On Sat, 02 May 2009 15:53:58 GMT, notbob wrote:

I'm new to fly fishing, only since last Summer. I'm still pretty bad, but
my casting has improved and I love eating trout. I'm on a limited income so
flies can be expensive. I'd like to learn to tie my own. My question is,
would it be wise to start small with a basic kit like Scientific Anglers
($50@WM) till I decide whether or not to commit to this art, or should I
hold out for more expensive vise, etc, on the assumption that bad gear can
sour a newbie. I'm a firm believer in spending the $$ for quality, but OTOH
I may suck at fly tying. I'd love to hear some opinions. Thank you.

Forget the kits. Buy a Thompson A vise and some good tools. If there
is a fly shop in your area, they may give tying lessons or know of
lessons being taught somewhere in your area. Take some lessons.

Your first fly should be an easy one to tie. A wooley bugger is ideal
because it is fairly large and easy to tie. Buy only the materials
you need to tie it. As Fortenberry has stated, tie several of them;
the first will look like hell, but the tenth one will probably be
pretty good. It will also give you an idea of what fly tying is all
about.

You may not like it or be good at it and won't follow-up on it. You
have a minimum amount of money invested, so quiting won't be too
painful financially. However, if you DO like it and the bug bites
you, you will buy a better vise or two, you'll need more tools, better
tools, lots of materials - feathers, dubbing, biots, herl, threads
(lots of threads), etc, etc, etc. None of it comes cheap. In the
end, you will end up paying about $3 for every fly you tie. I figure
each fly I tie costs me about $5 because I have so much invested in
it. BUT, with my travel vise/kit, I can tie any fly I need when I am
on one of my many trips. There is something to be said about relaxing
in a fishing cabin after dinner with a beer and tying flies with a
couple of your fishing buddies. And, if you have THE fly for the
river at that time, giving a couple to friends is a wonderful gesture
and one that won't be forgotten.

Good luck.

Dave