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  #1  
Old 01-04-2021, 05:59 PM
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JustBen JustBen is offline
 
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Default Organizing Fly Tying Gear

So back when WSS was closing down, I managed to snag onto a whole bunch of cheap tying supplies. However, when it comes time to find stuff, I end up having to basically unpack my whole old toolbox to find specific things.

There has to be a better way to store all this stuff, but before I run out and buy something dumb, I figured I should ask what you folks use... maybe someone has some interesting insights.
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  #2  
Old 01-04-2021, 06:52 PM
Mr Flyguy Mr Flyguy is offline
 
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Parts cabinets with labelled drawers for hooks and spools of threads and wires.

Lee Valley watchmaker's cases for beads.

Larger drawered craft storage cabinets for hackles. quills, furs, marabou, etc.

When you've been tying for 50 years you'd better be organized!
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Old 01-04-2021, 08:26 PM
freeride freeride is offline
 
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I have 2 of these.
I just organized them by drawer, then toss everything in. With a little one on top for thread and tools

1. dry hooks
2. streamer hooks
3. wet hooks
4. hackle
5. feathers
6. fur/hair
etc...
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  #4  
Old 01-04-2021, 09:38 PM
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thumper thumper is offline
 
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I use 1 dozen, clear, small sized, zip-lock bags, clearly marked with a sharpie, stacked on end, in a drawer (like files in a file drawer) - for different materials like dubbing, rabbit strips, marabou, loose hackle feathers, deer/elk hide, rubber legs and 'stuff'. Most of those ziplocks contain small items that are in smaller plastic bags, to keep them from being mixed up (like 5 or 6 different colours of marabou kept in small separate bags, Black / White / Pink / Chart / UV Grizz / UV Olive / Whatever, - inside the one zip-lock marked MARABOU) Larger feathers like capes, pheasant, ostrich cut to fit in larger, labeled zip-locks. Then hooks in a plastic craft boxes with flip-up lids(like a weekly pill container). Beads in 2 smaller ones - carefully labeled to size and type (tungsten/lead/copper). Threads, tinsel and wire on spools - on a wall-mounted sewing thread spool holder on dowel pegs. An assortment of threads that I use often are already on bobbin holders, and I've drilled holes in thick, round, cork hot-plates from Ikea, to stand these up in, along with scissors, threaders, whip-finisher and other tools. And a used, plastic, sour cream tub for crazy glue, lacquer, bulky odds & ends. Lastly, a handy pad & pencil for recording what I'm getting low on and need to purchase! After a couple of decades of tying, it's still not perfect, but it sure minimizes the amount of time spent digging for stuff! For me the tough part is saying 'no' to good-meaning friends & relatives that want to give you stuff (like shed fur from their favourite cat), or throwing out stuff that you've never used and are very unlikely to use in the foreseeable future. Also, resisting the urge to buy the exact material that you see celebrity fly tiers using on YouTube or TV ! It's fun using natural materials that you've collected yourself - I've got shed buffalo and Mountain goat under-fur that I've collected from brush in the mountains and on the prairies that I enjoy using.
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  #5  
Old 01-04-2021, 09:42 PM
Pastaman Pastaman is offline
 
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Good advice!


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  #6  
Old 01-05-2021, 06:06 AM
tallieho tallieho is offline
 
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I don't see any road kill bags..squirrels,maggies,Hun's,Pheasants..deer elk that some people disgard on those dead end roads
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  #7  
Old 01-05-2021, 10:23 AM
Remps17 Remps17 is offline
 
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Depends on how much tying supplies you have. I use pegboard. Not sure if you have a room where you can hang it but this is the only way I have found to keep everything organized. I built a little stand for my thread, a magnet strip for tools and for small stuff like beads and hooks, Michaels has pile of options for storage.

If you dont have place to mount pegboard you can always cut a piece that fits your needs and have that leaning somewhere out of the way.

I know I would tie less or not at all if I wasn't organized.
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  #8  
Old 01-05-2021, 10:25 AM
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Here's a tip. When 'collecting' squirrel tails from fresh road-kill, either immediately put those tails in a sealed zip-lock to freeze solid for a week, or securely attach them to flap in the breeze on the outside of your truck. (old fashioned antennas work great) DO NOT hop back in the truck and proudly put your prize tail on the front dashboard, get back to highway speed, and then deal with your wife getting covered in squirrel fleas jumping into her lap at 110 kph. It's astounding how many fleas are found in a squirrels tail.Perhaps they all migrate from the rest of the body to the tail upon the death of their host?

Another tip. Although their porcupine quills make great fly shell-backs and are useful to give flies buoyancy, DO NOT attempt to take home road-kill porcupines. Just find a rotten stick on the roadside, gently tap the dead porcupine from a distance, and the quills will dislodge, sticking to the wood for easy collection. Especially on 'ripe' dead porcupines.

There's a lot of downside to getting old, but with age, comes some useful experience...
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  #9  
Old 01-05-2021, 01:26 PM
trooper trooper is offline
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I went out and bought a sheet of peg board and hooks for those packages of fly tying material. I mounted the pegboard on my den wall and now have everything at my fingertips.
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  #10  
Old 01-05-2021, 02:40 PM
Bigwoodsman Bigwoodsman is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thumper View Post
Here's a tip. When 'collecting' squirrel tails from fresh road-kill, either immediately put those tails in a sealed zip-lock to freeze solid for a week, or securely attach them to flap in the breeze on the outside of your truck. (old fashioned antennas work great) DO NOT hop back in the truck and proudly put your prize tail on the front dashboard, get back to highway speed, and then deal with your wife getting covered in squirrel fleas jumping into her lap at 110 kph. It's astounding how many fleas are found in a squirrels tail.Perhaps they all migrate from the rest of the body to the tail upon the death of their host?

Another tip. Although their porcupine quills make great fly shell-backs and are useful to give flies buoyancy, DO NOT attempt to take home road-kill porcupines. Just find a rotten stick on the roadside, gently tap the dead porcupine from a distance, and the quills will dislodge, sticking to the wood for easy collection. Especially on 'ripe' dead porcupines.

There's a lot of downside to getting old, but with age, comes some useful experience...
And how did you learn these valuable lessons?

BW
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  #11  
Old 01-06-2021, 10:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman View Post
And how did you learn these valuable lessons?

BW
Trial, error, and 2 wives.
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