Tying Kits - Feedback, reviews, suggestions?

[Krash7172]

I wish I had never found this forum!

Now I have to give tying a try. I've decided to go with a kit to get started. I know I will probably want a better vise if I get into it. I have found a large number of kits online and frankly don't know what to buy. I am willing to spend $50 - $100. I plan to start off by tying clousers for largemouth and panfish.

I started this thread for info specifically on kits. Thanks!

 

[Cowboy]

Try Orvis, they have a good beginners kit.

 

[Krash7172]

I looked at Orvis. Their kits range from $100 - $300. I figure that if I am spending that kind of money I should consider some of the vises I have read about in this forum. Then again, I don't want to spend the time and effort piecing together all of the necessary equipment. I doubt I will use it enough to make it a money saving effort either. I am thinking a nicer kit may be best way for me to go.

From the little I know, this one looks pretty complete for $150:
http://www.orvis.com/store/product_...73&group_id=10135&cat_id=10136&subcat_id=6176

Any comments on the quality of the vise?

 

[Piscator]

Krash Man,
I would like to suggest to you the option at looking into purchasing something from the following web site The Full Creel Fly Shop. Steve Robbins our admin of this site is the owner and operator of the fly shop. He offers a 21 day test drive of his rods and free shipping on purchases of $100 or more. Steve is a great guy to do business with so take it from me, it will be hard to find a better offer than that. Steve cares for his customer base and is very willing to help you determine what you need.

Steve offers the following kit Cortland Deluxe Fly Tying Kit. If your going to spend a about $150 for the Orvis kit I would go for the Peak Vise which I would compare to the Renzetti Traveler Vise.

There is a lot of info on this site in picking out your fly fishing equipment. So, do some searching, and ask some more questions when you need too. Thing about fly fishing is that you can research yourself cross-eyed with all the information that is available to you.

I hope this helps. Good to have you on the forum.
Thanks,
Terry

 

[Krash7172]

If I purchase anything online, I will definitely look there first. The idea of spending just $50 on a beginners kit sounds appealing knowing that not much is wasted if I bought a nicer vise down the road. Cabella's has one with materials for that price.

 

[Colorado Cajun]

I always thought that most of the kits I've seen have a lot of stuff that I really wouldn't use so I bought all my tools seperatly and selected the patterns I wanted to start with to tie. Then I bought the material for those patterns and kept doing that. Doing it that way, you get the materials you will use and not a bunch of stuff you wouldn't. Then you start seeing material that looks really cool so you buy it. Then you start coming up with some varaitions and patterns of your own. Before you know it, you will have a good collection of material. If you know for sure that you will like tying, I would suggest to get a good vice from the get go. Contact Steve as Darkknight suggested, I'm sure he can square you away.

 

[Colorado Cajun]

One other thing, if you do go with a kit, make sure the kit is tailored for the type of flies you want to tie.

 

[Piscator]

Krash,
I bought the Cabela's $50 kit myself. I quickly found out that I did not like the vise that came with it. I gave it to a friend that teaches fly tying and I'm borrowing one now from a friend. Like Colorado Cajun said, you can purchase the tools that you need: bobbin, Whip finishing tool, and scissors along with a decent vice and start collecting materail to start tying patterns that you are interested in. Before you know it, you won't know where to store it all or which pattern to tie first.

There are other vises out there below $100 (ie. Dan-vise) just look around. I think Joni here on the forum may can tell you more about the Orvis kits if you are still interested in it.

Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Terry

 

[Krash7172]

Info here has helped a ton. I was taken back a bit by all of the tools available for tying. I read an article that listed dozens of things to get. I'll look into getting a good vise and the few tools I really need to get started.

Thanks!


For the sake of this thread, does anyone have any experience with specific kits they would like to share?

 

[Joni]

Krash7172, The Orvis kit has some nice tools and material, but we did swap out the vise that came with it a lot. The vise is not the best and has been know to break.
With the store, we were able to up grade the vise for an additional $15.
You can buy a kit that is just the tools from Orvis (Scissors, whip finisher, hackle pliers,hair stacker, and bodkin/threader and bobbin for around $29.50)
Then find a good vise as mentioned Dan-Vise an inexpensive rotary, although with you being a beginner a rotary might not be a good idea.
Then buy the material for the FLIES you want to tie instead of getting a kit that offers you material you won't use.
Kits do come with a good instruction book, so that will be something you want to think about buying unless you are good friends with a tier already.
The Books will explain not only what material to use, but why.
So the kits do have their advantages. Just add it up.

 

[Krash7172]

Thanks, Joni!

I just purchased the Clearwater Tool Kit and Danvise from Orvis for a total of $115. This should give me somthing to grow into without a huge dent in my wallet.

Now - time to wade through all of the materials I found lists of materials for Wooly Buggers and Clousers at "Pete's R&B".

I bought:
Recommended hooks
Marabou
Chenile
Saddle Hackle
6/0 Thread (3/0 was recommended)
Silver wire
Bucktail
Krystal Flash
Flashabou
Hourglass eyes
bead-chain eyes
Cement & Thinner

I stuck with common colors and ones that I prefer to fish locally - black, olive, chartreuse, silver, white, blue

I have a week or so before I get this stuff. Are there any other materials I should pickup to get started? Different thread sizes? I am starting with size 8-12 hooks.

FYI, my "kit" cost me about $200.

 

[Joni]

You will want more bobbins and get the ones with ceramic inners (it will help prevent thread break)
I like using thinner/smaller thread than required cause it gives room for error.
I am sending you a pm.

 

[Colorado Cajun]

Krash, Looks like you are off to a really good start!

 

[Krash7172]

Supposed to get 3" of snow tonight so I guess this weekend will be spent cleaning the basement and setting up an area for tying I remodeled my kitchen a year ago and kept the top of our island. It is ~ 30" x 50" with a light colored formica surface. Should be perfect.

With any luck, I'll have a few of my own flies to catch some crappie with next weekend!

 

[Joni]

Supposed to get 3" of snow tonight so I guess this weekend will be spent cleaning the basement and setting up an area for tying I remodeled my kitchen a year ago and kept the top of our island. It is ~ 30" x 50" with a light colored formica surface. Should be perfect.

With any luck, I'll have a few of my own flies to catch some crappie with next weekend!

We were suppose to get that snow yesterday, but no go. In fact blue skies. It stayed to the south of us.