Good Reasonably Priced Fly-Tying Kit for Beginner

[Michael Matheke-Fischer]

Hi All, 

I'm reasonably new to fly fishing (picked it up last summer and spent about 3 months last summer exploring the area with reasonable success) and I really enjoy reading all the tips and stories on this forum. 

I'm about to be laid up for a few weeks following knee surgery, so I thought that might be a good time to try my hand at fly tying since I can't go out an practice my cast or watch fish laugh at my feeble presentation efforts. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on a good kit for beginners that is not too expensive and has all the tools I would need to get started. I saw that Orvis has a kits for about $180 bucks, but was wondering if anyone had other recommendations. 

I haven't been able to make it to a beer tie yet, but hoping I can soon.

Thanks!

Michael

[Scott Stankus]

Firstly: If your surgery is after the next Beer Tie (May 8th), come to that so you can at least get a feel for tying a fly or two at the Learning Table. I'm sure there will be folks there who will let you try their vises as well, so you can test out a few different styles - I have a Renzetti Traveler that I'd be glad to let you try.

Typically, I would recommend getting things separately, rather than buying a kit. The biggest complaint that I hear about kits is that they come with a low quality vise, which leads to a lot of frustration. The vises in the kits are usually $15-20 pieces of junk that come covered in oil and will drive you nuts. (If others out there have had different experiences, please speak up!) Spending a little more will drastically increase your enjoyment at the beginning.  I think the best vises under $100 are the Peak Non-Rotary and the Renzetti Apprentice. Second to a good vise, you'll want a pair of good scissors... the only thing more frustrating than a vise that doesn't hold hooks is a pair of scissors that doesn't cut! Personally, I like Dr. Slick scissors.

If you are going to buy a kit, get one that has just tools and not materials - that way you can just get what you need and you aren't stuck with a bunch of materials that you'll never use. One thing to consider when starting out with materials are kits like those from Spirit River. They have all the hooks and materials you need (including instructions!) for tying a single fly pattern in a few different sizes. The LL Bean in Tysons carries a bunch of them, but I can't find them on the LL Bean website. 

Good luck with the surgery and the tying!

--Scott

[GSFeder]

I received the Wapsi kit as a gift years ago and I've been very pleased with it. I've tied hundreds of flies on that cheap vise but nothing bigger than a 2 or smaller than 20, and I don't spin deer hair. I did replace the included thread shredder bobbin with a right bobbin. 

Cheers, 

-- Greg

Sent from my iPhone

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[Andrew Sarcinello]

I had the wapsi kit as well, and the arm to close the vise jaws snapped on me after about a year. The instructional booklet was helpful though for learning some basic techniques, and it came with some decent tying materials. It's nice to have all of the tools (bobbin, scissors, etc) come in the kit as well and not have to buy those separately. I'd say it's good enough to start out on but if you really start getting into tying, you'll want to upgrade the vise for sure.

[TurbineBlade]

I tied for a while on an entry-level vise and did okay, but I really do think Scott has it right here. 

Put it this way -- any vise on the market that currently costs ~$300 or more is likely to be the best thing you've ever used and will probably last until you are dead or moribund. I love the dyna-king vises.   

If I regret anything, it is not going for the dyna-king sooner. 

Gene

On Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 10:39:30 AM UTC-4, Andrew Sarcinello wrote:

[Casey Peltier]

If anyone wants to give you a gift to help you get well, ask for Leeson and Scholmeyer's "The Benchside Introduction to Fly Tying." Large, good photography, complete, clearest instructions I've ever seen.

Oh, and a music stand for the thing to sit on. It's pretty big.

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From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of TurbineBlade <doubl...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2017 10:53 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Good Reasonably Priced Fly-Tying Kit for Beginner

 

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Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders www.tpfr.org We fish the Potomac River. We use single and two-handed fly rods. We teach all who are interested how to do the same. From Great Falls to the Chesapeake Bay, the ...

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[Andrew Sarcinello]

Gene, my logic is that buying each part separately is way too much of an investment to make before you even know if you enjoy fly tying.  Once you reach that point where you know you want to continue with it, or if you have tons of money laying around, then go for it.  I agree 100% that starter kit materials will cause frustration, but for me it was only once I wanted to move onto more complicated flies that I felt the need to upgrade.

I wouldn't recommend a beginning fly fisher to go out and buy an Orvis Helios for their first rod...I am applying the same reasoning to fly tying.  

[TurbineBlade]

Sure, but beware the self-fulfilling prophecy.  "I think I may enjoy cycling, but since I'm not sure about that I'll just start with this $100 department store bike that wasn't adjusted properly, doesn't shift across the cassette, has a terrible saddle and weighs 45 pounds".  Then after 1-2 rides "Yeah, you know I decided I don't really enjoy cycling much".  

Gene

[Jeff Cook]

...And the other part of that prophecy, that renting good gear for 1/3 of the purchase price (after you sell it on) can be a valuable learning experience. 

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[Andrew Sarcinello]

Good point - I think the Wapsi beginner kit is good enough to avoid this situation though.  I still use all of the tools from that kit except the vise.  Scissors still sharp

[Michael Matheke-Fischer]

Thanks Everyone! All great suggestions. 

I like the Helios analogy, I think what I am looking for is something like the Clearwater of vices, something reasonable but not so terrible it turns me off the whole experience. Sounds like the Wapsi kit may be a way to go, but I'll definitely keep an ear out and come to the next beer tie.

There was also a certain appeal to the kits because they come with all the tools. 

[Carl Z.]

I would go ahead and get the waspi kit and expect to supplement.  

* A nice griffin ceramic tip bobbin (maybe two)  The supreme ceramic tip or Magnum are both nice.

If you are going to tie dries, the following would be the next chunk to grab.

* Some decent hackle.  This is more expensive than the kit but will last a long time and be worth it.  Look for Metz or whitting hackle in a starter kit (they split the skins and give you a few different colors. 

http://www.featheremporium.com/bargin-bin.html  

* some more thread

* a chunk of moose body hair (for tails)

* a chunk of calf body hair for wulf hair wings and parachute posts

* some elk body hair for elk hair caddis

* a hair stacker (I don't think the wapsi kit comes with one)

* I would start with size 12 and 14 dries and work my way down to 16 and 18.

With this material, added on to the wapsi kit, you can tie anything and add on from there.  

With the speed things ship these days (feathercraft, jstockard, and others) you can start with the waspi kit and order these when you feel inspired.

Keep your eye out for an intermediate priced vise from someone who just upgrade do a dynaking. Gene are you selling one?  But this can wait. A nice vise is fantastic, but I think a nice bobin and good feathers make a bigger difference. 

Carl

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Carl Zmola

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[Richard Farino]

Or you could go into your local fly shop that actually stocks and carries these products and support the people that fuel your addiction, help you find new adventures and plan for old ones, and help teach you to be the angler you hope to become.

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[Dalton Terrell]

I'd echo what Scott said and pick up a decent vise and tools separately, rather than going with a kit, which likely includes sub-par equipment.

For most flies, all you need is a vise, bobbin, and scissors--the hair stackers, dubbing spinners, hackle pliers, and other tools can be picked up later if you need to tie flies that need it.

Staying under $150, I think you can put together a good kit, that will last forever and be less frustrating than the equipment that comes in a kit. I'd look at the entry-level vises from the high-profile companies; specifically the non-rotary models from Regal, Peak, and Renzetti are all around or under $100. The kit vises will break on you, and unless you get the tension perfect, your hooks will be sliding around. For scissors, Dr. Slick are good and should run you another $15-20--again, as Scott mentioned cheap scissors are the worst. For a bobbin, a cheap bobbin will shred your thread and you'll constantly break it off if you put much tension at all--a ceramic tipped or ceramic tubed bobbin will alleviate this and keep your thread from breaking. A good bobbin is $15-30, I specifically recommend use a Tiemco ceramic tube bobbin.

I think my recommended combo is the Clearwater of set-ups--it's not the top of the line gear but it is fully functional and won't hold you back any way. The pre-packaged kits I've used are the equivalent of a Wal-Mart 5wt with level-line.

Dalton

[Marek Rich]

Amen!

Carl

 

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Carl Zmola

 

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[namfos]

"Music stand..." Got that right, Casey. Terrific reference and perfect gift for Fathers Day, Birthday, Christmas, Anniversary, etc.

Mark

[namfos]

So do our enablers in Cherrydale have a firm opening date?

☺ Mark

[Richard Farino]

Not firm enough.  End of May/early June.

For the record, just so people know I wasn’t referring to moi, all the Orvis stores in the area carry tying kits and individual materials.  They also might show you how to pick them, handle the materials, and use them when tying a fly – something you don’t get when you buy online.

R

From: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of namfos <mark....@gmail.com>
Reply-To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Friday, April 28, 2017 at 9:37 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Good Reasonably Priced Fly-Tying Kit for Beginner

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[namfos]

I KNOW that, Rich. It's just that you're a favorite among all of TPFR's eminently capable enablers.

Mark

[Greg Feder]

Just saw a link to this article that you might find helpful if you haven't made a decision yet.  

http://www.wadinglab.com/best-fly-tying-starter-kit-buyers-guide/  

Cheers, 

-- Greg 

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 10:25:36 AM UTC-4, Michael Matheke-Fischer wrote: