Fly Tying Kit Selection

[Slip Sinker]

i am new to fly fishing just about 3 weeks into it. ive been buying packaged foam spider that after less than a day of fishing these things need repair. eventually i would like to tie my own. now ive seen kits as low as 18 dollars on ebay but are they sufficient? what should i be looking for?

[Earl W Story]

Congratulations! You have now sold your soul to the fly tying devil. This will take over your life and consume your time and fortune. Nothing will be safe or sacred from being picked or plucked for tying your latest idea. Any shred of mental health will disappear in your quest for the perfect bug creation.

But there are many of us in the same shape to keep you company!  

[Leo Nguyen]

Indeed. Welcome to the dark, feathery, side.

[Ray Ditzenberger]

If you bought the above kit it should be a good start. I can't tell about the vise. As long as it holds hooks well you are in business. Welcome to the Fly Tying fraternity

[Jim Ducy]

I think the tools are great. But I think you should upgrade to a regal knock off. They are very simple to use and no   adjusting the vise to hold a hook. One more thing that can get in the away of a beginner.

Fishin'Jimmy

[Bob Davis]

Here in Southern Wisconsin the foam spider is the ultimate bait for drifting the large blue gills.  I suppose the choice of colors may very well have a lot to do with what the region's BG are eating but up this way, the 2MM craft foam in green is really the hot ticket with white or yellow legs.  Once you get into this project and get good at it, you should be able to tie a bug in under 5 minutes and as mentioned by others, they should last several outings if done correctly.  But one thing I've found is they will not last forever.  We've found 1 helpful tip for making them last just a little longer is to use a minimum of 8# test mono leader so when you have a fish you plan to keep, just pull on the leader if swallowed  and it will rip right out.  The BGs do love to swallow these little critters and trying to fish them out with a needle nose or hemostat will shorten the life of them as you dig around inside their mouths.  If you want to release the fish, you really have no choice but the life is shortened greatly on both the spider and the fish it you dig around too long way down deep.  My personal preference is a #8 bronze Aberdeen hook which will straighten out some when pulling on the 8lb.test leader but it can be reshaped with your needle nose or hemostat.  Also a small dab of super glue on the underside will also help make them stay together a bit longer.  Just give them a good several hours to cure.  I leave them hang on a small pc. of Styrofoam for a day before adding them to my tackle box.  Don't get crazy with a lot of different colors of foam.  Take the color choices offered here and stick with them.  You can rack up a lot of extra cost by getting everything there is available.  Trust me on this account!  I've paid the price!  Anyway, Good luck and post some pics when you have time.  Sincerely,  Bob

[Slip Sinker]

thanks Bob... when i started practicing casting on the lake with BGs i was guided at the tackle shop for wood poppers with and without spider legs and the foam spider. i bought the spider in two different sizes. the popper with rubber legs out produces without 3 to 1. small spider outproduces large by about the same margin. no matter what lake i fish from around here.

the problems i was having with the durability is the foam sliding down the shank and the rubber legs being torn off. the super glue i think would be a good fix and im waiting for them to dry out. i would  like to take it a step further and wrap some thread and slide the body over that too. the manufacturer is missing the boat on that. your right about the tools removing the lures from BGs especially the small ones. i crushed a couple poppers this way. have you tried the hook um removal tool? at first glance it looks too large for small bgs and thats where im having the problem.

do they sell foam in diameters that you know of?.

[Ray Ditzenberger]

Yes, the foam is sold in the shape of tubes in various colors and sizes at most fly shops. I am sure it would be available on the net as well. My poppers are made of 2mm craft foam and I cut 1/4" disks out of the foam with a paper hole punch and I glue the disks together with CA  to form the cylinders. You can put legs between the disks as I glue them together if I want legs. I can sit and watch the tube and make up the bodies. Good way to kill a rainy Saturday.

[Ray Ditzenberger]

I first started tying or making small poppers and that is how I got my start in flytying. I could not find poppers in the size I wanted so I had to make my own. I went into hair bugs for bass next which is not what I would recommend. Hair bugs is not a great place to go as an early learning experience. ( find an old bungie and cut the end off and carefully remove the woven cover. You will find a rubber core made from a bunch of small round rubber strings that work well for legs. For the price of a sheet of foam and a hook and a spool of tying thread one can make a couple hundred of floating spiders.) these spider are also quite durable. You will lose more of them than you will wear out.

 

I will also say that I have mostly gone to a spider made from craft foam for my BG surface fishing. It is cheap and readily available in many colors though I only tie in yellow and can be done on any size hook. I use mostly size 10 but use from 8 to 14. I find that the spiders are faster to make and work just as well or better than the small poppers. Just my opinion. Go to my page and you will find a pic of the flies that I mostly use for BG.

[shooter]

well Ken the advice you are getting here is all good,just take your time and do a little research,my advice would be to go to YOUTUBE,and enter  fly tying ,there is a wealth of show and tell on the tube.