mridenour

I found a nice soft deerskin while digging around in my many artifacts and was wondering if there were some good applications for it in fly-tying. I've never used that material before. It is smooth on one side and rough on the other.

WOW! that is beautiful!

please post a link to your blog. i am pretty sure it is ok. if not, send it to me in a private message.

So, I've been putting together some lists of things I want to get right away and some stuff to pick up whenever. I stopped in at Bass Pro in St. Charles yesterday and picked up a few things so I can start tying right now. My wife informed me last night that somewhere on the shelves in our basement is a box full of tools, furs and feathers. I need to investigate that before I place any orders. She also informed me of several projects I need to complete before I start building my new fly tying bench...lol!

Just getting back into tying again and using my old Universal Rotary. I loved it back in the day. Still a great vise. There are a lot of cool new gadgets out there now though.

Lol, I just clicked back over here and saw this...I'm adding lots of tools to my cart right now. I also am trying hooks and other materials. I'll be tying in no time.

I'm sure I will stay with it this time. I finally have time to fish again and my health issues have been resolved so I can now wade around in the trout streams all I want. I am definitely going to purchase good bobbins and scissors but I need some feedback on which way to go. There are a lot of bobbins at a lot of prices. I read the "What bobbin do you use?" thread and I am leaning toward Griffins. I have no clue what scissors to get. I never owned a good pair when I was younger, I used razor blades a lot. I even used fingernail clippers for some things. I had home-made bodkins that I used for years. I had a really nice pair of hackle pliers but who-knows what brand they were...lol. I read lots of other threads but they were all over the place with advice. I'm not as much worried about tying materials unless there is a really good kit out there. I am more interested in equipment and the best bang for the buck.

I'm new to this board and I'm calling myself new to fly-tying since I haven't tied a fly in at least 30 years. I found my old Universal vice but haven't managed to run across any of my old tools yet. So what I'm wondering is what pieces I need to start buying to tie some trout flies. I want to get back in practice before our trip to Montana this summer. I don't want to spend a fortune but of course I don't want junk either. Is it best to just buy materials to tie a few common flies or should I purchase a kit of materials of some sort. I know a lot of kits are just filled with low quality stuff that isn't really practical for anything. Thanks for any suggestions. I feel like a guy that has to learn to ride a bike again.

thanks for the reply but after digging around I jogged my memory and remember choosing a universal over a Thompson all those years ago. it was a major purchase for me back then!

I bought this vise when I was a teenager about 35-40 years ago. the label that was on it is long gone. I'd sure like to know the brand and the model. I haven't used it in many years but I am planning on putting it back in use in the coming new year.