The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Hi,

I'm trying to get into fly tying. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions about vises and equipment that I should consider buying. I don't want top of the line stuff, but I don't want something I will grow out of in six months either.

Thanks,

trouty123

Hey trouty - there are a lot of good vises out there. The one I like is the Dyna King Barracuda - great piece of equipment! One thing that I'd look for is the rotary capability. I started on a Thomason Model A (great vise) but eventually I wanted the rotary ability.

Good luck!

-Greg

Dyna King Barracuda:

The most important thing about a vice is its ability to hold a hook. Don't go cheap, as many cheap vices have poor vice jaws. After that, make sure it is reasonably comfortable where you're tying. It has got to adjust to a comfortable height. Lastly, whistles and bells. I have tied for years with a Regal. It is the best on the market for simplicity for attaching a hook in the vice jaws and does the best job holding the hook. It does not have the nice rotary capabilities of the Dyna King.

Visit a shop and try tying with a couple of models to find out what works best for you. The old Thompson Model A does a super job for a very fair price. You can go up from there.

Phil wrote:
I have tied for years with a Regal. It is the best on the market for simplicity for attaching a hook in the vice jaws and does the best job holding the hook.

That's what I use, too. Got a heck of a deal on a used one, and I tied all my flies on it for years. Considering the amount I was selling at the time, it has certainly seen more flies than I'll ever remember!

I like the rotary of the Regal, too. No bells or whistles -- just turn the head over if you need to go underneath. Never could get used to rotating the whole works anyways....

-- T

You and me both. I learned on a static vice and have never used a rotary. Don't want to put rotaries down, but the Regal has put many thousands of flies in the box over the 20+ years I've owned it!

go to your local shop and ask to tye on various models. Do not be intimidated. Some of the worlds finest tiers use a Thompson A all day long. If you are just starting, find something simple and functional and on the lower end of the price spectrum... who knows after six months you may want to buy flies instead of buying a five hundred dollar plus vice. Helps to know what type of fly you want to build as well.

I would love a Law vise but I don't _need_ a Law vise... you must decide where that line is

I see where Regal is offering a new "Revolution Rotary" vise that is a sort of hybrid. I've always been happy with their old rotary, though - the one with the jointed head. Ever since getting that vise, tying on a fixed model is a task for me. It's just natural now to turn the fly this way and that to see how the back or bottom looks, or just to position it more advantageously from step to step.

Hi,

Like you I recently got the itch to start tying flies. I ended up buying a Peak vise. So far the Peak has been a great purchase. It is well machined, simple to use, has nice features, and came at a reasonable price(about $150 for base model). Here is a repost of an article I used to help me make a vise choice:

http://www...om/ftb/hwvise/index.html

We got off topic with our discussion of vises, trouty123, but the advice you've gotten is great -- try every vise you can first. Do you have friends who tie flies? They might let you wind up a few at their benches just to see what you think, too. Make sure you really enjoy tying before putting too much cash into it! Then again... who wouldn't love fly tying?

Welcome to the board, pardner!

if you want to try and get into it just buy a kit that comes with a cheap clamp on vise and all the basic materials you need. if you think its something you'll continue to do then i would look at rotary vises. all vises rotate but the angled jaws of the dyna king barracuda for example keep the hook shank parallel to the base as you turn it. go to the nor-vise website, they have good videos showing this. a good rotary is going to cost a few hundred so if you aren't ready to drop that kind of money on one give the plastic piece of junk orvis sells a try. its about $80.

i'd go with the nor-vise or any dyna king model. they are both excellent vises

In general, the vise is nothing more than something to hold the hook while you tie. How much and how many frills you may want is another thing. I started with the kit in a box that Cabela's has in their catalog for a very minimal price. It also had a clamp and pedestal that came with it so you could use it anywhere. For an inexpensive system, I would highly recommend it. Includes tools and almost everything you need except thread and feathers. I used it for several months and eventually wanted something better and checked several out.

Nor-Vise or Dyna-King seems to be my personal choices and I ended up with the Nor-Vise. A little tough to get used to at first but now I love it. The only thing I would strongly suggest is ROTARY!!! You won't be sorry.

Beerfly