Tying flies is so much fun, but requires a few essential tools. One of the most critical is a vise, and in this video review, we examine the Stonfo Elite. This vise is manufactured by an Italian company and offers tiers lots of options, including height, angle, and tension adjustments. Throughout the video, I share my thoughts about this high-quality tool, plus give you a close-up view of the components. A favorite section is when I showcase the vise holding a range of hooks...even a #32! Approximate base dimension: 7 3/8” x 6 3/8” x 1 5/8”

The notion of a "variation" is a difficult one for beginner fly tyer, thus I examine many possible variations for the Prince nymph in this tutorial.  Throughout the video, I share my thoughts and rationales as to why I made the various decisions, and I hope this helps others in determining variations that will prove to be effective patterns.

Parachute dry flies are some of the most popular patterns in fly fishing today, and tying them can be tricky @ times.  Utilizing parachute dry fly tools, such as the one featured in this tutorial, make the entire process of forming the post much easier.

Not all peacock dubbing is created equal!  In this tutorial, I take a look at some different peacock dubbings, explain techniques to apply them, and finally show how the materials look when wet.  At the end of the video, I tie with actual peacock herl to allow a comparison between all of the peacock dubbings and natural herl.

Some of my favorite materials to tie with are Hungarian Partridge feathers, which can be used for so many parts of the fly.  In this tutorial, I go over a few of those uses and show some of the techniques I employ with these feathers.

During this tutorial, I demonstrate a very neat technique to use when tying parachute dry flies.  This method, popularized by Chauncy Lively and Roy Christie, is similar to the paraloop method and is a fun way to tie in hackle on a parachute.  The hackle is tied in very securely, thus making this a style that many still opt for on a regular basis.

During this tutorial, I give a brief overview of hen hackle, then show some of the more common applications (including tailing, legs, beards, and soft hackles).  Every year, I seem to use hen hackle more than other materials, thus I wanted to share my insight on this great feather.  As mentioned in this video, I recommend Clearwater Hackle for the majority of these applications, and be sure to tell the owner (Lars) that I said hello! 

During this tutorial, I examine a few popular ways to place weight on the hook.  Though using lead in this video, you can easily apply these same techniques to other soft materials that can add weight to a fly.

There are many insects out there that have longer bodies, and simply using an XL hook that add unneeded weight to the pattern.  Instead, I show a technique to utilize deer hair as the extended body, thereby allowing you to alter the specific length per your need.  This style is effective for a variety of patterns, including the green drake, slate drake (Isonychia), and other mayflies.

Measuring tails on dry flies can be difficult for those new to fly tying, thus this tutorial gives a few tips and techniques to do just that.  Mayfly tails are examined in the video, with an emphasis placed on the dun and spinner stages of the fly.

In this video, I share tips to keep a CLEAN hook eye when fly tying. Few things are more frustrating than being unable to thread tippet through an untidy hook eye, thus here are some methods that will help tiers.

Buying a fly tying vise is no easy decision! This video goes over the main types of vises, as I share similarities, differences, and characteristics I look for when purchasing. Suggestions are given to help when you ask others for advice. This is a very personal decision that relates to the types of flies that you tie. Good luck making a decision, and feel free sharing this video with others who are also considering a new vise.