I've been tying for many decades now and can still remember how I learned to
tie my first few flies. I was a kid who grew up in a household where fly
fishing was THE sport. My father and a friend of his, Lloyd Sylvius
(Sylvius Tackle Shop at Harris and Union Streets in Eureka, CA...which has
been out of business for a number of decades now) taught me....one fly at a
time. I was given a Thompson vise and related gear by my dad...and some
hooks and feathers from Lloyd...and tied my first fly...a wooly worm. I was
in grade school at the time. After that, as I began to fish and use a
variety of patterns on local waters, I learned to tie the fly that I needed
at the time. I learned one fly at a time...and purchased only that which
was needed to tie that one fly. Over time, I learned a variety of
techniques and gathered only those materials that I really used. What I've
seen in most "kits" is a large quantity of junk with very little in the way
of materials that you would use regularly. Taking a fly tying class at a
local college or university...or one of the classes sponsored and/or taught
by many of the fly shop or fly fishing clubs is also a good idea. In
teaching others, I have usually insisted that they tie one fly very well
before proceeding to another pattern.

As an aside...I still have many flies tied by C. Jim Prey...who also fished
with my dad at one time although I was too young at the time to remember it.
Jim Prey tied some of the first optic flies on the Northcoast and tied them
sans vise. They were a bit crude by today's standards...but they caught
fish. By way of saying, there are flies tied to catch the eye of those who
purchase flies based upon how they look as opposed to how well they catch
fish.

Barry


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello all. I've been a freshwater angler for some time now and am ready
to try my hand at fly fishing. I live in North Georgia were there are
several trout streams and even a river within a 5-10 minute walk from
my house.
Anyways, this month I'll be headed to Bass Pro Shops to pick out fly
fishing gear but thought that in the meantime, I'd like to order a
beginners fly-tying kit, preferrably with an instructional DVD so I can
go ahead and learn the ropes of fly tying and have a few flies on me
before I get out on the water.
Something along these lines:
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...arget=bro wse
Anyone have this kit? Is it a good starter kit?
Between Tivo and DVD's, I don't even have a VCR hooked up anymore so
I'd really like something with a DVD as opposed to VHS tape.

Any recommendations on this kit or any others would be appreciated.
I'd like to keep the cost to under $50, as well.
Thanks.