Fly Tying Kits & Tools : A Buyers Guide
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| The
Flathead River in Northwest Montana |
Fly tying is a wonderful
way to both save money by tying your own flies as well as to
invent that unique killer pattern that is all yours. Fly tying
is also an excellent way for a person to pass the time away during
the winter when fly fishing shuts down – at least in the
northern climates.
Most beginners get introduced to fly tying though the purchase
of one of the many fly tying kits available. Like everything else,
though, some fly tying kits are good while others are, well, not
so good. The purpose of this particular article explores what a
beginner fly tyer should look for when fishing around for a fly
tying kit and related items.
A fly tying kit is,
without question, the easiest and most cost effective way for
a beginner to get introduced to the hobby of
fly tying. These fly tying kits generally include all the tools
you need to get started tying flies – or at least a couple
of patterns. In addition to including tools, these fly tying kits
usually include a book or two about how to tie flies as well as
fur, feathers, and other materials that are needed to successfully
tie flies.
At first blush, many
of these kits look the same. Unfortunately, beneath the surface
of the box, big differences are found among
fly tying kits. The first main difference, and by far the most
important, is the quality and usability of the included fly tying
tools – especially the fly tying vise.
Poor quality fly tools
are difficult to use and can be very limiting. This is especially
true of cheap fly tying vises – as the
lack of options and ease of use on these vises can make learning
to tie flies much more difficult than need be. In short, a beginner
first learning to tie flies will find inexpensive fly tying vises
frequently frustrating to use and extremely limiting in what kinds
of flies can be tied easily and effectively.
A second difference among the various fly tying kits on the market
today is found with the quality and number of the fly tying materials
included. Basically, the more included materials in the fly tying
kit, the more expensive the kit will be. However, those added fly
tying materials allows a beginner fly tyer to experiment in tying
many different types of flies, or even taking trying their hand
in creating brand new patterns.
Overall, learning to
tie your own flies can occasionally be a frustrating experience – and
also requires patience. By using a poor quality fly tying kit,
a beginner tier is setting themselves
up for many problems and frustrations that can be avoided by using
a good kit.
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