Fly Fishing BS thread

here's a minnow from a few seasons back..

 

does anyone on here know of any decent resources for buying fly tying gear? doesn't matter if its used or not. I want to get into it, but I cant justify the startup cost of a decent vise, bobbin, etc. from everything I hear the starter kits just frustrate you more than anything and about the time you get the hang of one aspect, the vise breaks.

 

If you don't have a local fly shop, you can try ebay or one of the many online fly fishing forum classified sections. A used Renzetti vise won't set you very far back and will last a long time.

All you really need to start other than hooks, feathers and thread are a vise, thread bobbin, whip finisher and a decent pair of scissors. Buy quality for these four items and you'll enjoy more and save money in the long run.

 

yea we have a pretty good fly shop down here, but its just so expensive to get it from them. ive cruised a few of the fly forums that popped up first on the google machine but their classifieds seemed to be dead at best. thanks though! I may just go talk to the fly shop guys and see if they know of anyone looking to offload some stuff.

 

Washington Fly Fishing Forum has a very active classifieds section. Most guys who've been tying for a while have rooms full of materials they thought they'd use but never did. Much cheaper to buy from those guys!

 

I haven't run across that site yet. thanks bud!

 

I have a cheaper vise that I use. Its nothing super nice, but it gets the job done.

As for tools, I have a basic Terra tool kit. The scissors that come with it are the same as Dr Slick scissors just re-branded. Again, nothing fancy but they get the job done.

As for material, I use Ebay, Amazon, local shops, and chain stores like Field and Stream for materials and hooks.

100% wild. The stream I caught said fish in has a class B reproducing population of both brook and brown trout. Also, PFBC stopped stocking tiger trout in 2005 and no private clubs stock the stream as it is it located in a state forest.

 

Have you tried www.Feather-craft.com

Or Cabelas

 

I started with a Cabela's deluxe kit. It came with far more material than I have ever used/needed. Some tools were decent and for $50 it was hard to beat. If I were to do it over I would decide on my top five favorite flies. Decide which material you need and try to minimize your start up cost by picking flies that require, for the most part, the same material. Pick easy to moderate flies to develop your skills first. Make a ton of them. I make a bunch of elk hair caddis as that is generally my go to dry here. I need to get back into it and make a bunch of midges.

Most fly materials are easily sourced if you have hunting friends or hunt yourself.

 

so the cabelas kit worked out pretty well? from everything ive read the vise is the main thing that goes In short order. but yea I will try to get all my materials myself. I already have a collection of squirrel tails and deer fur that will be a starter. now to shoot some skunks and coyotes to vary what I have.

 

Id recommend picking a few ties you fish often that you want to learn and purchase the materials specifically for them vs a "kit" with a mix of materials. Then slowly build from there. I dont tie a ton of different flies but the ones I do tie typically share some of the same materials. Its much easier this way I think. You can expand as needed and not have a buncha stuff youre never gonna use

 

My dad and I at Pyramid Lake, NV
IMG_1561 by Lucas Dodson, on Flickr

 

Did you guys ladder fish?

 

Picked up a few more items over the winter:

Orvis Safe Passage sling pack (the older version - I found one at the nearby Orvis outlet) - I hate wearing a vest.
TFO Professional II - 6Wt - for casting dries on some of the bigger rivers here
St Croix Legend Ultra - 5 Wt - picked this up for under $200 on one of those daily markdowns at Cabela's - just stumbled on it.
Ross Essence - 3Wt - $47 at Sierra Trading Post - will use for small streams.
LL Bean Kennebec Waders - replaced a pair of that were stolen a couple of years ago. I fish primarily ponds so I was ok with not replacing them last year. Had some LL Bean points and found them on sale with only 1 left in my size.....pulled the trigger.

Can't wait for some warmer weather.

 

They have an extensive registration process for ladders now. We just waded out to the ledge and casted as far as humanly possible

 

Buddy of mine was out there on the 3rd of this month, when it was colder than cold. Ladder fishing. This was one of several he and a another guy landed. Bastards. 15 lbs.

 

Gotcha. Ive seen videos of the ladder fishing thought it was neat.

I have one and love it.

 

I was easily able to load everything from my vest into it with room to spare. Can't believe I stumbled on it as I had been looking online for a while. Picked it up for $49. Feels really comfortable and is very accessible.

 

Me too. I think mine is about 13 years old now and still holding up great.

 

Awesome. I hope to get that much life out of mine.

I switch from a hip pack to the sling pack about 6 months ago and love it. The hip pack was ok....

When I fish, I typically do a lot of hiking (2 weekends ago, I hiked 12 miles) and the sling pack is perfect for this. Super comfortable. Holds enough gear - tippet bar, 4 fly boxes, water bottle, granola bars, sammich, first aid kit, flashlights, spare spool, and a buncha other dumb shit. My back doesnt hurt at all with all that shit strapped to it.

Im still looking for a way to strap my hammock to the sling pack for summer.....