# Tools Foy Tying?



## IGbullshark (Aug 10, 2012)

Hey guys im buying a vice to start tying my own flies and was wondering what tools I should get. What do you guys think? I will be tying a wide variety of flies with a primary focus on terrestrials and streamers.


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## fishfray (Jul 19, 2012)

These are about all the tools that I use. From top to bottom...
-bobbins: regular for bigger thread and ceramic for smaller
-scissors:VERY important, get good ones, eventually they will probably get dull and need replacing
-whip finisher tool
-needle tool for moving things around or applying head cement 
-dubbing loop tool. Not necessary but can be used to make some cool flies
- 2 styles of hackle pliers, mainly only use these with smaller flies
-dubbing brush: this isn't needed, I just use a toothbrush.
- one thing I forgot to add is a hair stacker, many people use them, I just use an empty Chapstick tube.

You can probably find all of these tools in a kit for a good deal somewhere. Hope you enjoy fly tying, it is a great addition to the sport.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

fishfray said:


> These are about all the tools that I use. From top to bottom...
> -bobbins: regular for bigger thread and ceramic for smaller
> -scissors:VERY important, get good ones, eventually they will probably get dull and need replacing
> -whip finisher tool
> ...


Do you tie without a vice?


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## fishfray (Jul 19, 2012)

Lol I thought he meant he already bought a vice but maybe not. I use a griffin odyssey spider vise. Under $100 and it is rotary. I think it's a really good value for what it is


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

A friend of my father's (both fishing the great lake now) used to tie a vareity of streamers and larger patterns without a vise.


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

Get a bobbin , Good ! scissors , Bodkin , Whip Finisher , Hair Stacker , Bobbin threader .
Some half hitch tools are you can do it with your fingers ...that should get you started. A mustache comb , and a tooth brush come in handy when working with synthetics and wool. Make sure you get scissors with large loops...I tend not to put the scissors down as once you get used to having them in your hand ..theres more you can do with them besides cutting..


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

A long time after learning to do it with fingers, I got a tool to do it, learned to do that, and basically immediately went back to doing it with fingers. Huh... what are we talking about here? Oh right, half hitches...


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Shortdrift said:


> .......without a vise.


I still tie a few here and there simply locking hooks into vise grips. I started out at about age 14 with the chittiest vise you can imagine and a nice set of pointed vise grip pliers held in my hand was an upgrade. Just takes a few more step and planning. No joke. I would rather tie with vise grips than a non rotating vise. 

Like nitsud, all my half hitches and whip finish knots are done with my fingers. Learned that way first. I tie a lot of jigs as well and need to work around bulky heads and material. I actually bought a whip finisher tool and broke the arm on it the 2nd time i tried it because i could not get it near as tight as i could with my fingers. Did not buy another.

A tooth brush (as fishfray shows) or velcro popsicle stick is a must if you want to create terrestrial buggies with dubbing IMO. Need something to pull/pick out your dub a little before locking it in or ribbing it good.

A dubbing twister is a great tool also. Fishfray shows one, but i use a weighted homemade version that i like better than the stem style.

Only other item i see missing that is always out on my table is a good SHARP straight edge razor.

All my preferences come from a few years worth of tying. You will end up with your own style and preferences after tying only a few flies.


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## IGbullshark (Aug 10, 2012)

Thanks for the responses guys! I already have a vice....well i ordered it and am just waiting for it to show up. I ended up going with a Dyna King Kingfisher. Im checking out the different manufacturers to see if they offer tool kits so that i don't have to buy a ton of individual things from all over the place. Ill make sure to find something with as much of this stuff as possible. Luckily a lot of this seems to be household items. Well the toothbrush, razor blade etc certainly is. After putting off getting started for several years, im certainly excited to give it a shot!


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## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

I'm just starting to tie again after many, many years. My tools are so old they are from Herter's and the vise was getting worn. My son-in-law sent me his spare AA vise so I'm ready to start.

BTW: I tell my wife that I have no vice as it's different than the vise I use to tie.  It's all in the spelling.


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

nitsud said:


> A long time after learning to do it with fingers, I got a tool to do it, learned to do that, and basically immediately went back to doing it with fingers. Huh... what are we talking about here? Oh right, half hitches...




You can do a hand whip finish to.....not as good as with the tool....but still works . just depends on the fly and what I'm using for or if on head finish . I most generally whip and water base head cement....on big streamers a couple half hitches and super glue is just fine.


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## Crawdude (Feb 6, 2013)

Hey IG! It's great you're going to get into fly tying! When we talked at the fly fishing show about tying flies you seemed slightly hesitant to start a new addiction, and understandably!

I'd say scissors (small for detail work, you will eventually get several scissors), a bobbin with a ceramic insert will save you a lot of headache snapping thread while you learn thread tension, a hackle pliers (us to clip on the end of thread you break to keep tension on with while you add new thread), bodkin, whip finisher, eyebrow comb with metal tines and a bristle brush (from the ladies isle), head cement, unicorn hair, and pixie dust.


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