LoneRider 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2008 Hi guys, Recently picked up fly tying to fill my quiet hours.. I served with the police force for almost 10 yrs till I got injured on duty. I messed up my right arm pretty bad (loss of some motor functions and partial loss of sensation) and recently became a primary school teacher (elementary for those in the US). The injury meant re-learning how to write, work and fish using my left hand. It took a while before I could handle spinning and eventually baitcasting setups. After seeing a few fly tying videos on youtube; some of which were from contributors here, I decided to give it a try. So far I've been tying crazy charlies and closers mostly and giving them away. I doubt I'll ever be able to cast and strip a fly rod as it is tying can be a pain (literally) and it takes me half an hour to complete a tie but I treat it as good form of therapy. Fly fishing isn't very popular here and we have only one flyshop for a population that is nearing the 5million mark. Materials are expensive and I've resorted to buying online as every dollar counts (teachers earn pennies here). I know JS is the sponsor here but overseas shipping does come up to quite a bit. Anyone knows any online stores that offers great international shipping rate? I've been buying my stuff here Doc's flybox, where overseas shipping for materials are $3.50 flat. Doesn't have the range that JS has but beggars can't be choosers I guess and so far the owner has been giving me great service. Has anyone had experienced shopping at Thornes Manufacturing and Service? They seem to have a better range and shipping is still affordable. Has anyone had experience using the Anvil Atlas? I've noticed that it does not come with a bobbin holder, can that be bought or do I have to make do without one? My second choice will probably be the Danvise though I have some reservations using a vise with plastic parts.. Last choice will be the Terra Silverado. Please give some comments on my choices. I'm tying size 8-1/0 flies if thats any help...Thanks in advance and hope to hear from you guys soon. Regards LoneRider Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve P 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Welcome aboard there Lonerider, and thanks for mentioning that you're a school teacher, I'll make sure I spell check every thing when I see you posting... :hyst: Anyhow as to your vise questions I would honestly go with the Dan Vise, there are a lot of guys on this board that have been tying on a Dan Vise going on 10+ years and I have had one for about 8 myself. No more tying that you will be doing (the way it sounds to me) you would be best served wit the Dan Vise to try and pinch a couple more pennies. As for the suppliers you mentioned I have not dealt with any of them and really couldn't tell you anything about them so I'll take a back seat on that one and see what others have to say. Again welcome aboard and feel free to ask all the questions you wish. Steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoneRider 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks for the warm welcome Steve and no worries, after a 14hour day at school I'll let any typos pass me by. Anyway, like most guys here your spelling is ok by any standards (an A+ in my books!). Thanks for the tip on the DanVise, I've read most of the glowing reviews on them. One thing I'd like to know though is wether the jaw extension is necessary and what is it's function. I've seen the photos of the DanVise, is it that bit that holds the jaws at an angle? One more thing, that's a great looking avatar you have there. I'm not sure what fish that is but we do have something similar here in Singapore, a type of bream/snapper that's usually caught on prawns in our surf and estuaries. Usually on prawn (shrimps for the US folks) and on occasions they've been caught on small diving lures. Thanks again LoneRider Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MIKE*A 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Welcome aboard! Unfortunately, I am unable to answer any of your questions.......,however, there are a couple members here from Singapore that might be able to help you out.....Jimmy Aw has been a member for quite a while and is an avid fly tyer/fisherman......do a member search for him on this website and you can send him a private message for some pointers/advice......Once you find him, I believe he also has a website on flyfishing in singapore. Good Luck! Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
