club that has a tying night and go and tie up a few with the group using their equipment and supplies I can purchase from them while I learn. Finding out what works on my local waters this year will point me in the direction of what to tie up under tutelage from people who have been doing it for a while, get me familiar with the materials I will need to do the majority of the flies I want to have and eliminate buying a kit with a bunch of items I may or may not ever use.

That way I won't have to lay out a lot until the fall of '14.

Best of luck on your journey.

Jim

 

[popperhopper]

I you are looking for a decent starter set Wapsi makes a decent one. Doesn't come with a wip finnisher but everything else is pretty much there. Comes with a bunch of material for a couple different patterns. Also comes with hooks. Priced around 85 bucks. Its a good kit to get you tying as soon as you open the box.

While the tools and vise are serviceable....you may outgrow them fairly soon. But just to get started for 85 bucks all in its not too bad.

Just upgrade as you go and keep the other stuff for backup.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

 

[brianrap]

I wanna start to tie my own flies and have no idea where to even start. Does anybody know of a company that makes like a whole starter kit with tools and vice? Does anybody have one they would like to sell to me?

As was mentioned, Wapsi makes several pretty good starter kits. Cabela's also has several kits. If you are unsure of whether you will will continue to tie after trying it out, any of these kits is a good start. That said, if the bug really bites you and you know that you will continue to tie, you might be better off spending a bit more money and getting some good quality tools and materials from the outset. The Wapsi kit will give you a good idea of basic tools (add a whip finisher) and for material start with patterns you use the most.

I recently got back into fly fishing and tying after about a 20 year hiatus and bought some inexpensive tools and material just to get back into it. Within weeks I was back at the store buying better quality tools and lots of material. I got the bug real bad

 

[rockriver]

Fly Tying Gear - Fly Tying Vice : Cabela's A place to start. Most fly shop have some type of fly tying bundle for certain flies.

 

[South Holston]

I would not get a kit. Too much waste in materials. Talk with a fly shop you trust. Get the materials YOU will need to tie the flies for your needs. And get a decent set of tools .

 

[dabluz]

I would not recommend a fly tying kit. I would recommend a fly tying course that lasts only 1 evening. That's all you need to learn everything that is useful. You can learn the rest of the stuff over the internet.

You can buy a decent fly tying vise for 40 dollars. There are quite a few vises that resemble the Regal Medallion that sells for around 100 dollars. These vises are just as good.

The rest of the tools cost under 4 dollars each.

The tools you will need to start with are: bobbin, scissors, whip finisher (buy the Sunrise whip finisher for 2 dollars), Danville's monocord, and clear lacquer. Total cost....under 60 dollars.

The types of flies you want to make will dictate the materials you will need.

 

[silvertip8k]

I agree with the remark of not getting a "starter kit"...to many items in them you will never use...

here is what you will need...

a basic vise...and tool kit with bobbin, good scissors, bodkin etc...

going to a shops tying night or similar is for sure good if you dont have a friend willing to help out...

start out making some basic wet flys...then dries...remember they dont have to be perfect to catch fish!

I have some super basic patterns on my site that are great for starter flies...

I also have a list of some sites that have excellent tutorials ...SBS's are my favorite since they allow you to see each step...as slow as you like...Charlie Craven in Arvada , has a site that is great...he is the original Mr SBS ...an outstanding tyer and has a great library of patterns...Hans Stephenson at Dakota Angler in Rapid City is also top notch...lots to be learned by just scouring their sites and bug gallerys...

IMHO you need to try things harder than possibly expected or suggested to realize you can really do much better than you might have thought...good luck...t

 

[Rip Tide]

I still have some materials that came from a kit that a neighbor bought and didn't use.
He gave this stuff to me back around 1971/72

 

[williamhj]

Some of the starter kits are just tools and vise, no materials. I agree that you'd probably get materials you wouldn't use but that's not to say don't get a kit with tools and vise. What you want to watch out for is one that has poor quality tools.

I know there are people who have tied for decades on a simple, inexpensive vise but if the scissors don't cut well or cleanly, the bobbin has a rough tube that cuts your thread, etc you'll have a poor experience from the start. I don't think it is necessary to buy a kit, getting the stuff individually is easy to do, but if you go that route, the cheapest option may not be the best. I like Dr Slick scissors and if you get one pair, get the all purpose. I like bobbins with ceramic tubes.

I haven't purchased a kit so won't recommend a particular one, but hopefully someone who has will chime in. For materials I'd just pick a couple patterns to start with and buy the stuff you need to tie those flies. And ask more questions!