Viceless (In Hand) Fly tying

[Peterjay 0]

I feel sad for the fellas that have issues on fishing, tying time and buying 'stuff'. My wife has actually encouraged me to buy toys for all of my hobbies including bicycling, hot rods. She is now trying to get me to buy a skiff rather than a kayak. Yes, I do some household chores but not to schmooze the wife. I do it to help and to get my butt off the couch. What a great lady. Not perfect but great.

 

She reads all your posts I take it Ditz2?

 

ROFLMAO

[Chefben4 0]

Im young"ish" 27, not married, no kids (except 2 nephews whom I give back after I spoil them).. Everyone thinks I want a wife that fishes but I am kinda of like no... I use fishing to get away from work and life in general.

 

So needless to say I found a gf that has a passionate hobby of her own (running) and it works out good!

 

I try not to say "marriage" though..makes me shiver.

 

What was this post about again? lol

 

[part270579 0]

Haha! Wow! What a thread this has turned into. I'm still really interested to see others hand tied flies.

 

I'm also one of those 'happily married' percentages. But as I haven't worked for just over a year, say for one small contract I did this April, I do all the housework, laundry and cooking. We just share the bathroom on a bi-weekly rota. So as you may all have guessed, I fish about 6 days a week, or at my leasure. Sundays I keep for my beautiful wife (Unless we're camping, which is what we do all summer)

 

Like I said, I'll get some photos up of my hand ties but it'll have to be after the weekend. Off camping in the Northern Cascades in the next hour or two and I'll be hitting the beautiful Upper Skagit river. I've heard that Ross Lake is up to a normal 1600ish so I'm 'hoping' the river is at a more amicable pace this weekend

 

Best of luck for the weekend people.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Haha! Wow! What a thread this has turned into. I'm still really interested to see others hand tied flies.

 

I'm also one of those 'happily married' percentages. But as I haven't worked for just over a year, say for one small contract I did this April, I do all the housework, laundry and cooking. We just share the bathroom on a bi-weekly rota. So as you may all have guessed, I fish about 6 days a week, or at my leasure. Sundays I keep for my beautiful wife (Unless we're camping, which is what we do all summer)

 

Like I said, I'll get some photos up of my hand ties but it'll have to be after the weekend. Off camping in the Northern Cascades in the next hour or two and I'll be hitting the beautiful Upper Skagit river. I've heard that Ross Lake is up to a normal 1600ish so I'm 'hoping' the river is at a more amicable pace this weekend

 

Best of luck for the weekend people.

 

what the hell? I haven't NOT worked for the last 26 years, been married for 22, do housework, yardwork, cook, fix everything the wife and kid break, hemorrhage $$ to all the crap they want, and get to fish maybe 12 or 14 days a year, a couple hours at a time.

 

What the *%^# am I doing wrong?

 

Oh by the way I don't think I could tie very well without a vise.

[utyer 0]

I have lately been doing quite a few of the OLD Classic patterns. The 2000 year old Hippourus (from Macedonia,) and the flies of Berners, Barker, Cotton and Ronalds. I have been tying many of them on reworked eyeless hooks with tippets attached. I have even made a few with horse hair tippets, but most are just mono. I intend to fish these to see how they do. Since none of these people used any sort of vise, I have done most of my replicas in hand. These pictured have all been done in hand.

[Kudu 0]

Haha! Wow! What a thread this has turned into. I'm still really interested to see others hand tied flies.

 

I'm also one of those 'happily married' percentages. But as I haven't worked for just over a year, say for one small contract I did this April, I do all the housework, laundry and cooking. We just share the bathroom on a bi-weekly rota. So as you may all have guessed, I fish about 6 days a week, or at my leasure. Sundays I keep for my beautiful wife (Unless we're camping, which is what we do all summer)

 

Like I said, I'll get some photos up of my hand ties but it'll have to be after the weekend. Off camping in the Northern Cascades in the next hour or two and I'll be hitting the beautiful Upper Skagit river. I've heard that Ross Lake is up to a normal 1600ish so I'm 'hoping' the river is at a more amicable pace this weekend

 

Best of luck for the weekend people.

 

what the hell? I haven't NOT worked for the last 26 years, been married for 22, do housework, yardwork, cook, fix everything the wife and kid break, hemorrhage $$ to all the crap they want, and get to fish maybe 12 or 14 days a year, a couple hours at a time.

 

What the *%^# am I doing wrong?

 

Oh by the way I don't think I could tie very well without a vise.

I am in the same boat. Mine sinks when I open my big mouth.

[FrequentTyer 0]

I have lately been doing quite a few of the OLD Classic patterns. The 200 year old Hippourus (from Macedonia,) and the flies of Berners, Barker, Cotton and Ronalds. I have been tying many of them on reworked eyeless hooks with tippets attached. I have even made a few with horse hair tippets, but most are just mono. I intend to fish these to see how they do. Since none of these people used any sort of vise, I have done most of my replicas in hand. These pictured have all done in hand.

 

Nice work Utyer! I have often thought about trying some of these old patterns to see how they fished against the more modern styles, but never would have been able to do such a faithful recreation. I hope you will let us know how the fish react.

Mike.

[Piker20 0]

Great flies Utyer. Especially liked the last one with hackle. I'll buy your vice now you don't need it

[perchjerker 0]

For what it's worth, at this point in this thread, Skip Shorb, of Shrob Loop fame for the furlers, ties the neatest tricos you have ever seen on #32 hooks without the use of a vise!! You have to see them, via a looking glass, to appreciate his talents.

[part270579 0]

Hi guys. Just thought I'd give this older thread a bump! A few nice traditional patterns being tied. Really great to see!

 

 

Due to work commitments (I landed a fantastic job in the Albertan oil sands), my free time has been rather scant these last few months....BUT........As promised, I've attached some photos of my viceless flies. I have fish some them and not others. I've included some streamers, buzzers, a few top water specials (they really beat the bass up this year!!) and my go-to river fly; The MOAL leech.

 

As you can see from the photos the chironomids are fairly small. A UK size 18 which is around a 20 here in Canada. Some of the modified MOAL leach style flies are around the 4" mark, again all tied in my hand without the aid of any holding devise. They aren't all that pretty, but they fool fish.

 

Let me have some of your feedback.

 

 

 

P.s. If anyone has any images of Skip Shorbs hand tied 32's I'd love to see them!!! They sound like wonderful creations!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[perchjerker 0]

Unfortunately, I do not have any. I do not take my camera to our fly tying festival, in which Skip normally participates. I WILL take my camera this year, just in case! The festival is February 2, 2013.

 

Frank

[Rocco 0]

Since this thread first appeard, I have rediscovered a small trove of tied in hand trout flies from my days in Yugoslavia 30 years ago. Ants, wets, grubs -- do not ask what theye were made of -- and a few dries. As I sit here with my tying factory behind me, I feel humiliated.

 

Rocco

[Guest]

Tying in hand is a useful skill to master for those days when you are streamside or for whatever reason don't have access to your vise. Start with something of decent size and simple contruct, like a #8 Wooly Bugger. If you're fluent with the vise you will probably be able to hand tie.

[tidewaterfly 0]

When I first started tying as a kid, I tied without a vise. I held the hook in my right hand, my strongest hand, and tied with my left. I still tie that way, lefty, even though I'm right handed. With the arthritis I now have in my hands & fingers, I doubt I could hold a hook long enough to tie a fly.

[lykos33 0]