Starter Kit - FL Saltwater

[iacas]

What would you list as a beginner's kit for saltwater fly tying in Florida? What kinds and colors of material, that sort of thing? The kit should provide the most bang for the buck and allow for a wide variety of flies to be tied.

Pretty broad question, but perhaps someone else can start a thread like this for each section of the country, and then beginners (like myself) can have a good resource when they look to buy their first set of fly tying materials.

[iacas]

Just a clarification: I don't mean a "kit" as in those boxed things they sell in stores.

I mean a list of a good "starter set" of stuff that the fly tyer could gather himself.

So, something like:
a) bucktail in white, red, black, brown, green
b) flashabou in silver, gold, yellow, green
etc.

A good set of materials and colors that allow the new fly tyer to tie a variety of flies without getting into the really exotic materials.

[Quicksilver]

If I were you I would visit a few of your local fly shops and inquire as to the best patterns and hook sizes for the fish you want to target. You might want to buy 3 to 5 flies so you can copy them. In order to be cost effective you need to be specific as to what you will be tying. With regards to saving money on materials, I have found that pearl colored crystal flash will blend with almost any other material. Silver and gold flashabou might be identical to Christmas tinsel, (that can be picked up for pennies after Xmas.) I have saved some bucks purchasing bucktails on ebay. I dye my own. A fairly recent development with fly tying is a synthetic material that can be colored with marking pens. The first might have been Glimmer. There are more now. They are similar to Angel Hair. They are not a strong material, but you can construct a great looking fly out of one material. (Just my .02 worth from a frugal dude.)

[Ozmo]

Hi Iacas,

I live just a little ways south of you (deerfield area) and I started tying & fly fishing last year. FYI, I also fly fish out of my kayak. For the real basics you need chartreuse bucktail, white bucktail, chartreuse craft fur, white craft fur, red lead eyes, pearl krystal flash, and hooks. Then you can make a variety of chartreuse & white clousers. That should be all you need for our area!! ;->

Seriously though, that actually is a very productive fly down here. You might want to come to the south florida fly fishing club meeting next week at IGFA in Dania. It's Tuesday the 25th, we usually have tying (or something) from 6-7, then the meeting from 7-9. Also, the first Wed of each month (except December) we have fly tying at Bass Pro in Dania. You can get more information at our website: www.sfffc.com .

You also might be interested in the Ft. Lauderdale Yak Fishing club.

ken