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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Flyman2
Posts: 5
Flyman2 on Oct 2, 2015October 2nd, 2015, 6:13 pm EDT
Have any of you purchased or seen fly tying kits available for purchase? Is this common? Do you have any thoughts on what types of tying materials would be included in a kit? This would be for a beginner of course

thanks
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Oct 3, 2015October 3rd, 2015, 12:05 am EDT
There are various degrees of quality and usefulness in most kits. Many of them include vises of poor quality and scissors that barely cut. Also the quality of the materials provided are in direct relationship to how much that kit cost initially.

Cabela's sells a material kit (no tools) for $139 and it looks like a very good kit to ties lots of flies with good material. I think it is good there are no tools since a good vise and scissors are very important you should buy them separately since the ones included in kits are of far lesser quality.

Spend as much as you can afford on a good vise and two pairs of scissors. One scissor for fine work and the other pair more robust for cutting hanks of deer hair, chunks of marabou, bigger jobs. For another $125 - $150 you can get good tools that will last a lifetime.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/cabela-s-premium-fly-tying-material-kit/744141.uts?

Here is a link to an auction on Ebay for a Regal Inex vise. I have one of these vises and have had it for over twenty years and have tied thousands of flies with it. It has a solid clamping method and it securely holds hooks from a #18 - #1/0.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Regal-Inex-fly-tying-vise-/201439710214?hash=item2ee6be0c06
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
TNEAL
GRAYLING. MICHIGAN

Posts: 278
TNEAL on Oct 3, 2015October 3rd, 2015, 11:31 am EDT

Great advice about tools. one sure way for beginners to be turned off is to get tools that can't do the job. Don't buy inexpensive tools! A good vise and good scissors should be life time tools for the average tyer. I have tied over 100,000 flies with one Regal and it's still going strong.

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