Simplified: Fly Tying Tools
If you’re new to fly tying, it can feel a little intimidating at first. There are a lot of tools, a lot of opinions, and a lot of people who make it look way more complicated than it needs to be. The good news? It’s really not that serious.
At its core, fly tying is pretty simple. You’re just attaching materials to a hook in a way that looks enough like food to fool a fish. To do that, you only need a few basic tools- nothing fancy, nothing overwhelming, and definitely nothing that requires a dedicated tying room.
This post breaks down the fly tying tools that actually matter when you’re getting started, along with a few extras that can be helpful down the road.
Start with the basics, take your time, and don’t worry about tying perfect flies. Fish are a lot less picky than fly tyers!
Simplified: Fly Tying Tools
To get started with fly tying, you only need a small set of essential tools. A vise holds the hook securely so you can build the fly without fighting it. A bobbin holds your thread and lets you wrap and secure materials to the hook. Scissors are used to cut materials (one fine pair for precise cuts and a tougher pair for thicker materials). A bodkin is a sharp, needle-like tool used to pick out fibers, clear space around the hook eye, or anything else you’d like. Finally, a whip finish tool helps you tie a clean, secure knot to finish the fly so it doesn’t unravel.
With just these tools, you can tie a wide range of effective flies and start building confidence at the vise.
Essential Fly Tying Tools
There are a ton of different fly tying tools out there, but only a handful are vital to tie flies. Especially simple patterns!
To start out, we really only need some of these to start tying flies and catching fish. Essentially, all you will need is something to hold your hook, a tool that holds your thread, something to cut and pick at stuff, and a knot that holds it all together. If you have tools that do those things, you can tie flies that catch fish.
While there are lots of helpful fly tying tools out there, we really just need the following to start concocting our fish-catching masterpieces:
Vise
A vise holds your hook securely and allows you to do your work. The jaws grab your hook tightly and let you begin to build. Can you imagine trying to hold the hook with a pair of pliers? Yeah, that ain’t gonna work- this tool is an absolute essential and is the foundation of all fly tying.
Vises come in a variety of styles- pedestal and clamp. Pedestal vises have a heavy bottom to them and allows you to move the vise wherever is most comfortable for you. Clamp style vises firmly attach to the edge of your table and provide a little more stability when you’re really cranking down on your flies.
Some vises have a rotary function that lets you spin the hook around, which can be a helpful feature. It’s not necessary to have this ability, but is another feature of vises that help us tie our flies.
The choice is yours whether you go with a pedestal or clamp, rotary or stationary, but whatever you go with- just make sure your vise holds your hook tightly!
Bobbin
Bobbins hold your thread and allow you to use that thread to secure materials to your hook. They come in a wide range of quality and because this is such a vital tool, it’s important to invest in one that is comfortable.
Most quality bobbins are made from a smooth ceramic material that is durable and effective. Some cheaper options are a rougher metallic material that is prone to cut your thread as you tie flies. Yes, I know this from experience!
You will be spending a lot of time with a bobbin in your hand, so pick out one that is comfortable, smooth, and durable. If you don’t like it after 30 seconds, it’ll be brutal after 30 flies!
You don’t have to break the bank on your bobbin, but just make sure it isn’t a cheap-o one.
Bodkin
A bodkin is basically a strong, sturdy needle that is a do-it-all kind of fly tying tool. When you need something to pick out fibers, apply glue to a specific area, or poke a hole somewhere, reach for your bodkin. It’s the tool you don’t think about until the moment you need it.
I’ve had my bodkin for more than a decade and use it constantly for all sorts of stuff. It’s not a tool meant for a specified reason, but its versatility makes it an essential tool on your bench. You may not know what you’ll use it for, but you will use it a lot!
Scissors
When fly tying, you’ll need to cut stuff. Scissors do just that. Pretty simple.
There is a huge spectrum of fly tying scissors out there but you really only need two pairs. One set of fine point scissors for exact cuts and another for rough chopping.
Your pinpoint cuts are necessary for finishing flies or cutting thin materials to a specific length. For thicker, tougher materials like rabbit strips or marabou, reach for your “crappy” pair of scissors so you don’t dull your “nice” pair.
I’m all for buying quality gear and tools, but scissors is where I draw the line. You can spend all you want on the fancy stuff, but you can also go to a drug store and pick out scissors that will do the same thing. Grab a couple pairs of scissors- one for precision, one for abuse.
Whip Finish Tool
There are many ways to finish flies, but the whip finish is a tried and true method. Yes, you can learn to whip finish by hand, but early on, this tool saves frustration and ugly knots.
Using this tool can be a little bit tricky, but it’s an important skill. Check out this video on how to whip finish your flies and you’ll be ready to tie clean, strong knots at the end of your flies:
(Very) Nice to Have Fly Tying Tools
These tools are not vital, but can be very useful when tying flies. Some are meant for specialized techniques that you may not find necessary, but if you catch the fly tying bug, you’ll soon realize these are very nice to have.
Once you’ve tied a handful of flies and know you enjoy it, these tools start to make more sense.
Hair Stacker
When tying with deer hair, fibers very easily fall out of line and we need to get them in order. Hair stackers do just that. Put your hair through the slot, tap it on your table a few times and voila, you’ve got nicely organized hair fibers.
This tool goes a long way in keeping your flies pretty and can help with the tying process, but I’m not convinced the fish will care. You can work around messy clumps by grabbing the hair and gently tapping it on your hand, but sometimes the hair stacker makes that job much easier and cleaner.
A hair stacker is not a necessary tool, especially for beginners, but if you get into the bass bug game, you’ll be happy you picked one of these up.
Hackle Pliers
Hackle pliers are a helpful tool when you need to secure materials (mostly hackle, hence the name) as you wrap them around the hook.
I find myself using my hands most of the time to wrap materials around the hook shank, but having a pair of hackle pliers does have its uses. When wrapping multiple feathers at once on a streamer, grabbing them with hackle pliers makes the job easier and more efficient. Can you get away with pinching it with your fingers? You sure can but these little guys can remove any doubt of letting go and needing to start over. Not crucial, but nice to have sometimes!
Comb or Brush
Flies get messy. Especially dubbing or stuff like polar chenille. Having a comb or brush to remove trapped fibers can not only make your flies look cleaner, but also help them swim correctly.
Brushing out your flies with either a comb or a specialized brush is extremely useful at times. You don’t really need to do this if you don’t tie a ton of streamers or use a lot of these materials, but when you do, giving them a clean-up does go a long way. Give your fly a good sweep after finishing and you’ll have clean, effective, Instagram-worthy pieces of art.
Hair Packer/Pen
If you like to tie with deer hair, you will probably need a way to compress the hair along the hook shank for really tight, clean flies. Hair packers do just that. Slide the packer over the hook eye and press horizontally along the shank of the hook and you’ll be able to tie in more fibers. If you’d like to push back some bucktail fibers when “reverse” tying, this is tool that can help you do that.
There are specialized tools to help you do this, but a hollowed-out pen also does the trick. This is a nice tool to have but is really only necessary if you find yourself spinning up deer hair bugs.
If you don’t spin deer hair, skip it. If you do, you’ll wonder how you lived without it!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, fly tying isn’t about having the most tools—it’s about knowing how to use the few that matter. A solid vise, a good bobbin, some scissors, and a couple of simple hand tools will get you 95% of the way there. Everything else just makes things a little easier, cleaner, or prettier.
If you’re just getting started, focus on tying flies, not shopping for gear. Tie ugly flies. Break thread. Cut materials too short. That’s how you learn. As you tie more, you’ll naturally figure out which tools are worth adding and which ones can stay on the shelf.
Remember, fish don’t care how organized your bench is or how fancy your tools are—they only care if the fly looks alive. Get the essentials, start tying, and let the rest come later.
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