Jig Tying - What to buy? The nuts and bolts of it...

I've extracted this information from some of my posts to other fishing sites.  I hope that this basic information will help those with an interest in getting started into jig or fly tying.

What to buy?  The nuts and bolts of it...

Some tying kits can be a waste of money.  Generally, these include a number of materials in very small quantities.  I started back into tying about nine years ago with a very inexpensive kit.  Broke the vise jaws on the fifth fly.  Most of the materials found their way to the bottom of my storage boxes, save some peacock herl and chenille yarn.

Here's the equipment that I'd recommend purchasing just to get started into tying to see if you like it.  Most of these items can be purchased at a drug, department, or craft store, with the exception of the vise, hooks/jig heads, bobbin, and hackle pliers.

• Vise - Get at least an AA, possibly off of eBay.
• Hackle pliers and/or forceps.
• Sally Hansen or Revlon cuticle scissors.
• Thread (40 wt. trilobal polyester) - Stay away from Rayon.
• Tweezers (Kiss RED or Tweezerman).
• Cheap Bobbin - By using the thread I mentioned, you shouldn't suffer many, if any, breakages
• Dubbing needle (Bodkin) - A pith needle from a dissecting kit or a fine point punch will do very well.  This tool can be used for applying glue/polish/cement and for tying head finishing knots like the whip finish.
• Hooks/jig heads.
• Clear nail polish - Used as a thread sealer in place of head cement.

Here is a photo of some items that I use regularly for jig tying.

• Flush cutter (A) - Used to remove jig collars and collar barbs.
• Cuticle scissors (B) - Cuts bulky hairs and fibers. 
• Fine point cuticle scissors (C ) - Cuts fine hairs from a jig or fly held in the vise.
• Forceps (D) - Grips hooks, feathers, and hairs.  A very useful all-around tool.
• Tweezers (E) - Pulls hairs and feather ends from finished flies and jigs for a well-trimmed appearance.
• Styrofoam (F) - Used to hold freshly painted jig heads.

I won't recommend any materials because they will depend on the type of jigs that you wish to tie.  You might go to Fly Anglers OnLine to look at their tutorials for beginners.  It's a very good web site.  They can show you what you'll need for tying, but forget about the suggestion of a bobbin threader.  If threading a bobbin is a problem, I can provide you a trick for that.

And...here it is.