How to Buy a Fly-Tying Kit as a Gift
Tying your own flies is a true craft in fly-fishing. It isn't hard to put together a kit that will give your aspiring fly fisher some basic tools to get started.
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Things You'll Need
- Fly-fishing Wading Jackets
- Backing/fly-fishing
- Bobbin/fly Fishing
- Fishing Fly Box
- Fishing Fly Kit
- Fly-fishing Flies
- Fly-fishing Leaders
- Fly-fishing Lines
- Fly-fishing Nets
- Fly-fishing Reels
- Fly-fishing Rods
- Fly-fishing Vests
- Waders
- Vises
Instructions
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Decide how much to spend. Check out prices online or at your local fishing shop and compare - you may be able to save money and get better components if you make your own. You can put together a basic kit for about $100.
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Get a vise, which helps the fly fisher do his or her tying. Vises come in two styles, pedestal and clamp, with the pedestal allowing more flexibility because it's free-standing.
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Add scissors. Spend a little extra to get fine-tipped, sharp scissors that will allow your fly tier to clip in small places or when using fine materials.
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Include a bobbin, which holds the spool of thread as the fly is tied. Bobbins come in different lengths and widths.
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Get a pair of hackle pliers, which are used to wrap the end of the feather around the hook. See if you can afford ones with a rubber jaw that won't cut the feather as readily as the kinds with the metal-serrated jaw.
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Include a basic fly-tying book with pictures that will give your fly fisher some ideas about how to get started tying flies.
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Use your imagination and come up with an alternative to wrapping for presenting your gift. You can put it all in a box the fly fisher can store finished flies in, in a net he or she can use for catches or in a vest with pockets to store all the equipment.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider including a bodkin, which is a needle that's used to add the cement to finish the fly and to clean up stray feathers. However, a toothpick or pin can serve the same purpose more inexpensively.
Think about how good your prospective fly fisher's vision is and whether you want to include a desk lamp or magnifying lens for the detailed work of fly tying.
