Fly Tying Shopping List?

[LONE STAR]

Good inexpensive fly tying materials can be found
at crafts stores like Micheals or Ben Franklin.
Feathers,metal/glass beads,waterproof paint,glues,
chennille,yarn,foam,scissors,razors,doll goolie eyes,
tinsle...etc etc
I found this foam cutter at Micheals and
made crickets with it.

[Not2Day]

AJ, I have a Renzetti Traveler that is about 15 years old and I have never had the desire or need to get a different vice. Before that I had a Regal Medalion Rotary (not a true rotary) which is a wonderful vise, but the Renzetti Traveler is just hard to beat. Lots of good ones out there, but you would be hard pressed to really improve much over the little Traveler.

Tools....anything with the name Dr. Slick on them for scissors are good. Griffin makes good bobbins for the money, but I have three TMC (Tiemco) ceramics that I wouldn't trade for anything. Not even sure if they are still made honestly.

Let me give you one, (only one) other recommendation. GOOGLE "Feather-Craft". It's a fly fishing/fly tyeing specialty shop in St. Louis. BUT what you really want is to get a copy of the paper catalog. Not only does it have ALL the good stuff at competitive prices, it's a great "read". Not only entertaining, but very educational; in many cases it will tell you specifically what this "gizmo" is used for, or how to tie this specific fly. It's priceless, and a must read for a fly tyer.


Oh...one more thing (really, my last recommendation).....DO NOT buy a pre-packaged fly tyeing kit. They are junk. The tools are crap, the vise is cheap, and the materials are stuff that they can't sell by themselves.

Thanks Adam. I ordered a Anvil Atlas vise already. I'm hoping it's sitting on my doorstep when I get home from work. I picked up some basic stuff from BassPro last night so I have something to get started. That feather Craft place looks pretty cool. I ordered the catalog and downloaded the PDF version.

Good inexpensive fly tying materials can be found
at crafts stores like Micheals or Ben Franklin.
Feathers,metal/glass beads,waterproof paint,glues,
chennille,yarn,foam,scissors,razors,doll goolie eyes,
tinsle...etc etc
I found this foam cutter at Micheals and
made crickets with it.

Thanks Lonestar, good call. I plan to hit a hobie/craft store this weekend if the weather keeps me off the water.

[knobcreekman]

Let me give you one, (only one) other recommendation. GOOGLE "Feather-Craft". It's a fly fishing/fly tyeing specialty shop in St. Louis. BUT what you really want is to get a copy of the paper catalog. Not only does it have ALL the good stuff at competitive prices, it's a great "read". Not only entertaining, but very educational; in many cases it will tell you specifically what this "gizmo" is used for, or how to tie this specific fly. It's priceless, and a must read for a fly tyer.

This is a great tip. I do this with the Hook & Hackle catalog... Now, I'll have to order one from Feather Craft.

[flflash]

Thats a darn nice looking cricket!

[59Bassman]

I get a lot of my tying materials from Joann Fabric, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's. You kind of need to know what you're looking for, and what you're going to do with it. I had one material sitting on my shelf for 2 years before I found a use for it, and now it's the key ingredient in one of my top-producing trout flies.

The thread from sewing shops is significantly different from fly-tying thread. It's tempting to buy those spools of cotton thread to get started, but they will frustrate you something fierce.

[Phish]

Lonestar, I was looking at them cutter at Pat Catan's as they were on clearance. I guess I missed out on them now but will go back over there and check. That is perfect for nice looking hoppers.

Another great source of materials is Goodwill. I once found a big bag of small ultra chenille that will outlast my lifetime and someone else. cool find!

[Not2Day]

My vise came in the mail today!! After I got my chores done I had some time to play with the new toys so I made my first try at tying. I struggled through tying an EZ-Nymph. It came out pretty poor but may catch a fish if the fish is bad near sighted or really hungry Well it's a learning process. I discovered I needed to practice tying whip knots and just getting the thread to wrap where I want it to. I practiced with just a hook and thread for a little bit and once I was more comfortable I tied another EZ-Nymph. The second one came out much better. I think I'll tie a few more of these before I move on to my next lesson, I need to order some materials for my next lessons anyway.

[Ruffells]

Any recommendations on a good rotary vice?

I use a Peak Rotary and I love it. Our best choice for buying flytying stuff is between bass pro and hobby lobby

[Not2Day]

Any recommendations on a good rotary vice?

I use a Peak Rotary and I love it. Our best choice for buying flytying stuff is between bass pro and hobby lobby

It sucks that we don't have a good place for fly fishing/tying stuff close by. Taking off to BassPro afterwork burns an entire evening and $20 in gas

[airbornemike]

If you dont have a local fly shop close, internet order from a independent fly shop. I try to support them when ever possible, the big box giants will be just fine with out my green.