Reddit mentions of Simple Flies: 52 Easy-to-Tie Patterns that Catch Fish

Quoting myself, because we get this type of question all the time.

> * Avoid the starter kits. The vises are generally crap and the materials are usually only enough to make a handful of flies. A good vise is going to be somewhere between 100-200 dollars, but certainly worth the investment. See here. I use a Peak Rotary Vise, and it's built like a fucking tank. You could certainly buy a starter tool kit (bobbin, bodkin, scissors, whip finisher, hackle pliers) but I wouldn't spend much more than 20 or 30 bucks on it, because you'll be upgrading them all eventually. The bare minimum I would say to get is a bobbin and a pair of scissors.

• Start easy. You're not going to be tying fully dressed salmon flies from the start. Your first flies are going to look like shit, but trust me, they will still catch fish. My first fly was an ugly scud imitation with some dubbing and a bead taught to me by a local angler, and to this day, is still one of my most productive patterns. If you want a good book to start, I'd suggest Simple Flies by Morgan Lyle. Certainly not a complete guide to all flies, but it's a basic book and has some nice history on each of the flies.
  
  > Find out what patterns are hot/successful in your area, along with the standards (Wooly Buggers, San Juan worms, PT and Hare's Ear nymphs, etc.) and buy materials accordingly.
  
  > Buy materials in bulk once you've got a decent repertoire of flies. Hooks tend to be the most expensive part of most flies (generally 15-20 cents per for most dry, nymph, scud and streamer hooks) so buy them on sale if you see them. Daiichi, Tiemco, Gamakatsu are all fine hooks and run about $20 for 100 hooks. Dry fly hooks are more fragile/brittle, so I don't cheap out on those, but for other styles, the quality may not be as important and you could buy other brands. Also, don't be offset by the price of Capes. $40-60 dollars for a bunch of feathers seems expensive at first, but you should be able to tie 100s of flies off one good cape. The Whiting Hackle Starter Pack is a good start for about $65 if you want to start tying dry flies. In the end, you're using maybe 50 cents worth of material (at most), for a fly that you would by from the shop for 2 or 3 bucks. The real cost is in time, but there is nothing more satisfying than catching a fish on your own fly.
  
  > Look to see if your local outfitter or TU Chapter has any Fly Tying nights. It's a good way to meet local anglers and you can learn quite a bit from them.
  
  > Crimp your barbs or buy barbless. When, not if, you hook yourself with a barbed hook, it sucks.
  
  > Buy 2 pairs of scissors, one fine tip/razor for small work and a heavier duty pair for cutting hairs, yarns, etc. Don't ever use your scissors on any wire. Learn how to tie with the scissors in your hand, it will save you a ton of time.
  
  > Youtube is a fantastic resource for video and instructions. I find it much easier to learn than trying to copy recipes from a book. Search for InTheRiffle, Davie McPhail and Jim Misiura. Thousands of high quality videos with just about every fly pattern you will ever tie. Don't be afraid to do something different either. Use whatever tricks and techniques work best for you.
  
  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions