beginners fly tying kit manchester

[dankay123]

ok im taking "in the surface's" advice and im gonna have a go at tying my own. where will i get a beginners kit that wont cost the earth and local to where i live any donations would be great lol

[bill1]

Dan
The general consensus on here seems to be to avoid kits to start off with. You are likely to end up with a load of materials that you won't use and the quality of some kits is questionable.
There have been several recent threads in this section on advice for beginners fly tying vices which is where you need to start. My own view is that you don't need to spend a fortune. There are also some threads on what else a beginner needs. This will include as a beginning :-

A sharp pair of scissors and an "any old pair" for cutting tinsel and wire.
a bobbin holder
a pair of hackle pliers
and probably a whip finish tool- not essential but most people use them.
You'll need a small desk and some good light.

Materials will depend on what kind of flies you intend to tie. Ideally, buy materials as you need them.
You could start off say with spiders and a few threads and hackles will be sufficient.

A good book to get you going is Peter Gathercoles "The Fly tying Bible" or "Fly tying for beginners"
There are lots of videos on YouTube. Davie McPhail is excellent and David Camiss has done a series of progressive flies for beginners.
There are some good Step By Step guides on this forum
You could consider joining the flytyers guild - there is a branch in Altrincham - I think.

For supplies - Stockport Fly Fishing shop has stuff as has the shop at Meadow Fishery near Chester. I pick up stuff when I am in John Norris in Penrith.

A lot of guys on here get their stuff online and I'll leave them to advise you who to go to.

[arkle]

I think the nearest branch of Home & News to you may be Congelton, If it is, contact the sec. & learn by about the best & fastest way possible. If it's to far then also check out Gwent Angling Society as they have loads of excellent vid's alongside Davie McP's. Another youtube name to look out for is David Cammiss.

[mac 10]

Dan,

As mentioned, The fly tying bible is a great book for beginners. I have it electronically as a pdf file on my laptop. I have it on my laptop in front of me when I am tying. If you send me a PM with your email address I'll send you a copy of it if you want.

Regards,

Nick.

[in the surface]

Excellent decision, Dankay123
I'd echo the advice here and buy the exact tools and materials you need, rather than buying a kit.

I'd recommend a ceramic bobbin holder. They're a bit pricey but will last years upon years. Non-ceramic ones will get grooved and eventually cut thread.

Dries:
A genetic cock neck or saddle would be beneficial. Grizzle is probably the most useful colour. Necks will tie a greater size ranges but the trade-off is that you get fewer hackles per-size.

Some CDC is a great idea for dry flies too.
Poly-yarn for parachute-posts.

You might want some micro-fibbets or coq de leon feathers for tails on your upwing dry flies.

Spiders:
Game-bird feathers and perhaps some Pearsall's tying silk if you want to do them "by the book". maybe some hen-hackles.

Nymphs:
Pheasant Tail, Hare's fur (probably from the hare's ear).
metal beads. Shell-back for czec-nymphs.

General Materials:
Almost all tyers will have peacock herl and copper wire,
some dubbing (olive, grey, rust, black) (make sure it's not water-absorbant if you're using it for dries), dubbing wax.

Hooks:
heavy hooks, light hooks, curved hooks.

Vice:
Vices are often very expensive, but I use a Thompson Model A and find it perfect. It costs about a tenth of a top-end vice but it works brilliantly.

Anyway that's based on my own tying. You'll quickly know yourself what you need and don't need.

You will probably find that you break thread when you start. I remember using 8/0 thread and breaking it like it was cotton wool. Now if I use 17/0 (probably the lightest thread there is), I never break it. So remember that the amount of tension you naturally want to put on the thread is probably too much. The gel-spun threads like Roman Moser Powersilk are very strong but they are slippy, which is a drawback.

Here are some places you might look for materials:

Fly-tying materials and fly tying tools and accessories - Lakeland Fly-Tying
Cookshill Fly Tying Materials (has a great reputation for natural materials)
FlyTek Fly Fishing, Yorkshire, fly tying materials, fly fishing equipment.
Fly Tying Materials, Fly Tying Equipment, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying – Fly Tying Boutique


Sportfish - Fly Fishing Tackle and Fly Fishing Equipment
http://www.fishingmegastore.com
All Fishing Tackle | Fly Fishing Rods | Coarse Fishing Gear
Fly Fishing Tackle, Country Clothing & Fishing Equipment Shop
Farlows


All the best with the tying! let us know how you get on!

[Billy2]

Sorry guys got to disagree.
When you start tying the range of vices, tools, capes, tinsels, wires, flosses, feathers....etc, etc is confusing to say the least.
Most kits, coupled with a good book, contain enough materials and tools to help you learn the basic techniques you will need to tie flys. If it's not for you, pass it on to a mate that wants to give it a go.

Billy

[tupps]

Peter Gathercole's books make excellent fly tying primers and reference material for the future.

[steve collyer]

Originally Posted by Billy2

Sorry guys got to disagree.
When you start tying the range of vices, tools, capes, tinsels, wires, flosses, feathers....etc, etc is confusing to say the least.
Most kits, coupled with a good book, contain enough materials and tools to help you learn the basic techniques you will need to tie flys. If it's not for you, pass it on to a mate that wants to give it a go.

Billy

Thing is, the basic kits are around £50 & do contain a load of stuff a beginner won't use.
The materials are also often odds & sods, sub-standard leftovers.
Most people who want to start fly-tying already know what patterns they want to tie, so buying a kit which may or may not include materials for those patterns is a pointless waste of money.

Maybe it would be best to ask Dan what patterns he wants to tie?