Essential Tools
by Dave Cammiss on January 27, 2009
- Vice – Today you can buy an adequate vice for as little as £20, but you can pay hundreds. Buy the best you can afford.
- Scissors – You will need a pair of fine pointed very sharp scissors. Embroidery scissors are good. A good pair should last you for years as long as you don’t go cutting wire with them.
- Bobbin Holder – The early models had no ceramic inserts in the tube and eventually started fraying the threads. It is worth the extra cost to buy ceramic models.
- Hackle Pliers – Basic models are not expensive and will do the job adequately. I still have my original one that my mentor made for me from thick wire, and it still works.
- Dubbing Needle – I still use hat pins. They are handy for cleaning out varnish from the hook eye and applying varnish to the head of the finished fly. You can buy the proper tool cheaply.
- Threader – An indispensable tool for feeding your thread onto the bobbin holder.
- Whip Finish Tool – If you can use one of these then use it. If you cannot , tie off with the traditional double half hitch ( like me ).
- Varnish – You only need clear to start with. Apply with dubbing needle. Very good advice is to remember to put the lid straight back on the bottle when finished.
- Beeswax – Indispensable for dubbing.
- Pliers – A pair of small fine nosed pliers for de-barbing hooks
- Dubbing Brush – Used for raising dubbed hair. Make one easily yourself using an old lollipop stick and glueing velcro to both sides at one end.
Tagged as:
equipment,
essentials,
fly tying,
flytying,
information,
tools
{ 98 comments… read them below or add one }
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Hi Wayne
Thank you for your comments. It is amazing the number of guys who lose interest in fishing in their late teens……….must be the hormones. Welcome back to the real world and may all your trout be whoppers. We will be posting more vids. but Jon is heavily committed at work at present and I am busy trying to catch trout whilst we have daylight. All these storms are not making it any easier.
Happy Fishing
DaveC. and the Team
Hi! Please could you tell me where I could get a reasonably priced vice?
Great site! Thanks, Sharon
Hi Sharon
If you are in the UK try Carrilon, they do a beginners range from £14.95 to £29.00. Small company friendly service.
Freephone 0800.917.0898
http://www.carrilon.com
Hope this helps
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Dave and thanks for the information on the bass fly i haven’t gotten to making it yet but i will soon.
Hi David
Can you please help me i’m just getting into fly fishing.
When I was about 7-8 I tied a few flies using bugie feathers to my superise they did not work I wonder why?
Do you have any ideas for salt water fly’s Bass Mackerel?
Also any use for bugie feathers?
Dean
Mr Cammis I would like to know how you aer tying off your flyies with that double knot it is to fast and the screen to small for me to see good it looks like it is better then a whip finisher which i dont know how to use thanks for any help on that knot bob
Hi Bob
Thanks for your e-mail. Sorry if my fingers are working too fast for you..
If you go to the bottom right hand side of your small picture there is an icon to press to give a full screen picture of the technique. The principle is simple, you wrap the thread over your finger, take a second wrap with the thread behind the first. You can then pull the second wrap thro the first either with your finger or a pencil( or anything) . Repeat the second wrap and pull gently in position behind the eye of the hook.
Hope this helps
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Dean
I am sitting here a little worried with visions of you plucking a poor litte Budgie ! You need larger dyed hackle feathers for making saltwater flies.
The mackerel feathers( flies) do not have to be very sophisticated, about 4-6 feathers about 2-3 inches long tied in at the eye of the hook will probably do the trick. You can buy packets of mixed dyed cock hackles which will do the job.
Cannot think of a use for budgie feathers.
Hope this helps
DaveC.and the Team
What a classy site! Do not change a thing! Hopefully Mr. Cammiss, You will provide us with many more excellent videos. This is the best and only site for flytying a beginner like me needs. It is extraordinary.
Tell your team I said you sound like Jack Hargreaves in Out Of Town from ITV in the ’70′s!
Thanks and best wishes,
Des
Hi Des
Thanks for your comments, sounding like Jack Hargreaves ? I am flattered.
The two lads will be having a good chuckle when they read your comment.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Dear Mr Camiss and team,
Thanyou all for the excellent work you all put in to create fly tying instructions,thinking about Dean with a bald budgie perhaps he could utilise the feathers in creating brooch pins or practice on safety pins (cheaper option) and good practice for fly dressing.
Perhaps it would be an idea to create a forum ,then all Dave C fans could chat to each other and leave you free to go fishing.Best wishes,Peter
Hi
Is a rotatable vice would the money if so what do I go for true rotary or just ordinary.
Thanks
Hi Jonathan
Paying the extra price for a rotatable vice depends on how much time you will save on occasional tasks such as tying in a bearded hackle. I have managed without one until 3 years ago when I bought my present vice. If you have pots of money and want to look good go for it, if you just tie for your own use and pleasure think again.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Peter L/Collishaw
Thanks for your comments, glad to know that someone else feels sorry for the budgie. I will have a word with Jon about the Forum idea……you do realise that we must have the powers of censorship. (That gives me a feeling of unrequited power) Even without the forum I managed a day out ,as a guest, on a local trout fishery today and despite the thunderstorms I had a very good day. Thank You John and Trinity.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
hi
i just started tying fly and you are one of the best teacher on the web looking forword to the next lesson:)
Hi Dave,
I began flyfishing about 12 months ago and started tying flies last November. I have to thank you for your clear and precise videos which have helped me to become very popular with my fishing friends!
I was just wondering what materials would you advise for a suspender buzzer.
Best Wishes
Tony
Hi Gene
Thanks for for your kind comments. We just do our best to take the magic out of flytying.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
i find your videos a real jem,tryly making everything seem very easy,although i am a novice am tying my way through your flies with your guidance please don’t stop the good work many thanks and tight lines.
Hi dave what a pleasure it’s been to finally find someone who really has made fly tying a do able past time and hobby for so many people, you have took away the stigma of complexity and reformed it , making it easy even for me and that’s saying somthing, I am a crazy troutman and now Im going to catch hoping on one of my own tied flies all thxs to you, thxs again dave and tight lines
hey! greetings from colorado. i would like to say thank you for the videos and demonstrations. i am hoping to start tying my own flies soon, and i am glad that you have a tutorial on teh hare’s ear. i was wondering if you could put a tutorial up for the prince nymph as that is my favorite nymph to fish?
-kyle
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