Anyone do any fly tying?

I bought a vise, a set of basic tools, and the specific materials for a couple of flies I wanted to tie. Then I just added tools and materials as I needed them till I now have way more crap laying around than I thought possible. Looking back I think that was the right way to go.

The materials kits are crap, stay away from those.

Essentials are vise, bobbin, and scissors. Nice to have are bodkin, whip finishing tool, rotating hackle pliers, more bobbins, more scissors, hackle gage, hair stacker, one of those marker spray gun kits...

I highly recommend one of those magnifying lamps. Wish I had bought mine sooner.

What kind of fly fishing are you going to do? Do you have a friend that ties? Videos are great, but you will learn faster if you have someone to watch and help you. Try out different vises to see what feels better to you. My favorite is a Regal, but I have several vises for teaching my family or friends. I would get more than one bobbin. Keeps you from having to change thread if you tie a different fly. A whip finisher isn't a necessity, but it makes a nice looking head quickly.

Buy the materials you need, not a kit. I scrounge for lots of mine. I save squirrel tails. I have friends that save wood duck feathers for me, and turkey tail feathers. I look for dubbing materials everywhere. Check out Goodwill for coats with fur collars, or even whole fur coats. If they are worn or torn, it won't bother the fishing, and the price will be better.

Don't be discouraged when your first efforts don't look quite like the pattern. It's a sharp learning curve; you'll improve quickly. The thrill of fooling a fish with a fly I've tied never gets old.

Do I sense an OB fly swap in the near future??

I tie on a Regal. I like it's simplicity but any vice in that price range is going to be a good vice. Avoid anything in a kit if possible. The only tools I use besides a bobbin and scissors are a bodkin and a UV light for head cement. I don't mess around with hackle pliers, we really don't palmer much hackle in saltwater flies anyway, or whip finisher. Both are nice to have but not necessary.

See if you can get in on one of the Orvis tying classes or look up the fly fishing clubs, they have free tying nights. You will learn a lot from just a few minutes with someone and it will save you months of frustration. There are lots of little tricks to getting the right amount of material.

The biggest mistake people make is using too much material and too much thread.

Post up some of your creations when you get started

I have this little kit - LINK
Large selection of fly materials at BPS and Cabelas. I tie with this in my lap in the recliner. Not a fancy setup, but it does what I want. Have fun!