Vises /Tools
Quality vises from Regal, Renzetti, HMH and DynaKing are available from us. There are two types of vises: regular and rotary. A typical design places the hook in a position that enables one-sided fly tying.
You may spin the fly in a rotary vise so you can tie it while seeing all sides. Additionally, using a rotary vise eliminates the need to manually maneuver material around the hook shank while applying materials to the hook. Although the three vise brands we carry are all of the highest caliber and built in the USA, they do differ from one another, so we advise you to stop by the store for a demonstration or give us a call.
We utilize a wide variety of tools for tying flies. Scissors, bobbin, bodkin, threader, and tweezers would be included on the list of essentials. Numerous different gadgets have been developed to perform specific fly-tying tasks. You can add these tools as necessary once you have the fundamentals in place.
. Dr. Slick, Anvil, Griffin, Terra, Rite, Tiemco, Tyflyz, Stonfo, Renzetti, and Hareline are among the toolmakers whose products we stock.
Thread
The varied types of thread and their many purposes are not given much consideration when a new tier first learns how to make fishing flies, but as their skill level increases, they soon find that not all thread is created equal. The two types of thread we use to tie flies are flat and circular. While flat thread should be used specifically for some flies, round thread is great for the majority of them. The strength of the thread must be taken into account. You need to match the thread diameter to the size of the hook on which you are tying the fly. The fly head must be kept compact and organized, which requires smaller thread.
Uni-Thread, one of the fly-tying threads we carry, is spherical, whereas Ultra thread is flat. Veevus is manufactured at tiny sizes and is incredibly robust for its diameter. For applications requiring a lot of torque, such as spinning hair, G.S.P. thread, which is the strongest thread, is employed.
Hooks
Without someplace to place to put the fur and feathers, you can't start a fly. The foundation of every fly is a hook. You have hooks for every kind of fly there is. Lightweight wire is used to make dry fly hooks so that the flies will float. Hooks for nymphs and streamers are heavier than those for dry flies and are referred to as 2x or 3x in weight. Hooks may also come in a variety of lengths.
Some of the streamer hooks used to create traditional Rangeley type streamers can be up to 8 or 9 x longer than standard. Hooks come in a wide variety of shapes. Unlike most hooks, which have straight shanks, authentic nymph fly hooks feature curved shanks. To construct stonefly and stimulator patterns, there are long, slightly curved hooks, and long, drooping shanks are used for the Klinkhamer and other emergers. Additionally, there are specific barbless hooks made to hold fish without a typical barb.
We sell hooks made by the following companies: Mustad, Daiichi, Firehole, Lightning Strike, Gaelic Supreme, and Partridge.
Here is a graph that contrasts hooks from various manufacturers.
Tinsel And Wire
Metal, Mylar, or other synthetic materials are used to make tinsel.
It is utilized while creating bodies or ribs, or for adding weight to streamers and nymphs, wire is often made of copper or a metal without lead in it. Wire and tinsel can be found in a wide range of hues and dimensions.
We provide wire and tinsel from manufacturers including Ultra, Uni, Lagartun, and others.
Hair And Fur
These tying materials fall under a broad group. Deer, elk, rabbit, and squirrel hair are the most popular types of hair used in tying. The wings of streamers and dry flies are made of elk and deer. Nymphs and streamers may be made from rabbit. Some of the deer hair and fur we sell is acquired and processed by us as Maine Deer Hair and Fur. Nymphs and dry flies have dubbed bodies made of fur. We also sell fur from numerous additional less typical fur bearers. Deer hair comes in larger pieces and tails, whereas fur comes in smaller patches.
We provide hair and fur from Wapsi, Hareline, Nature's Spirit, and our own brand that is made with locally obtained materials.
Flash And Legs
Synthetic materials like legs and flash are generally utilized on streamers and nymphs, but they can also be added to dries to increase appeal. Flash can be long strands in an infinite variety of hues that give a fly more liveliness. Legs give a fly vitality and action, which can catch a fish's interest. Legs are available in a variety of hues and degrees of flexibility.
We offer these goods from Wapsi, Hareline, and other manufacturers.
Dubbing
One material used in fly tying to create fly bodies is called dubbing. Natural fur, synthetic fibers, or a combination of the two are used to make it. We offer natural dubbings sourced locally, unique blends, and dubbing materials created by Wapsi, Hareline, and Fly-tite. Dry flies float best when their dubbing is created from aquatic animals like muskrats, which have natural oils. Nymphs respond best to hare's dubbing because it will soak up water and sink. Excellent flotation is also provided by synthetics like the Fly-tite brand. A dazzling variety of colors are available for dubbing. In order to find the ideal shade or tone to mimic the real bugs, tiers have employed the blending of different hues. The smallest body can be created using synthetic dubbing such as Superfine, while a spikey hares mask will produce a hefty, lifelike appearance.
Cement, Paint, Glue
The head and body of flies are reinforced with cement and glue. A fly's eyes can be added with paint. There are numerous varieties of cement, some of which result in a glossy surface and others which merely increase a fly's durability.
Body Material
What can be more important then this part of the fly. This collection is made up of everything you need to make fly bodies. It includes natural and synthetic materials along with man made stuff created to look like natural stuff. It is great for adding flash and translucence, bulk or slenderness.
Hackle
It sometime amazes me how someone figured out how to use chicken feathers to float a fly on the water. We have come along ways since then. Fly tying hackle come in feathers used for dry fly hackles and also on wet flies and nymphs. The feathers on a dry fly hackle skin have stiff barbs that cause a fly to rest on the surface of the water. Hackles used for wet flies and nymphs are softer and have web which when folded back over the body of the fly makes the fly appear to have life. We also carry a line of capes bred special for use in the tying of classic feather wing streamer from Whiting Farms called American Hackle. We carry hackle from Whiting Farms, Collins Hackle Farm, and Ewing. We are glad to answer your questions about the use or selection of fly tying hackle.
Feathers
Feathers of all kinds are used in making flies and were some of the first fly tying materials that were used. You can use them in tying dries, nymphs or streamers. In making dry flies feathers are used to create the hackle that keeps the fly floating. These dry fly feathers are pulled off of capes which can be seen on our hackle collection page. Special feathers with stiff fibers are also used to create tails on classic Catskill style dry flies. Feathers have a great variety of uses when tying nymphs also. Feather fibers are used in making webby tails, wing cases and complete peacock bodies like on the Prince nymph. The very effective Pheasant Tail nymph is made entirely with feathers except for the wire rib. No type of fly is characterized by the feathers that create it than the streamer fly. Of course the Rangeley area is home of the feather wing streamer and the tiers who created them. Carrie Stevens, Herb Welch and many lesser known tiers spent their years in our area in the pursuit of that perfect smelt imitation. We sell many types of hackle feathers used for making the wings of streamers. Strung neck and rooster saddle feathers are a beginners feather for wing making. Wing feathers can also be picked right off the cape to get a matching pair. The favorite streamer capes are called Whiting American saddles and can be seen in our Hackle collection.
Beads And Eyes
Beads and cone heads are used to give extra weight to subsurface flies. Sometimes you need to get your fly down to where the fish are hanging out. Beads and cone heads come in two different types of metal: brass and tungsten. Tungsten is the heavier of the two metals. These weights also come in a variety of colors from the most common color gold to chartreuse and orange. We also carry slotted beads which are used on nymph jig hooks. We have a selection of specialty beads in different shapes, too. There are also glass beads that don't offer any added weight but the assortment of colors and sizes offer a touch of flash and translucence to nymphs. For streamers, we have eyes that can be stuck on to the head of the fly for a realistic look. We also carry imitation Jungle Cock feathers if you want "an eye" like some of the classic streamers had.