Current Works Guide Service
  • (231) 883-8156
  • ted@current-works.com
  • Book a trip
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Home
  • Guide Trips & More
    • Guide Trips & Pricing
    • Casting Lessons
    • Gift Certificates
    • Book a Trip
  • Fishing Report
  • Fish & Seasons
    • Steelhead
    • Trout
    • Smallmouth Bass
    • Salmon
    • Bluegill / Panfish / Bass
    • Golden Bones / Carp
  • Rivers & Hatches
    • Upper Manistee River
    • Lower Manistee River
    • Betsie River
    • Boardman River
    • Hatch Chart
  • Fly Tying
  • Articles
  • Gallery
  • About
    • About Your Guide
    • Testimonials
    • Newsletter
    • Area Information

Posts tagged "organized fly tying"

Fly Tying Tips

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 15, 2014

Fly Tying Tips - Poster BoardEfficiency, organization and shortcuts all add up to make fly tying a little easier. Below are five tips to help make filing your fly boxes quicker.

1. Poster Board. I like to use an inexpensive light blue poster board on my desk as a backdrop. By doing so your eyes will have an easier time focusing on the fly in the vise and not on the wood grain or messy table behind the fly. Less eye fatigue, too. This poster board becomes disposable if you should spill some head cement or other adhesives on it.  I also sketch on the board when designing flies and often have a list off to the side of needed materials to buy and fly patterns that need to be tied.

Fly Tying Tips - Scissors in hand2. Scissors in Hand. Keep your scissors in your hand as you tie. This makes tying so much faster as you aren’t constantly picking up them up and putting them down. It really does make a significant difference. At first it will feel awkward, but with some perseverance you won’t even notice having them in your hand. Large looped and heavy scissors like Dr. Slick’s All Purpose or Arrow models make it easy to flick the scissors from an idle position to a cutting one. Sure, there are times when you need to put the scissors down to do a particular technique, but the majority of the time they should be in your hand. Yes, you can tie with both your scissors and bobin in your hand – try it.

Fly Tying Tips -Side Cutters3. Side Cutters. Tying with various wires like copper and lead is quite common, but if the wire is heavy gauge using your good scissors to trim the wire will quickly dull or simply ruin them.  I keep a pair of inexpensive side cutters near the vise for such occasions. These side cutters come in handy, too, when you need to cut off a hook when tying shank-style flies — using only a trailer hook which is attached to a hook that needs it’s hook removed from the shank. Click here for an example of a shank-style fly.


Fly Tying Tips - Book Rings4. Book Rings.
As your material collection grows larger, having things organized makes tying faster. I use book rings from the office supply store to keep similar materials together. For example, all dry fly dubbing share a ring, sili-legs and round rubber legs have their own ring, etc. Most fly tyers who have seen this organizational method have adopted it and have been really pleased.

Fly Tying Tips - Anti-Static Hair Stacker Hair Evener5. Dryer Sheets. Using hair eveners for materials like deer or elk hair can be frustrating when a little static is built up within. Use a fabric softener sheet from the laundry room to wipe the unit and discharge the static cling to get those ends even.

fly tying tips, fly tying with scissors in hand, organized fly tying
Gift Certificate

Gift Certificates

Guide Trips - Fly Fishing Float Trips

Guide Trips & Pricing

Lessons - Learn to Fly Cast or Improve

Casting Lessons

Testimonials

Fish & Seasons

King Salmon Fly Fishing - Betsie River Near Traverse City

Salmon

Bluegill, Panfish and Bass Fly Fishing on Local Lakes Near Traverse City

Bluegill / Panfish / Bass

Fly fishing for smallmouth bass Manistee River and Northern Michigan Lakes

Smallmouth Bass

Fall Steelhead Manistee River

Steelhead

Trout Fishing Manistee River near Traverse City Michigan

Trout

Carp Fishing West Grand Traverse Bay

Golden Bones / Carp

Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156

© 2024 Current Works, LLC — All rights reserved
  • Home
  • Guide Trips & Pricing
  • Fishing Report
  • Fish & Seasons
  • Rivers & Hatches
  • Fly Tying
  • Articles
  • Gallery
  • About
  • Sitemap