Essential Fly
Tying Tools
I’ve come to
the realization that fly fishing is the sport
of gadgets. Fly
tying tools and
accessories is no exception.
Again,
as
with fly fishing accessories, although there are a multitude of
different tools
and gadgets available only a few besides the fly tying vise are
absolutely
necessary to get started.
They are:
-
Scissors
-
Bobbin
- Hackle
Pliers
- Bodkin or Dubbing Needle
These are the ones that
are essential
to have to get you
started fly tying. There
are others that
I would suggest getting to make your time at the bench more enjoyable
but I’ll
only get to those after we discuss what the basic fly tying tools are.
 Scissors are going to be
used for a
variety of thing such as
cutting thread and material. If
you have
only one pair get some that can be used for close work.
They should come to a sharp point and be
precisely matched for accurate cutting.
I would also suggest
getting a second
larger pair for
cutting heavy or tough materials.
Some
of the materials used for fly tying can ruin a pair of
scissors
designed for
delicate work.
The bobbin is a tool used
to hold
spools of thread. It
has a tube at one end that thread is run
through.
The bobbin should be
adjusted so that
it can hang freely
without feeding unnecessary thread.
This
will give you the tension you need to properly wrap the fly and make
knot tying
easier.
One of the difficulties
with bobbins
is when the tube wears
it will sometimes get a sharp edge or burr that cuts the thread. This can be a nightmare. To help prevent this wear,
some manufacturers
have started using ceramic tubes that better resist wear.
Hackle pliers
are a
special purpose
fly tying tool used to
grip a feather for wrapping. There
are
many different designs available but the most common type is the
English Hackle Pliers.
No matter what type you
choose, hackle pliers should have
three features that make them efficient.
- A firm grip on the feather or material
- Comfortable
size and shape
- Enough weight to hold a feather in
position while hanging.
(This keeps the feather from naturally trying to unwrap while you do
something
else.)
A bodkin, sometimes
called a dubbing
needle, is the simplest
of all fly tying tools. It
is just a
sharp pointed tool, similar to a scratch awl in woodworking, which is
used to
pick out fur and apply head cement among other useful tasks you may
find for
it.
This is really all that
is absolutely
necessary to complete
a starter fly tying tool kit. There
are
other fly tying tools that I would suggest getting that will make tying
a lot
easier.
Although this is only a
few, you
will find many other varieties of tools available.
Some will be helpful; others will simply end
up taking space.
The
ones I describe
here I believe you will find helpful.
 The most common knot used
to finish a
fly and sometimes one
that is used throughout tying is the whip finish knot.
Although this knot can be
done by
hand many people, myself
included, find it difficult to do effectively without unraveling. To make the job easier I
would suggest
getting a whip finish tool and learn to use it.
This will ensure a properly tied finish knot
without screw
ups.
When adding a new spool
of thread to
your bobbin it can be
frustrating to try and run the thread though the tube without some type
of bobbin threader.
This
tool is small
enough to run through the tube and, after wrapping the thread to it,
easily
pull the thread through.
When tying dry flies,
getting the
right size feather for the
hook you are wrapping is very important.
With time you will probably be able to eyeball
the length
but when
starting out a hackle gauge
will ensure you get the right length from
the
start.
Similar to the function
of the hackle
gauge, the hair stacker
or evener is used to quickly and effectively get an even bunch
of hair
material for tying.
One consideration when
getting a hair stacker
is size. You
can effectively even out a small bunch of
hair in a large stacker but not a large bunch in one of the smaller stackers. Get one
with a wider tube and save yourself
some headache.
This concludes the fly
tying tools
suggestions. As I
said before you will find other tools
that look interesting and may find very useful but these are just the
ones that
I would suggest having on hand when starting out.
To
leave the fly tying tools page and return to fly tying
basics click here.
To
return to the home page and find other articles on fly
fishing for bass and panfish click here.
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