My Fly Tying Desk

I’ve been back at my fly tying desk lately, tying flies for customers, adding fly pattern sheets to RiverKeeper Flies, and trying to find fishy-looking flies to fool fish.

A friend of mine asked about my fly tying desk and suggested it must be very well organized. After all, it’s where all the magic happens. Nothing could be further from the truth!

My fly tying desk overflows at times. My wife has said more than once that when I pack up the vise and tools to teach a fly tying class or attend a demonstration fly tying event or Expo it’s the only time she can see wood on the table because the vise is absent!

Well, I can’t dispute that fact.

I wrote a blog post about this time of year 3 years ago – Back to Fly Tying – and showed my work area for the first time…a before and after.

In my own defense, I don’t have enough room for all my fly tying materials and books. I need more storage so all my materials have a home and I can easily find them. Am I dreaming out loud? I don’t think that will ever happen!

And what happens to all the flies I tie? Good question. Some are mailed to customers and others end up in a variety of “provider boxes” waiting to be sold, donated, or even fished. A few of those boxes are located on the left-hand side of my tying table mixed with several (OK, a lot) of fly samples I thought I’d eventually get to and tie up myself. Most of them come from a fly I found at an Expo where a tyer tied one for me. It’s also a place for my rejects and used flies I plan to salvage or pull off the materials and re-use the hook.

But who am I kidding…I don’t think that will ever happen.

So today’s post only has the “before” picture of my messy fly tying desk. I don’t think there will be an “after” picture for awhile…

Lastly, I wanted to highlight my note cards I referenced in the 2017 Fly Fishers Christmas List.

RiverKeeper Flies Note Cards are a way to share a few of the pictures seen on my website. For $20 (plus S/H) you receive 8 matte finished (not glossy) 5″ x 7″ note cards with envelopes. The cards are blank inside and can be used for any occasion. My first set is called the Rainbow Trout Collection.

Here is the the RiverKeeper Flies Note Card set, perfect for a gift or for you to use.

Enjoy…go fish!