ehind the ly Five Homemade Fly Tying Vises

You Can Build with Complete Plans, History, and More!

by Ed Engelman

iii

Contents

Chapter1 pageWHY?—Does the world need yet another book; cost of a good vise; previously published directions for building your own fly tying vise; modestly priced vises from the 1950s and ’60s; experience with youth groups building vises; need for contact with the natural environment; rationale for plans in this book; low budget; have fun 1

Chapter2“ENTIRELY UNNECESSARY”—Earliest fly fishing literature; tying in hand; earliest vise described and interpreted; vise dispensed-with; vise is a great help; Halford’s Vise; Allcock’s Vise, Ogden’s Improved Fly Vise; splitting the jay; “dispense with it”; cost of a vise about fifty cents (1919); simply devised standard; hand vises; fly tying vises from hand vises; sliding ring vise; “entirely unnecessary”; “a necessity” 9

Copyright © 2013 Ed Engelman

All rights reserved This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-300-28027-9

Ed's Eclectic Emporium 271 Newton Hollow Road Afton, New York 13730

http://edengelman.com/

Photos by author unless otherwise credited

Front cover: Original art by Janette Rozene

Back cover: Photo by Aaron Engelman

Book and Cover design: Rachelle Engelman

1

Chapter 1

Why?

oes the world need yet another book related to fly tying? The short answer is, “In my humble opinion, Yes, and here it is and why!”

I have read many books and articles that recommend that the beginning fly tyer should invest in the best fly tying vise he or she can afford When a dollar figure is attached to a “good” beginner’s vise it is often in the $50 to $75 price range The rationale is that a low cost tool can be more difficult to use, and will distract from the fly tying experience I have even seen the total cost of entering fly tying stated as $150 to $400 Yikes! I take a very different approach in my recom-mendation If you build your own vise and tie flies on it, you are well on your way to years of enjoying fly tying and fishing You have the

iv Contents

Chapter3DEVISED VISES—Introduction to vises from misc hardware; tools, antiques, and junk; vise-grip vise; hinge vises; forged files vise; plane old vise; triangular files vise; machinist clamp vise; wrenches vise, utility vise; spike vise; spike tube-vise; drill chuck vise; chopstick vise 41

Chapter4FLY TYING VISES WITH PLANS—Why more than one set of plans; The Clothespin Vise; Steve’s Vise; Three Sticks Vise; The Conservation Vise; The Workhorse Vise 70

Chapter5INEXPENSIVE PRODUCTIVE FLIES TO TIE—Cost of materials inventory; low budget flies by others with urls; where to obtain low budget materials; how to form a thread base with minimum of tools; The Boa Yarn Leech; The Mardi-Paca; The Route 206; The Foam Beetle and Mini-Mouse; The Rainbow Dry by Roy Bartoo; The Veiled Midge 99

Chapter6RANDOM CASTS: A FEW FISHING AND FLY TYING ODDS AND ENDS—Volatile solvents or water; applying water based head cements; tying without a bobbin; the humble clothespin; clothespin hackle pliers; taming wild fly tying thread; make your own hooks; make your own leaders; you don’t need a fly rod to fish with a fly; a few recommended web sites; one more cast 126

BiBliography 143

2 BehindtheFly

means to produce flies without a significant outlay of resources Many people never start because they are not ready or able to commit $50 or more to get started Homemade vises break down this money barrier

At one time it was very common for fly tyers to build their own vises Manufactured fly tying vises were either extremely expensive or unavailable Homemade or locally made vises were much more com-mon A 1949 article for building a fly tying vise in ScienceandMechanicsMagazine provided directions for building a lever action vise I am sure that craftsmen who followed the directions in the article were able to build a very effective vice However, few people today have access to many of the tools mentioned in the article, which included a metal lathe with a four jaw chuck There are also books that include direc-tions for fly tying vises that can be easily built One such vise is the alligator clip midge vise described in the book TheHandySportsman by Loring D Wilson (1976) Two other interesting vises are sketched in the graphic fly fishing book TheCurtisCreekManifesto by Sheridan Ander-son (1978)

One vise is made from a deer antler and another from nothing more than a pair of “C” clamps Figure 1 1 shows my version of a “C” clamp vise constructed with three clamps

Figure1.1 (right)

Why? 5

Vises that were affordable by people of modest means began to be marketed in the 1950s and 1960s Figure 1 2 shows three vises and two bobbins from that era From left to right: Herter’s No 11 vise, wooden bobbin, Thompson Vise, Herter’s Model K63 bobbin, and a Tak-L-Tyers vise

Fast forward to today I am concerned that many people, espe-cially youth, never begin tying flies because of the widespread belief that fly tying has to be expensive My approach is to build my own fly tying vises and to teach others how to build their own vises The cost of building one’s own vise can be less than a ticket to a movie! I have done this with Boy Scouts, 4-H youth, and high school students Such homemade vises all do the essential job of holding the fishing hook while the tyer attaches material to make a fly I have found that the young builders of these vises take pride in their work Their invest-ment of time and effort or “sweat equity” is an important part of the appeal of these vises and makes the lack of the advanced features of more expensive vises less important Some young people who I led in a vise-building project already had a purchased vise at home They were among the most eager participants to build a vise with their own hands and use it!

Figure1.2 (left)

6 BehindtheFly Why? 7

leader will make fly tying accessible to youth who are often shut out by the cost of a “good vise”

In this book I also present some of my “novelty” vises Each year I tie at fly tying events I construct the bases and jaws for the vises out of interesting items to showcase the low budget approach Do I expect to see others build vises from scrap bumper jacks, pulleys, rasps, files, electrical insulators, bicycle forks, or old plumbing? No, I do not But I hope that I leave the impression that one’s first vise does not have to cost more than five dollars Do I expect others to build vise jaws from spikes or chop sticks? Not necessarily, but I do want to expand the view and scope of materials that may be used to build a fly tying vise

Then again, perhaps some of you who are reading this book may want a fly tying vise that makes a personal statement Perhaps you have an old electrical panel box or a wheel from a cultivator that you would like to use as a base for your own vise Perhaps when your car gets new brakes you will choose to ask your mechanic to save an old rotor for you to use as a heavy base for your vise The possibilities are endless But wait, there’s more! What is a fly vise without a fly? I have included directions for tying a few low budget flies as well Some of these flies are originals and are not published anywhere else I use

Today’s youth have less contact with the natural environment than previous generations (For a thorough discussion of this issue, I recommend LastChildintheWoods:SavingOurChildrenFromNature-DeficitDisorder by Richard Louv ) I believe that pursuits, such as fly tying and fishing, are ways to open up the door to the wonders of the natural environment So, how can we get more youngsters to be in in-volved in nature and the outdoors? Well, one answer (There are many other answers as well ) is to promote a low cost entry point to fly tying and fishing That is what this book is really about

This book has images of a number of vises that I have built It also has full plans for several of those vises The reason I present more than one vise plan is that the tools and skills required to build each one vary There is a trade-off with each vise The vises that take more skill and equipment to build have features that make them easier to use The ones made with jaws of steel will last much longer than the ones made with aluminum or wood jaws The operation of some of these may fit the tyer’s personal style more than some of the other vises It is my hope that individuals will select a vise that matches the tools and building skills they have It is also my hope that individuals who first build their own may decide to make up kits that others may assemble as part of a fly tying class or project Consider the end result: the group

8 BehindtheFly

these flies to fish for bass and trout Once again, fly tying materials can be expensive but you do not have to spend much to create flies to catch fish Many of my materials come from dollar stores and yard sales Also included in this book are low budget tips and directions for going fishing with a fly, without a fly rod!

Enjoy your tying and fishing, and remember, it is all about hav-ing fun and appreciating the natural world around us