Don't buy a fly tying kit.

If you can, go to a local fly shop to get your stuff. You can get all of this stuff online for sure but go to the local store first anyway. Here’s why. Your online store doesn’t offer local advice. You can lay your hands on the tools and materials... [Read More]

If you travel away from home to a stream you’ve never fished, going to a fly shop to ask about local conditions is a good move. None of these fly shops are going to charge you for that advice, but in karmic terms you still owe. Buy a shop hat... [Read More]

The mark of a professional is that they can produce a final product that is both uniform and of high quality. Whether it’s a golf swing or dicing onions you get there through repetition. Fly tying is no different, tying a number of flies in succession is the path to... [Read More]

And this I mean two ways. First, tie fewer flies better. If you do that you require fewer tools and a smaller variety of materials which leads to the second way I mean this. Tie flies using better materials. [Read More]

I am proposing that you spend $350 for fly tying tools (most of that number spent on a tying vise) and following that up by dropping another $350 for materials. Seven hundred bucks is a fair bit of money, but you’ve probably shit away as much if not more than... [Read More]