So I’m putting together this little fly tying kit to backpack with. I’m planning on winding some of the thread I will need onto those tiny bobbins you can get at the fabric store. I feel like I have seen this somewhere before. I also wonder if a regular bobbin…pre stretching…would hold something of this size. Anyone else tried anything like this, or seen the mini bobbin holder.
i think nor vise has the automatic bobbin which uses that size of spools, but the bobbin in the beginning is around 20 something dollars
little expensive but hey if it works 8) .
…not tring to be a smartass here,
but why would you want to bring a tying kit backpacking?
If you’re not sure what flies you need to bring, how would you know what materials to bring?
If you don’t what materials to bring, you’re going to be carrying a lot more stuff (and more weight) than you need to.
Backpacking no no’s
The #1 rule of backpacking… Don’t carry what you don’t need.
To me every extra ounce on my back makes a difference
The less I carry, the better I feel, the better my attitude, the more fun the trip.
Bring a box or two of core flys and be done with it.
I believe the Matarelli Midge Bobbin will hold those.
Joe
I tried tying flies once while camping. When I wasn’t dropping what I was doing to swat bugs, I was distracted by a bug in my face, or I was picking up things the wind had blown away. Way more effort than it was worth. Just tie like a mad fool before you leave and make sure the boxes are filled.
The Materlli midge is just what you need. I keep several spooled up with sewing machine bobbins on my fly thing desk. I use my wife’s sewing machine to load them with 8/0 thread and keep them handy.
Dudley, believe me…I smell what your stepping in. The kit should weigh less than a pound included all materials and tools. The vice I have weighs about half a pound (Turrall Streamside).
I like tying while camping, and I like having something to do at night. My initial estimates have me at 35/40 pounds for a six day trip…more than manageable. I plan on tying a bunch before I get out there, but like I said, nothing feels better than kicking out a few flies by the headlamp and fishing them first thing the next morning. If I end being an ounce over 40…the kit is the first thing to go.
Hi GBurgFisher,
I used to have a tiny bobbin holder for those tiny spools. It came with a box of 8 small spools of floss, and the whole thing was put out by Shakespear. You might be able to get one ordered in from your local fly shop?
- Jeff
Here is one source http://www.feather-craft.com/2007master … sp?page=74 8)
I have those in my shop. they come in a small floss kit and are made by Terra Tools. The whole thing is smaller than a pack of smokes.
First an answer to Dudley’s ‘why bother’ question…How many times have you been fishing and found the perfect killer fly, only to later loose the the last one on a snag? Or found out that there is an active Green Drake hatch in size 8 and all you have are size 12’s the fish just won’t touch? A stream side kit is just the ticket.
I put together a small backpacking kit, just like you are considering. The larger sewing machine bobbind will easily hold a whole spool of tying thread. An variable speed electric drill with a wood dowel works well for winding. I took a standard thread holder and bent the wire legs to fit the smaller bobbin. You can get small ziplock bags at a hobby store like Michelle’s
they are great for packaging up materials. Here is a list of other things I added to the kit…
- find a small plastic PLANO style box to hold everything, use a hot knife to cut and trim the inner compartments to custom fit your tools. A few notches here and there and your vice head or scissors fit in without rolling around. Loose tools will shake around and tngle all the materials.
- small magnet to hold loose hooks, like credit card sized flexible ones
- a 6X10 piece of cardboard with felt glued to each side, fits inside the lid of my plastic PLANO box, feathers and such stick to the felt and don’t blow away in the wind as much. One side white, one side black for contrast and visibility.
- prepare your feathers as much as possible before hand, strip off fluff, strip off webbed areas and pre size them. It reduces bulk and minimizes the handling in the field. Stack small bundles of prepared feathers and fold some masking tape over the stems, then place a staple over the masking tape. This will keep them in a managable order and the weight of the staple anchors them in a slight breeze.
- cut small piece of stiff card board with slots cut along the edges, wind 6" strands of floss, yarn or other materials onto the slots for ready to use ‘cards’ of material.
- consider materials with multi purposes, antron yarn for example can be used for wings, tails, peeled into smaller fibers and used like floss for bodies, spun on a split thread as a synthetic hackle collar, chopped up and dubbed onto thread.
- fingernail pollish comes in small sample size bottles, trim all but 3-4 fibers from the brush and use it as head cement, place a small ball of sticky ‘florists putty’ on the bottom and stick it to your vise base to make it spill proof.
- cut a small piece of thin plywood to match the size of your PLANO box. Cut the head from an 8" theaded bolt with a smooth shoulder that matches the diameter of your vice shaft. Use a T-nut to attach the bolt. Add some stick on velcro to the PLANO box and the plywood. For travel the plywood sticks to the PLANO box, for tying the plywood attached to one edge of the PLANO box forming a small ‘laptop’ tying table. Glue your magnet, a small piece of cork and a few bottle caps to the plywood to hold hooks, tools and beads. IN the field there are not many flat surfaces for tying, you will enjoy having a small work bench. I carry only the jaws from my vice, using the bolt and plywood as a vice stand.
- trim hair on the hide into 1/4" wide strips, less bulk to pack and easier to use.
i have a bobbin like that (a midge bobbin), but my problem is that i can’t find any spools to fit it. i haven’t found empty ones at the fabric shop (maybe i don’t know exactly what i’m looking for) that i can fill myself, or any thread or floss that comes on those small spools. what exactly should i look for, either material pre-spooled or in the way of empty spools? my plan was to find an empty and put floss on it, but the floss i have available is 4-strand and comes on a standard sized spool. sorry to temporarily hijack the thread.
in response to the why bother parts, though, my theory when camping is this: will i be spending most of my time carrying my pack (then don’t take anything that isn’t necessary) or will i carry it in, set it up, then carry it out a few days later (in which case, take what i can carry, even if it is a few more pounds if it makes the time between hikes more enjoyable).
The spools you want are for sewing machines. I don’t know the proper name for it, but it’s for the part of the sewing machine that is under the foot. Sewers have to load thread onto them and then load them into the machine or it won’t sew. You can get them in plastic or metal (I like the plastic ones).
I found some at joann fabrics (joann.com) - Singer Plastic Class 66 Bobbins 3/Pk http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp? … rce=search
wallyworld also sells them in a blister pack.
Then take your sewing machine and load them with thread or you can use an electric drill to load them up if you don’t have a sewing machine (or know where you can use one).
I’m sure if you walked into a fabric store with some thread and plead ignorance, someone might load them for you!
Thanks to all for the input. I did manage to track a mini holder down on eBay. Apprently a search for mini bobbin was enough to do the trick…go figure!
Kengore. That sounds like a sweet setup. I’m all over the small bag method. Bought 500 2x2’s and 3x5’s and have begun slowly filling them with dubbing, fur bits, and pre-sized/cut feathers. I like the sound of your box, and especially like the felt idea - I have been a bit worried about wind.