Fishpond Fly Tying Bags

[thebassman]

Hey Everyone,

I am looking to expand my fly fishing world and focus more on tying flies. This has come about because: 1) I would like to be able to tie what I need and when I need it instead of having to order from some discount online shop. 2) My wife and I are expecting our second child in early December. I figure my time away from home may be limited.

I am not going to have the luxury of a tying desk and need a portable set-up. Something I can pull out when I have some time and then make it disappear when I don't (plus to take it when I travel). I think I have settled on the Fishpond bags, but my question is which one?

The RoadTrip is smaller (and cheaper), but having never seen the Tomahawk in person I do not know how it relates to it in size. I do not want to be limited on space, but I also do not want to have way to much room that I will never use.

Curious if you guys have any experience if any of these bags...pros or cons would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jeremymcon]

I've never heard of an fly-tying bag... They look interesting. Kind of pricey though. Personally I use some of those plastic drawers with wheels on them. That bag is in no way big enough for all my tying stuff. For a while I kept all my tools and vice in the top drawer, and my materials underneath. Then I could tie flies at the kitchen table or coffee table or wherever. Though now I pretty much only tie at my office desk. Just move all the tying stuff to the drawers when I need to actually use it for office-type work.

 

[Volksnurse]

Cabela's has a travel bag for tying. It's like $39.00. Most of my stuff lives in the same kind of plastic drawers Jeremy is describing or in plastic shoeboxes.....

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Yeah, the Cabela's bag is nice for the money.

Link to bag....

I've got one, and it's nice to take some select items on a road trip. It holds enough for that, but you'd likely fill it up pretty quick.

Just taking enough stuff to tie a few patterns you may run into fills it up quickly - I sometimes think if I add just one more spool of thread, it's gonna explode. :lol:

No portable bag is ever gonna fit all your tying stuff once you've got some time to accumulate stuff. It's a temporary solution, at best.

 

[thebassman]

Hopefully by the time I outgrow the bag I also have a dedicated space, or more room to store more material. At the moment I am looking to tie just a few patterns and try to get them down as best I can.

 

[SBecker]

This is what I have found to be amazing and keep my stuff very organized. 3 inch binder with baseball card pages. I have one for all of my dubbing and I have another one for all of my other materials. I can fit everything except hair and longer things like flash in a baseball card sleave. Those go in a zip lock bag. I can fit all my stuff into a bookbag. The binders and light fit into the big section and my hair and other stuff fit in the front.

Now, I also carry a soft briefcase, something like that you would carry your laptop. In there I have my hackles and my thread organizer.

My intentions are to purchase the baseball card pages that are like half page ziplocks. A lot of bass guys use them to organize their soft baits and such. I want these to put my hair and other material into and integrate them into another binder.

Organization is key!

 

[afishinado]

Cheaper and more flexible

 

[sandfly]

Though I had to retire my old one, I am going to buy another newer version of these (not sure which one) great for storing in closet holds everything you need.

 

[RCFetter]

So far, I don't have a desk dedicated for tying.

I use this for organizing hackle, arctic fox, marabou and deer hair.

I like Becker's idea for storing chenille.

I drilled holes into an 8" 2x4 as a tool caddy.

So far I only buy Orvis hooks that come in a heavy plastic package and they fit nicely into a single desk/kitchen tray.

 

[gaeronf]

You have a couple different options. As stated above, you can get any number of plastic boxes/bins but from my understanding you want portable.
What comes to mind are 4 choices:
Road Trip - Middle priced, and slightly bigger than a sheet of standard paper (length/width wise). Too much money for what it does.
Cabela's Bag - Inexpensive, and does the job. It's bigger than the Road Trip, cheaper than the road trip, not as fancy as the road trip...but also currently on sale.
Regal Bag - This is my current bag. It's reaaally big and holds everything you need for most of your tying. However, it's clunky in design (comes along with the ability to carry everything) and expensive.
Tomahawk - This is moderately expensive as well and holds a fair amount of stuff. Definately better than the Cabelas and Road Trip By Far.

In my opinion, if money is no cost - Regal > Tomahawk > Cabelas > Road Trip
However, if depends on your budget. If you are willing to shell out the money for the Tomahawk, the Regal bag is on sale at Hook and Hackle for the same price. Hook and Hackle Regal Bag

 

[chris234]

I personally had the cash at the time and went with the tomahawk. It is a very nice bag and does hold all of my materials. But then again i might be a little bias to fishpond products because the fly shop i frequent stocks them very well along side orvis. Every time im in the market for something a long these lines i compare the two in person and the fishpond always seems nicer for the money. But if your not needing to travel then any of the above options would work great for around the house at a much better price point.

 

[poopdeck]

Congradulations on the 2nd child! I also never knew they sold fly tying bags. Seems kind of gimmicky to me unless your traveling most days. Since both my kids are out of the house i have an abundance of space and a designated tying area.problem is its in the basement. i feel like a potato hanging out in the basement.

I have three shoe box size plastic bins that fit nicely on a portable tying desk that i can set up in front of the big screen. I can squirrel it away at a moments notice. They carry almost everything and its an expandable system. I think I have less the five bucks in it since the bins formally held crayons, colored pencils and such. The portable desk was cobbled rathered crudely together by my father from what looks like wood he found. I imagine a simple portable tying desk can be nailed together for less the ten bucks and quite possibly with what you may already have.

 

[PennKev]

Having taken fly tying gear on camping trips. I don't think these gear bags really allow you to take enough stuff to truly cover yourself if you need flies. Even with a decent sized Tupperware bin it's hard to pack anymore than the essential, basic materials. So you are stuck tying basic essential flies that you should already have tons of.

If you are lucky to travel extensively, frequently, and/or for prolonged periods, a mobile kit makes more sense, but in my experience it is just another thing to lug around on short 2-3 day trips and is completely unneeded on day trip.

Kev

 

[gfen]

thebassman wrote:
I am not going to have the luxury of a tying desk and need a portable set-up. Something I can pull out when I have some time and then make it disappear when I don't (plus to take it when I travel). I think I have settled on the Fishpond bags, but my question is which one?

So, you've got a second child coming, and you want to buy something that you can stow your various fly tying materials away in... and you're going to spend $75 to $175 on it?

It would appear only Afish really paid attention to the OP, and like he said I'd think with two children, you'd have much better uses for the money. A plastic sweater box from Rubbermaid will set you back about $15, have airtight seals, and allow you to keep bugs out and the delightful scent of camphor in all the while saving you $60 to $160 for diapers, formula, or doctor's bills.

 

[mario66pens]

Becker, that is genius for organizing dubbing.


At home everything I own for tying is a dresser, each drawer has two different types of items (i.e. hooks and weight) (Hackle and soft hackle skins) All of them are kept in zip lock bags. Whenever i need to take them somewhere, the zip lock bags all fit into my backpack.

 

[wgmiller]

"Bingo!" Afish. Plastic bins and Ziploc bags are the ticket. You can buy both at Dollar General or any other store for that matter. Nice thing is, you can pack them as full as you want with tools, material, etc., and they are durable.