Tools

Favorite Fly Tying Tools

I take my tying seriously and have discovered many of these tools after tying for years. I have stuck with these particular tools for the last 15 years and chose them for purely practical reasons. They are functional, inexpensive, and more importantly I feel they make me a more productive tyer.

S&M Bobbins

S&M Bobbins are an old time classic, made in the USA. Just the right size and weight. The price was right when I bought my dozen or so at $5.00 each. They are loaded with my favorite thread and I am rigged and ready to tie. No re-threading a bobbin just to change colors! I have tried the more expensive Tiemco type ceramic bobbins but have found the S&M does the job just as well and at 1/4 the price.....

Unfortunately the company that made them has gone out of business. They are now being sold by a company called Wasatch, which has added a wooded finger hold to the throat, a nice asthetic touch but not so practical. Get ready to shell out some bucks though, They are 3X more expensive then when S&M sold them!!! Link to Wasatch S&M bobbins The owners of Wasatch look like nice folks and maybe if enough of us email and let them know that the old S&M's worked fine we might be able to get them to include them into their product line. Even at $15 I'd use them over the standard wire and ball type bobbins!

I keep mine pre-loaded and close at hand. These are stuck to padded magnets which are attached to metal plates on a piece of old cutting board.

Wiss Scissors

The old true blue Wiss thread nips! OK so I am an A.K. Best fan, but I feel that I can learn something from a guy that has tied a billion flies!

You just have to try using these, I promised myself that I would give them an honest shot, one week of hard tying and if I felt they were in my way I'd put them down and go back to my trusty Thomson ice tempered scissors. After 2 nights of tying I felt comfortable holding them in my hand at all times. 3 nights into it I could see a difference in time savings from fly to fly, and at 4 nights there was no doubt in my mind that good old A.K. was right! Now they are in my hands at all times when tying!

Matarelli Whip Finisher

My favorite whip finishing tool! I've had my original one going on 25 years now and just bought another one for my travel kit.

THE BIG SIX

Don't forget to get yourself a nice and durable fine toothed comb! This one is from England and has very fine stainless steel teeth, it is an eye lash definer. I bought them at a pharmacy in the make up section about ten years ago, brought them home used it once, then went back and bought every last one in the store. I gave them to my tying friends.....sure wish they still stocked them. If you see them around send me an email and let me know where you can get them!

These are remarkable for removing the under fur in both natural and synthetic furs. Indispensable when tying with craft fur or polar fibre, and are fantastic at teasing out dubbing to boot!

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