Fly Tying Tuesday: Equipment Makes a Difference

Tying tools ready to create

If you are new to fly tying, I have a very important message for all of you:  QUALITY FLY TYING TOOLS MATTER!

Just as a master woodworker will use only the best products to produce his masterpieces, or the most popular home builder will utilize the highest quality materials; the quality of your fly tying tools and equipment will be in direct correlation to the ease and efficiency at which your patters are created.  I'm not going to list "the best" tying products and materials because that is a very subjective argument.  I like what I like because it is the right fit for my tying style.  Some tyers may have a much better experience with a particular vise or bobbin because it fits their style a bit better than it would another fly-tyer.  Diligent research, experimentation, and an objective, critical review of your experience will be the best way to determine what tools may be the best fit for you and the patters you are interested in tying.

If you have yet to dive into fly-tying, or have recently picked up the "hobby", I don't want to deter you from purchasing those products you have had your eyes on, or give the impression that the goods you've recently purchased are not up to par.  I'm just speaking from personal experience.

If I would have had access to quality fly-tying gear and materials, I would have been enamored with this pastime many years ago.  I began fly-tying in college.  We found an old NOLL fly-tying kit at my grandfather's house.  Included were various tying materials (feathers, furs, etc.), threads, ribbing materials, floss, hackle pliers and an instruction manual.  As a college student, with an increasing interest in fly fishing, this was the perfect find.

"IT'S FUN!"

"IT'S EASY!"

"TIE YOUR OWN!"

Little did I know, bobbins really make the fly-tying process work well.  This kit, on the other hand, guides you  to a finished fly by hand and hackle pliers.  A very difficult task for an impatient college kid.  I didn't do the research, I didn't put more effort into it, I gave up.  

Five year's later, I find the same kit in my crawl space.  This time, I do some research.  Dave Cammiss' site "Learn Fly Tying" was a major reason I stuck with it the second time around.  I still hadn't learned my lesson, however, and purchased the cheapest products I could find.  Frugal by nature, I thought, "A vise is a vise".  I know so much better now.  I realize that bobbins, vises, threads, scissors, materials, lighting and head cements (among everything else) are not created equal!  My second chance at tying was spent wrestling with a cheap vise, breaking thread (from the poor bobbin quality) and spending extra, unnecessary effort to tie simple patters.  This inefficient use of time taught me another valuable lesson in tying, and it will definitely not be the last.  

If you love to fly-fish, are committed to the art of tying your own flies, and want to get off to a head start;  be diligent in the purchase of your tying products and materials.  Your flies will be better (and easier to tie) because of it.