Blog

by Erik Haugen - Sporting Goods Buyer

Vise Model:  Regal Medallion w/ “C” clamp

Flies Tied: JJ Special, Hi-Vis Beetle

 

 New England-made Regal vises are simple, durable, well made products. It’s amazing how well they work in tying your favorite flies and holding a variety of hooks. When I started
working at the shop, I got to tie on all different kinds of vises. After getting in a Regal Medallion with the swivel insert, I was hooked!

I believe the Medallion to be the best vise for central Montana tiers, tying bugs for freestone creeks and tailwater madness! At the base of the head/jaws is a swivel point so you can rotate the vise 360?. There are four different sets of jaws that you can get for your Medallion, and I would strongly recommend getting one with a bronze base. Choose the “C” clamp option and you can tie anywhere, anytime on anything! I would recommend this vise to anyone who wants a solid vise to tie with and not have to worry about hooks slipping out, not being able to see the underside of the fly, etc. If you follow Regal’s hook placement guide, these jaws will hold hooks firmly and allow you to get aggressive with your tying!

Regal Engineering knows how to make fly tying vises. Whether you are tying 2/0 streamers which require a wrenching or delicate #20 emergers, this vise does it all.  The Regal Medallion is a vise which covers all the grounds required to tie mostly any pattern.  This vise incorporates a semi rotary with either c-clamps or a base.  The jaws on this vise are tough and snug.  The spring stays taught for decades, the base has five separate compartments for bead and hook storage.  You can take this vise on the road with you too!  If you are looking for a long lasting, proven vise for under $200, the Regal Medallion will get the job done right.  Knock off vises which look similar might work for the time being, but the Medallion will most likely outlast you and your kids.    

by Calvin Fuller - Ponderay Fly Shop Manager

Vise Model:  Traveler 2200 Pedestal Base Model w/ Clouser Cam

Flies Tied:  Steelhead intruder patterns, double hook lake trolling flies, clouser minnows, Pro Tube System™

 

      The Renzetti Clouser series serves its’ purpose tying larger salt water and steelhead patterns. The new Cam Lock System clamps the hook well, resulting in little vertical movement. Previous models had a less efficient, harder to work wheel lock system. This was a good improvement. The smaller head design helped for proper placement of material resulting in good silhouettes for baitfish patterns. The vise head also held the Pro Tube System™ mandrel making it easy to tie Pro Tube flies. The rotary feature allowed for proper placement of material when getting into detail with steelhead patterns.

           
      So far, the only con I’ve found is the rubber band on the vise head that keeps the jaws aligned. I have broken one already and find this feature could be fine-tuned. The vice is still functional without the rubber band. It just takes one extra step to set the hook correctly in the jaws of the vise.

SEND US YOUR BEST STREAMERS FOR THIS MONTH’S CONTEST

We’ll pick the top five entries which will then be put to a public vote. The top three entries will receive these great prizes:

 

1st Place:        Full Saddle Hackle - a $69.99 Value

2nd Place:      Euro Saddle Hackle - a $49.99 Value

3rd Place:       Silver Saddle Hackle - a $34.99 Value

 

Come in to the Great Falls Fly Shop to submit your entries. There is no limit to the number of entries. Entries must be submitted by January 29th. Winners will be announced in the March issue. Your choice of hackle colors is limited to stock on hand. All entries become the property of Big R Fly Shop.

 

If you’re unable to make it to the fly shop, mail your entries to us at:

 

Big R Fly Shop Tying Contest - Streamer

Attn: Erik Haugen

5109 Alaska Trail

Great Falls, MT 59406

 

Jungle Cock is now finally in stock at Big R Fly Shop. After some trouble trying to find a source for Jungle Cock eyes we finally have some inventory in both Great Falls, MT and Ponderay, ID fly shops. Currently in stock:

Jungle Cock Nails in small, medium, and large – $9.99

Jungle Cock Deluxe Grade #2 Cape – $199.99

We have never stocked these before because of the price of these things. However, we have had quite a few requests this year. 



























 

We try to get a new fly out to our beloved viewing audience every week. This endeavor proves to be quite the challenge, especially during the summer months when your friendly neighborhood fly guys are either out on the water, busy at the shop or out of town at a tradeshow, trying to keep the shelves and pegs stocked with the latest offerings from the fly fishing industry.

Point is, we don't always have the opportunity to post fly tying videos. That's where you come in. Got a pattern that annihilates trout? Have a fly that lights on fire in the evening? Care to share it with the rest of us? Then get out your video camera, remember to tell us who you are and where you're at. Then go to http://www.youtube.com/user/bigrflyshop. Subscribe to our channel and post up your video. You won't win anything and you won't get any special discounts at the shop. But if your fly is unique enough, or if we try it and it proves to be as deadly as you claim, we'll post it up on the fly shop's website and you'll at least get a little recognition...and a little more street cred.

Now that high water has finally blown through our area (with exception to the Mo) and the local streams are starting to come into shape, it’s time to get on your vise and fill your boxes. I know that high water is the perfect time to tie because fishing is nearly impossible, but if you’re anything like me you’ve been procrastinating all season.  We’ve been getting a lot of people in the shop with questions concerning fly tying necessities, so here is a quick rundown of the four basic tools that you will need to get your operations going.

    

Vises: First and foremost you will need a vise. Picking the right vise can be tricky and will be different from tier to tier (usually it depends which vise fits the tiers hand).  The type of vise is generally dependent on the amount of experience you have. Don’t get me wrong, a $30 vise will work for experts, as a $200 vise will work for beginners, but the features of each vise are somewhat tailored to experience. We have a variety of vises from Thompson, regal, renzetti, and a few others. For those who are beginners, I would recommend a basic clamp jaw vise. We carry a variety of these ranging in price from $34.97 – 79.99. For those who’ve had some experience, I would recommend tying with a rotary vise. They are super effective for tying flies that require a lot of wrapping with dubbing, brushes, hackles, chenille, etc.  They are also very useful for turning your fly while it’s in the vise to see how the fly is looking on the underside. These range in price from $79.99 – 199.99.

 

 

Bobbins: This is the tool that allows you to wrap thread onto the fly. They come in a variety of sizes and have a variety of uses. One of the main differences in bobbins is length. The bobbin length is dependent on the size of the tier’s hand (bigger hand = longer bobbin). The second difference is ceramic vs. metal. This feature is completely up to the tier. Some tiers prefer metal over ceramic because the tier can apply more pressure on the thread without it breaking, whereas other tiers prefer ceramic because it allows for more precise thread wraps on the fly. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, we stock Eco and Griffin bobbins. Each are metal bobbins and range in price from $4.99-6.99. Moving up from there, is the Shurgrip standard bobbin from Metz which is ceramic and is priced at $9.99. Additionally, we stock Renzetti bobbins in two varieties: standard with ceramic ruby tip and the midge bobbin (which is great for tying smaller flies). Each are priced at $19.99. Lastly, we carry the rite bobbin in a variety sizes (metals and ceramics too). These bobbins are designed with a tension adjuster on the side, which allows the tier to adjust the tension based on the size of thread they’re using. These run from $19.99-29.99.

 

 

Scissors: These are probably the most important tool when it comes to perfection tying. It is absolutely necessary to have a sharp pair of scissors to make perfect cuts time and time again. We stock a variety of scissors from Dr. Slick which have many different uses (hair scissors, twisted loop scissors, razor scissors, prism scissors, and regular tying scissors). These range in price from $14.99-27.99. Again, this is a tool that comes in different sizes which is dependent on the size of the tier’s hand. It is a good idea to see how the scissors fit to your hand before you buy them.

 

 

Whip Finishers: This tool is used to “tie the fly off” aka create a knot that allows you to cut the thread from the fly.  The whip finish tool is the most complicated tool to learn how to use, so make sure when you buy one that you ask how to use it before you leave the store. Whip finishers are somewhat cheap at around $5.     

 


 

This is very quick and dirty, but it may be helpful for those who are just getting into tying. Additional tools that are commonly used include: dubbing tools, hair stackers, hackle pliers, dubbing combs, and head cement. As always, call the shop if you have any questions on our products or any tying question that you may have.












 

We have finally received a great selection of dry fly saddles in some great colors from Whiting Hackle.  Come in if you have had trouble getting them as we have already been getting calls again from the beauty industry.  Justin and KK are guarding them with their life to make sure people are tying flies with them and not wearing them in their hair.  Nothing against the beauty industry but we want to make sure our fly tying customers are taken care of first.  

Check out the Pro Grade and High and Dry half saddles.  The colors look great.  We are excited to have some hackle coming in to the heart of the dry fly season.