Hey Chuck, I also had good luck when I was starting to tie with the bass pro kits. they include a video which features lefty kreh and mike hough (lefty does all of the intros, all of the saltwater, half of the bass; mike does the deer hair for the bass, all of the trout and all of the jigs) . lots of good tips & tricks in those videos including how to make some tools by hand rather than buying them (which i found odd for a product put out by a retail chain but I'm not complaining). The vise held hooks but I wore it out in six months (i found out about these things called swaps...) . The bodkin, scissors, & other tools were okay. I'm still using them now 3 yrs later. Scissors are relegated to cutting tougher materials but still functional. Some of the materials were okay (bucktail); not great but they worked and have caught fish. Some materials (head cement, hooks, lead eyes, thread, krystal flash, super hair, etc) were all from wapsi and the same as if you bought them separately. I liked the kits so much that I ended up getting all of them. I'd wait for a sale when they'd go for 30 bucks and, when possible, i'd use bass pro rewards points for them. What I liked about the kits was that the materials produced functional flies and the videos were (in my opinion) great to learn from. You also got enough material to tie a bunch of flies.
I think the key is expectation. I wanted to try tying, time was limited for lessons (did take some though) due to an impending baby, and I figured $50 was within my budget to start out. I knew the materials & tools wouldn't be of the quality as if I bought them individually. I also wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. I was correct on the vise; it did a decent job of holding the hook but I did wear it out with obsessive tying. BUT, I went into it expecting to upgrade if I did like it. The tools and the materials overall surprised me; most of them were just fine and worked well. A couple of bucktail pieces were iffy but they still caught fish. Maybe not the best presentation material but functional. The hackle has worked fine so far. The videos were just great. A lot of the tips lefty gives (and his leftyisms) I've heard/read him say in person, in books, and other videos. He gives you the real deal. I found that as I use up the kit material I have a better idea of what to look for in material selection. Also, using the cheap vise gave me a good idea of what I liked & didn't like in a vise. I then found the vice that met my needs (renzetti traveler) and I'm happy. I'd still like a regal for clousers though... ;-) So, if I knew now what I new then? I'd probably still have bought the kit but picked up a better vice at the same time. I priced out the items individually in the saltwater kit and by the time I bought head cement, hooks, lead eyes, basic tools, the video ($10 at BPS), and krystal flash I'd be close to, if not at, $50. $30 was even better. Okay, now I use sally hansen's instead of head cement for the most part but still... It worked out for me and I've had extra tools & such to give to friends who wanted to try fly tying. So that's my two cents as a recent beginner who was (and still is) on a budget. There are definite areas where quality is key. I have some imported hackles I got off of ebay and they work pretty well. But when I compare them to the few whiting items I have (which consists of a couple of saddle capes) there is a difference. As my budget allows I will get more and more of those but it's not an everyday purchase for me. I'm hoping to do the whiting co-op soon. I think if Byard was willing to put together a beginner tying kit it'd blow the other ones away so you might hold out for that if he's doing it. If not, then there are decent kits out there; you just have to look closely and set your expectations properly. Ken ps - i haven't seen the cabela's kits but i hear they're nice. On 6/21/05, mark romero <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Yeah, right Ken............lmao. mark > > >From: Jeff Frye <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: <[email protected]> > >To: <[email protected]> > >Subject: Re: [VFB] Fly Tying DVD > >Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:56:36 -0700 (PDT) > > > >I know one guy that actually saves money tying his > >own. He's the guy that got me started in fly-fishing. > >He only ties a dozen different patterns and that's > >what he fishes. Always seems to outfish me, too. > > > >--- Ken Staples <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > No no, fly tying is a way to save money! Just think > > > about all the > > > flies you would have to buy whenever you lose them > > > on an oyster bar, > > > mangrove tree, or coral head (or whatever fly > > > collecting objects you > > > have in your local waters). Overall it's a good > > > economic > > > value...Really...No, seriously, I mean it... ;-> > > > > > > Ken > > > > > > NOTE: please note the above message was intended to > > > be sarcastic and > > > in no way reflects my actual reality. It is a fun > > > hobby/obsession and > > > I find it to be very relaxing! > > > > > > On 6/20/05, Mike Morris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hang on to your wallet, You might want to try > > > drugs instead. In the long > > > > run they are less addictive and far cheaper. LOL > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mike M > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > > > > Behalf Of Chuck Alexander > > > > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 12:51 AM > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > Subject: [VFB] Fly Tying DVD > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Folks: I rented the DVD "Fly Tying" by John > > > Perry... Man.... I GOTTA get a > > > > fly tying kit.... I went to a local tackle store > > > Near here and they were > > > > out, but I'll get one from this bigger store near > > > here... That DVD was/is > > > > AWESOME... In fact, i'm gonna BUY it from Netflix > > > instead of returning it... > > > > It is like magic tricks being revealed.. The way > > > flies are tied... Me, my > > > > wife and my 13, and 11 yr old son (Only kids left > > > still at home), were all > > > > spellbound, and ALL wanna try tying flies... I > > > can't wait to try... and now > > > > that I understand some of the "lingo" better.. I > > > can better understand what > > > > you guys are talking about at times LOL..I just > > > think, that to be able not > > > > only to catch the fish, but to create the fly that > > > caught the fish must be > > > > an awesome feeling for you guys who tie your own > > > right???? I'll send ya'll a > > > > pic of my first disasters (er uh, I mean attempts > > > LOL)....Chuck > > > > > > > > > > > > >____________________________________________________ > >Yahoo! Sports > >Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football > >http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com > > >
