Can anyone help me get started fly tying?
I’ve read a couple articles and so many are saying don’t purchase a kit, they’re junk. But nothing is directing me to the proper equipment.
Can anyone recommend a book or a video?
Or what you have used to get started.

You know what they say about idle hands!!

Fly tying is always more appealing to novices when a book like the “Guide to Begining Fly Tying” by Orvis gives you the basics for fly-tying materials, fly patterns, and fly-tying techniques.

With the right fly tying tools and materials, you can start tying your own flies with what many consider to be the fly-tying bible for beginners and begin your fly fishing journey.

This is the highest rated fly tying book targeting beginner tyers, which makes this one of the best fly tying books for beginners.

That they dont go good with an itchy but?

Thanks.

Thanks !! I was looking at Orvis when I bought Chuckie his fly rod but ended up going with Moonshine company…

Also correct

Most fly tying kits are pretty basic. Some of the tools, like the vice, are great as scrap metal. I've bought or been given several starter kits over the years. The kits, if they're decent, will let you know if fly tying is for you. There's a learning curve to some of it, like anything else.

Don't give up if your first attempts don't look like they were tied by an expert. Several times I've looked at a finished fly, grabbed my Exacto knife to get rid of the evidence and started again.

An old guy once told me (maybe 50 years ago) that fish don't read the fishing books and judge a fly on looks. He told me that a fly only has to make a fish hungry or angry to strike.

Good luck.

Google. Feathercraft. Best fly tying dealer imho there is have everything. Books and everything best around started by Ed Story that created the crackleback fly. He dead and his son or sons continue the tradition get a renzetti traveler vice and it will last you a lifetime. Been tying since 60s and tie for all my fishing friend. The vice cost will hurt on price once but you will be happy in the long run other than vice the habit is fairly cheap.

Its easier than it appears. I had to meet with my sons kindergarten teacher 25 years ago. She said he had the best manual dexterity of any kid she had ever had. I told her that he ties flies as a hobby!

If catching is the goal.
Start with figuring out what bugs
hatch from the cricks you fish.
Hint, stone fly.
Size, color, insect stage.

Vise and bobbin are two main tools.
If jig tying a hair stacker is handy.

Grasshopper flies work wonders up here.

That's Awesome

It ain't rocket science. I had a small kit years ago, basically a cheap vice, and some basic tying material. Tied a lot of flies with that vice and some hooks, the thread and fluffy stuff is cheap, but you can make do with a lot of stuff you have in the house. I bet if you find a tying you tube channel you'll have the basics down real fast.

I like the book Western Trout Fly Tying Manual by Jack Dennis real well, I just got back in to fly tying aand it's almost as much fun as catching the fish. I started back in the 80's when a freind loaned me some of his stuff. If you watch some videps or get the book it'll show the tools you need. But you can find a lot of used stuff on ebay like a decent vice. You'll need a couple bobbins, I like the ones with a ceramic tip, hackle pliers, thread find a good store that carries fly tying equipment and you can put together what you need

A quality vise, thread and hooks are the best start to success and enjoyment IMO. Fly materials can be found and scavenged from just about anywhere and are only limited by your creativity in using them. Most fish can be well caught on a dozen or so basic and patterns but thousands are named and tied. The web is overflowing with info and instruction on it. Precision and lifelike match is often sought but not required as any honest fly fisher will admit the many fish taken on the rattiest looking fly in their box. Been a tyer for over 60 yrs(and a fly fisher for only a few) because many patterns can be tied on lead head jig for spin fishers as well. Have been collecting and experimenting with found materials until I admit I have so many tubs that I have a hard time organizing them. Only about 10% of them have been bought. You are a trapper so it shouldn't take long to have the fur materials covered, lol. Though I have never tied for production I used the cheapo kit vise for 15 yrs before my my endearing kids gave a mid level rotating vise. Game changer. FTing is like trapping with no absolutes and never say never. What works is what you can get fish to strike. Understanding the nature of the food web you are fishing and what your materials can accomplish are key much of the time. But never discount the willingness of fish to hit what they may have never seen before. I mention hooks because though you can tie flawless flies on inferior hooks you can always be sure you will hook well that trophy fish that may now be on your line when it counts most. My oddest fly pattern was tied using the petals on blue lupine flowers after one blew on the MT mountain cutthroat lake and was immediatly sucked in by a cut. After trying several dozen patterns on that water without maybe but one fish we caught cut after cut until we could find no more flowers on the flies we tied with our small portable the kit.

And my proudest catch was the golden trout we caught on our was flies from a heavily fished Bridger mountain lake.

Currently working on a weedless foam frog pattern for the monster fall sallies that swim our local Mississippi.

PM me if I can be of any other assistance as tying is a wonderful hobby that can occupy one for years and be very low cost as hobbies go.

I started off with a beginners kit from Cabelas 25-30 years ago. The kit sufficed and allowed me to learn what I like/disliked in tools etc. I have upgraded various tools/vice over the years. Lots of good videos online these days. Tie your first 1/2 dozen flies and put them away somewhere then reference them a year later, years later it will be amazing the improvement with practice.

Used to be a guy on here that tied some amazing Atlantic salmon flies, the things were crazy cool to look at. Can’t remember who it was though. I tied some as a kid but don’t have time for all I would like to do.

wws

Oh what a gorgeous trout!! ^^^

my boys went to a fly fishing class put on by 4 H. It was in a different county but sign up was state wide and they taught them to tie flies. They both tied one. May be a program or group of enthusiasts in your area.

Bud Guidry