Tube flies

[Buddy Sanders]

For an extremely simple and inexpensive 'tube fly tying holder/adaptor' that will work in the vise you already have:

Find a piece of stainless steel wire (about .040 to .045). An old spinnerbait will have this on it, you can buy the stuff in 3' lengths at most welders supply shops, or use any straight wire you may have laying around. You can make a 'mandrel' that will hold your tube secure from just this piece of wire. The only 'requirement' is that the tube fit over the wire and it's rigid enough that you don't bend it while tying the fly.

Cut the wire to about 6 inches and bend a 90 degree angle in the middle of it. The long end should be around 2 1/2 to 3 inches (depends on the length of tube you want to tie on). Cut the short end to around 1/4 inch. It's nice but not critical to smooth off the cut ends with a dremel or file. This keeps the mandrel from snagging thread or cuting fingers and things like that.

Use the cheapie 'Q-Tips' from the dollar store for the tubes. Cut them at an angle at one end: /

Slide the tube onto the wire with the angle end of the tube towards the 90 degree bend.

Twist the tube until the angle locks into the bend of the mandrel. This way the tube won't twist on the mandrel as you tie the fly.

Place the other end of the mandrel into your vise. Slide the mandrel back through the vise jaw until the tube is tight against the edge of the jaws and lock the vise onto the mandrel. Now the tube can't slide or twist.

Tie the fly on the portion of the tube CLOSE to the vise. Once you have the fly tied, trim the tube as close to the head of the fly as you like. You can slide on and glue into place a cone head or bead before trimming if you want. After some experience, you'll learn how long to cut the tube to hold the size fly you want to tie with little waste (each of them chaepie Q-tips costs around 1/4 cent, don't want to waste any of that).

Simple and works.

Plus, of course, it's cheap and doesn't require any fancy adapters or a 'special' vise or jaws, etc..

Before I abandoned the whole tube fly concept, I tied hundreds of these things on a rig like this.

Good Luck!

Buddy