Fly Tying Materials

John Norris Bulk Fly Tying Bargain Packs are little fly fishing treasure chests containing all the materials you could imagine for making your own flies. Most fly fishers will have at least some practise in ‘DIY’ fly tying (and, if not, there’s no time like the present to start); making your own is a good deal less expensive than buying ready made flies, and it’s curiously satisfying, too. It’s certainly painstaking work, but you can acquire a pleasing level of craftsmanship relatively quickly, provided you have the right fly tying tools.

Depending on what you’re fishing, you can pick and mix your own bespoke fly tying pack, selecting from items like a ten spool batch of various fly tying threads or floss at £2.99 right up to a 50-spool batch at £14.99, packs of 12 assorted cock or hen hackles at £4.99, plastazote/ethafoam blocks (7 for £6.99), 12 packs of seal fur for at £4.99 … the list just goes on and on (there are 25 different items to chose from). Just select the materials you need for your particular fishing preferences.

John Norris also supplies a fine section of fly tying tools, including an ingenious little vice adaptor, a simple tool that will make a big difference. Those experienced in fly tying will know that one of the fiddliest stages of the process is tying fly tubes. The adaptor fits into the jaws of a standard fly tying vice and, with its tapered collet, permits easy access to the tube. It makes for a far more stable method of fashioning tube flies than the standard darning needle approach, and it comes with three differently sized needles, accommodating small and large bore tubes. All you do is mount the tube onto the needle, press into the adaptor’s collet and tighten the screw. Then get on with some stress-free tying.

Whilst we’re on the subject of fly tying tools, the Gold Loop assortment of scissors clamps and mantis tweezers is simply not to be missed. Just select what you want from the range but bear in mind that the tools are state of the art, made by the manufacturers of top surgical equipment. The scissors have extra large, gold loops, making them extremely comfortable to use (as well as highly pleasing to look at) and have a serrated blade, ensuring precision cutting with none of that frustrating slipping of material along the blade while you work.