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
{ 78 comments… read them below or add one }
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Hi Kyle
Thanks for your comments. It is a pleasure to help you get started tying flies.
This week we did tie a prince nymph, it will be the next to go out . I have not tied this pattern for years, and yes it does catch trout over here! Jon will be doing the editting over the next week or so( depends on his workload at work).
I will do the write up and pattern this week.
Happy Fishing
DaveC. and the Team
Hi Dave me and my dad have just got in to fly tying.We found your lesson injoyable and easy to follow.Please continue your teaching as we are keen to learn more.ps hopefully be will catch some trout soon thanks from stan.
Hi,
I’m just starting out with tying flies and am in the process of buying the essentials. Could you please tell me – is the varnish everyday clear nail varnish or a special type? Is this different than using superglue or which is best?
Thanks
Dave
Hi Dave
Sorry about delay , PC. has been down.
Nail varnish will do the job but you are better off buying a varnish specially made for fly tying. Suppliers of flytying materials will have it , clear is best.
Hope this helps
DaveC.and the Team
I was getting worried,no comments from the flytying tutor for days,good to hear that it was the PC down and not D.C and the team.Best wishes from an old tyro
Hi Peter
Thanks for your concern. Hope to have a few miles yet left in the tank.
I have been having some cracking days with the grayling and being bothered by brownies to over 2lbs………Tough old life is it not?
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
dave i left this comment on the geen beast is well but incase you did not get it please show me the bloodworm
Hi Irish Angler
Thanks for your e-mail. Asking to show you how to tie a bloodworm is like asking me to choose your car , there are so many patterns. I will try to put it on the list for our next shoot. An effective and simple pattern is the Aps bloodworm. Size 10 short shank hook. Body red or fluor red floss. This is tied over 2 lengths of red spanflex with an overhang at each end of 1″, giving you 4 flexi legs . You can do more legs but it makes no difference.
Hope this helps meanwhile.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
thanks dave
sorry about this dave but i ment to say this before i am going to tye the yellow and green bobesh czech nymph the materials you need are Size 14-8 buzzer hook olive thread waxed lead wire and this is the part i am stuck on dyed rabbit fur yellow and olive how do you dye it and what with?
I just started tying flies and I sure like your lessonsDave,I’m a retired machinst and I’m making the tools I need to tie flys. I made a solided vise,a couple of bobbins,a small tying bench and now I’m getting all the things I need to tie flies, I get all the information I need from your web site to make what I need thanks Dave Mick..
Hi Dave and thanks a lot for puting together so much useful material. I’ve learned a gread deal just watching your Youtube clips…. keep up the good work
. I would also like to see ( considering your experience in the traditional ways of flytying ) some traditional ways to produce the flytying materials , like dubbing, dubbing wax, and also some traditional materials for streamers ( like the goat’s wool) , and not only all the sinthetic materials that we can buy nowadays. Thank you again !
Great fishing for you and your team
Hi Dave,
I have just started tying my own flies.
i discovered your site thro google.
Your instruction is brilliant.
I have strruggled with the whip finish but finally mastered.
Thank you and the team.
hey Dave,
I was just wondering. What type of Rod and Reel do you use for fly fishing? I’ve been using a Bronson “Royal” reel and a Eagle Claw “Pack It” spin/fly combo rod that has belonged to my grandfather for i don’t know how many years.
Thanks.
HI Alex
Thanks for your comments. Over the years I have accumulated too many rods. Most of my fishingthese days is done on small to medium size rivers and small stillwater trout fisheries. My favourite rod is a 9ft. carbon fibre 6/7 wt with a Cortland 7wt floating line, reel is a Hardy Marquis ( left to me by a good friend who recently went to fish that big trout lake in the sky. I only ever use my own flies, favourites Gold Head hare ear, Damsel nymph and buzzers
Thanks for your interest
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi John Scriven
Thanks for your comments. Good to know that you are making good progress with your fly tying. The more you do the easier it gets.
Happy Fishing
DaveC.and the Team
Hi Dave i have just joined your web site and started tying my own flys, where is the best place to source the matierals from. Can i use normal silk cottons and chenille wool from habadashier many thanks
Hi Martin
The world is your oyster when it comes to materials. I would suggest that you do buy the fly tying threads in either 8/O 0r 6/O, they are easier to work with. I do use a lot of traditional materials but have a lot of fun messing about with anything that comes to hand. ( This week the plastic orange strands from an onion bag.) I assume that you are UK based.
Suppliers I use
Fishtec http://www.fishtec.co.uk……..hooks and materials
Roydlures Good hooks at even better prices
Hi dave thank you very much i will give them a try
regards martin
Hey Dave,
Could you give me some advice on how to tie a Green Drake and the materials that it would require.
Thanks, Alex
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