kyflytyer

If you have any local fly shops, see if they will let you tie on any vises you are considering before you purchase. There are many excellent vises out there but everyone has their own style of tying and not all vises are suited to your particular style. What may be the perfect vise for me may not work as well for you. After some on-line research and several recommendations, I ordered a $200 vise on the internet a few years ago without having tied on one. It was of great quality and had many outstanding features but, for reasons I'm not exactly sure of, I'm not really comfortable tying on it. After that, I tied on as many vises as I could looking for the one that suits me best. I finally found it in the HMH Spartan ,which my lovely wife bought me last Christmas. Good luck.

Try Jann's Netcraft. Although they primarily deal with materials to make baitcasting type lures, they also have some fly tying materials at fair prices. More importantly to you, though, is that they have zip-lock bags in various sizes which are perfect for fly tyers. http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/polybags-boxes/370101.aspx

In no particular order: 1) Star Wars trilogy (the original three) 2) Kelly's Heroes 3) Crocodile Dundee I & II 4) The Gods Must Be Crazy 5) Romancing the Stone

Quick.....go buy a lottery ticket while your luck is still good. :yahoo:

I was fortunate enough to inherit a roll-top desk several years ago and it makes a perfect tying station. There is plenty of storage in the drawers and lots of cubbyholes also. What I like best, though, is that after a tying session, I can simply close the desk to hide the mess and protect my materials from dust and pets. Now my wife no longer nags me to "clean up that feathery mess." I'm sure a new roll-top wouldn't be cheap so I would suggest visiting yard sales, flea markets, used furniture stores, consignment shops, and craig's list. My wife is an avid yard saler and flea marketer and I am often "persuaded" into going with her. Over the years, I have seen quite a few roll-tops for sale, more than I would have imagined.

One of the best general books on fly tying that I have found is The Art of Fly Tying by John Van Vliet. Although not as well known as some other tying books, I think it is excellent. It is available at J. Stockard: http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/B...-Fly-Tying.html

After a stint in the army, I went to college and got a teaching degree. I've never taught a day in my life though. After college, I was a deputy sheriff for 2 years and then went into business as a self-employed remodeling contractor, which is what I do now. My wife did teach but quit about 10 years ago because she wasn't happy. She has been a full-time homemaker ever since but has talked lately about going back to work.

Here is a list of websites that I have collected of all the major vise manufacturers throughout the world. There are vises from the US, Britain, Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Japan. As such, some of the vises may not be available here. Abel http://www.abelreels.com/pages/vises.htm Anvil http://www.anvilusa.com/fly.htm C&F http://www.candfdesign.com/ Dingo http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bjrodg/ Dyna-King http://www.dyna-king.com/ Griffin http://www.griffinenterprisesinc.com/index.htm HMH http://www.hmhvises.com/ JVice http://www.jvice.com/ LAW http://www.danica.com/flytier/LAW/law.htm Lazzeri http://www.lazzeri-flyfishingtackle.com/up...3&father=31 Nor-Vise http://www.nor-vise.com/ Peak http://www.peakfishing.com/ Petitjean http://www.petitjean.ch/eng/MPVise/default.asp Regal http://www.regalvise.com/ Renzetti http://www.renzetti.com/home.php Scottie http://www.scottierods.co.uk/fly-tying-vice.html Snowbee http://www.snowbee.co.uk/fly-fishing/vices...oxes-dressings/ Spearhead http://www.flytyingvise.com Thompson http://www.dhthompson.com/ Tiemco http://www.tiemco.co.jp/english/products/flytying_vt.html Veniard http://www.veniard.com/search_results.asp?section=19 Vosseler http://www.vosselerflyreels.com/tyingvice/index.html 720 http://www.fly-wheel.net/

No one has mentioned Griffin yet, so here goes. They make several vises under the $100 mark, all made in the US. One in particular, the Odyssey Spider Vise, looks like it would suit your needs. I haven't tied on this particular vise, but I have a Griffin Montana Mongoose and the hook holding is second to none. http://anglersworkshop.com/items.aspx?catid=1672

Kevan, Why the name change?

I ran across this site this morning. It goes into some of the health and legal ramifications of harvesting road kill. http://www.uky.edu/~agrdanny/flyfish/petti.htm

3/0 is larger than 6/0 which is larger than 8/0. Use 3/0 for large flies, 6/0 for medium flies, and 8/0 for smaller flies. Thread is also measured by denier. The larger the number, the larger and stronger the thread is. Thus, 200 denier is larger than 70.

Here is a link to some really great deals on some tying books. http://www.edwardrhamilton.com/subject2/fty.html

There are several good Wooly Bugger videos on YouTube. Just type "Wolly Bugger" into the search box and you should get quite a few results. I looked through them about a week ago and several were excellent.

Welcome aboard! It sounds like you can bring lots of experience to the forum.

I kind of inherited my daughter's aquarium when she moved to Nashville to go to school. Said she didn't want it anymore. There are two large Angel Fish in at as well as two smaller fish. I don't know a lot about it but it's cool to look at.

Good luck with your move, there's some great fishing in the Keystone State. Hope you don't take too big a hit when you sell your house. If you have a chance, stop by Flyfisher's Paradise in State College, there's some really good people there.

At today's exchange rate of 0.0112044=1, the TMC Step Vice (top picture in FishAholic85's post) is $206.16 and the TMC Vise II (second and third photos) is $588.23. Unless they are distributed here in the US, you would also have to take into account shipping from Japan.

Try tying up some bass bugs, go fishing for bass, and maybe you will catch a trout. Seriously, the size or color may not be to the trout's liking or, as Kevan said, the depth you are fishing may not be right.

I have a TV near my tying station and it is usually on when I tie. I usually don't pay it much attention, though, it is on mainly for noise. I've never tied in a recliner. I have a pretty comfortable office chair that I bought at an auction.

I have a Griffin Montana Mongoose. First, let me say that it is a well made vise with a great warranty. It holds hooks extremely well and it comes with many accessories that are optional on other vises, including both a c-clamp and a pedestal base. I ordered mine from the internet without tying on one first. If I had tied on it first, I probably would have went with another vise. Not that the Griffin is not a great vise, it just isn't suited to my tying style. The only thing I use the rotary function for is to inspect the back side of the fly. Even though the Griffin may not be the best choice for me, it might be perfect for you. Every tyer has their own style and way of doing things and different vises accomodate those need in varying degrees. I strongly urge you to visit as many fly shops as possible and try out as many vises as possible to see which one best suits your needs. Would you buy a car without driving it first? I hope this helps and, whichever vise you end up with, I hope it suits your needs well and that you get many years of tying enjoyment from it. As for me, I have tied on just about every vises out there to find a replacement for the Griffin and the HMH Standard seems as though it was designed with me in mind. I'm hoping my wife will get me one for Christmas.

Russell Blessing, the developer of the Woolly Bugger, passed away in October. http://www.examiner.com/x-19210-Fly-Fishin...ing-passes-away

Here in southeast Kentucky we save the meat too. Makes great stew. :hyst:

Welcome aboard. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Angler's Workshop has the Stonefly brand rake made in Britain by H&H: http://www.anglersworkshop.com/items.aspx?catid=1548 Feather Craft sells this one under their own brand: http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?stor...mp;target=RF014