beginners kit

[Ocmulgee Adam]

So I started fly fishing this year and I love it. I'd like to start tying my own flies so whats the best way to get all the materials in a economical way. Should I go with a kit and if so which kit?

[HookUp]

I only tie a few different types of flys/jigs so a kit would give me more stuff than I need.

But if you're looking to get started, a kit usually comes with a vice, some tools, some materials and either a manual or a DVD to help you learn. If you go the kit route, make sure it's got all those things and you can started tying right off the bat.

If you want economy, don't buy anything that says Orvis. Nice stuff now, but not what I call economical.

Also, YouTube is an excellent way to learn how to tie.

[Flyfisher]

If you are tying for warm water species mainly then a kit will most likely not suit your needs. My suggestion would be to first off set an approximate budget
Then since you are already fly fishing figure out what flies you like to use and look for recipes for tying them.
then get the basics
vice
scissors (don't skimp here) 2 pairs--one for cutting lead and other coarse materials and one for everything else
Quality bobbin with no sharp edges to nick the thread
thread (duh )
and all the materials to tie the fly you want
head cement or super glue
whip finish tool (for now till you learn how to tie them by hand)
Hair packer can also come in handy if you plan on spinning deer hair for topwater bugs

I would start out with wooly buggers and clousers as they are pretty easy ties and tech you valuable techniques that can be used on other creations.

there is a good book written by skip morris that is called fly tying for beginners that is a really good book. It does start out with trout flies but you can utilize all the same techniques for warm weather tying.

One big thing to remember is to keep materials sparse for the majority of patterns.........truly the case of less=more

[Mick_T]

Can't add much to what's been said here by Flyfisher. I would suggest buying materials in person, and hit up a local fly shop if you can. Materials are probably cheaper online, but you can guarantee the quality be hand-selecting your stuff, and you can pick the brains of the folks behind the counter. My local shop caters mainly to the Great Smoky Mtn Natl Park trout crowd, but one of the owners and an employee are big-time smallie chasers, and I have learned a lot from shooting the bull with them. If you can find someone locally to help you, all the better, but if not, hit up youtube. Many of the better tyers not only explain the how-to in their videos, but also why certain techniques are used. You can then apply these techniques to other patterns or use them to create your own. I will suggest some good starter materials, though.

Hooks: Gamakatsu B10s stinger hooks (or similar stinger hook)- stinger hooks are a great choice for surface bugs, and I use them a good bit for subsurface flies as well. You'll have choose the size appropriate to the fly you're tying. I use a lot of 2's and 6's, but I mainly target smallies. For other species, a larger fly may be appropriate. A generic streamer hook will work fine for most other subsurface patterns.

Lead eyes: Choose your size based on 2 things- how fast should it sink, and how much weight is needed to "flip" the hook so it hangs less on the bottom. More weight = harder to cast, though. Bob Clouser only uses red eyes, so who am I to argue with his success?

Fly dressings:
rabbit zonkers
various chenilles and estaz
sili legs
flash (flashabou, crystal flash, etc.)
marabou
synthetic hair
bucktail, calftail, squirrel tail
various neck and saddle hackles
popper bodies
2 mm foam sheets- get these at hobby lobby or joann's for much less than flyshop prices

These will get you started. I use the same colors flyfishing that I do with conventional tackle. Don't make it any more complicated than it needs to be.

[DCBuckeyeguy77]

I agree with most of what has been said, but I'll add some more stuff that might be helpful.

As someone said earlier, stay away from kits. I started out tying with one and although it was okay for a while, 75% of the materials are basically worthless and the vise jaws/scissors will begin to degrade quickly. Instead, get a decent vise and a good pair of scissors and then buy some of the other stuff for cheap. The "other stuff" being a pair of Fiskars or the like for lead/wire (you don't need another pair of fly tying scissors for this), a bobbin, hackle pliers, a bodkin, and maybe a hair stacker. If you're trying to save some money, I wouldn't even spend money on things like a hair packer or whip finish tool. It easier to whip finish with your hands. I personally use a Danvise by Danica that I won in a fly tying contest, but it is very reasonably priced (in comparison to others) at $80 and I would highly recommend it as a starter vise that will serve you well down the road.

Materials...
Make sure you hit the craft stores (hobby lobby/Michaels) BEFORE you go to the fly shop. Since you are just learning how to tie, you won't need or want the best quality materials. Look for things like the big webby saddle hackle, craft foam, balsa wood, soldering wire, rubber legs, permanent markers. All of these things in colors that you are comfortable gear-fishing with like someone mentioned earlier. After you have found these things, hit the fly shop or a website like "Jstockard.com or flytyersdungeon.com for things like synthetic fibers and flash for baitfish, hooks (Mustad 34007 is a good all around), preformed popper heads, deer hair, etc. For thread, I would look at getting some Gel spun polyurethane (GSP) in black along with the standard 3/0 in basic colors.

As for information for teaching yourself, I wouldn't buy any books or DVDs or anything like that. There is a wealth of information on websites likewarmwaterflytyer.com and flytyingforum.com and all across youtube. Use the money that you would spend on information outlets on more materials. The more you practice, the better you will be.
I would also suggest tying one pattern over and over until it looks right to you. Avoid jumping from pattern to pattern like I did....

Last tip... If you want to shorten the learning curve, invest in classes or participate in free classes that are put on by some fly shops. I ended up teaching myself over time from youtube videos by David Camiss, but it took a while and I wasted a lot of materials. Probably the most crucial skill in fly tying is being able to deconstruct a fly just by looking at it and being able to tell approximately what materials are used in the pattern and in what approximate order they are tied in. I believe that I could have learned this much quicker if I had been able to see someone and ask questions.

And don't think that you are going to save money by tying your own flies. It will cost more, but every fish that you catch will mean more to you!

[Bamaspot]

If you are interested Adam, send me a PM with your address and I'll send you a kit I have.
It's about 11 years old, but was never used much.
The vise is not great, but will get you started.
I'll include a variety of materials that will get you started tying Clousers and such.
You will still need head cement.
It will also include a great book on tying Bass Flies.
I can send it out next week.

[Mick_T]

Can't beat that! All you'll need then is a little bottle of clear fingernail polish to use as head cement.

[Ocmulgee Adam]

Hey thanks everybody for all the advice and help and especially bamaspot for the kit. Its a huge help.

[Ocmulgee Tim]

Thanks yall for helping my son...

[bam]

Ill will second all the great advice thats been given no need to add anything