A master class in the art of fly tying with efficiency

From spare table to workstation: an unparalleled fly tying desk built for home use

An avid fly tying enthusiast gives us a tour of his home set up that ticks all the boxes. It was an unused table sitting in a bright bay window of his home office, and Paul transformed it into a fully functional, thoughtfully organised fly tying workstation. Designed for efficiency and comfort, Paul’s set up allows him to tie flies without wasted time or wasted motion – right from the comfort of his home.

A bespoke layout built on detailed planning

The centrepiece of Paul’s layout is his vice. The most noticeable thing is the black pad that it sits on. On closer inspection, it’s the upturned lid of a storage box. Why? To take advantage of its geometry. This simple innovation now provides a ‘wall’ surrounding the vice. Dropped trimmings and scraps stay contained and tiny parts like beads remain within easy reach if they fall. Less mess, and more importantly, no more time wasted searching on the floor on hands and knees.

Beside the vice is a stiff foam caddy customised with holes of various shapes to fit frequently used tools. A tool returns to its designated slot after use, keeping all of them in one easily remembered spot. This solves what used to be the persistent problem of implements vanishing. Again, no more time wasted searching.

Beneath the right-hand side of the desk, Paul installed a tidy stack of five clear plastic boxes to hold materials. Each one has 16 smaller boxes within, giving him 80 individual compartments for organising. Hooks, beads, and materials that are alike are stored together, and every box is labelled. Paul started with just one box and (no surprise here) has built up to five boxes of material over the years. The stack fits neatly under the desk without encroaching on legroom.

Adding a playful but practical touch, a small but functional replica of a green dust bin sits to the left of the vice. During tying sessions, Paul can just wet his fingers, pick up all the scraps and trimmings, then simply drop them in the bin. That way, the workstation can be kept reasonably clean at all times. ‘Clean as you go’ is the concept, which reduces the time and effort to do a big clean-up afterward.

‘Go then stow’ applied for efficient workflow

In Paul’s set up, the principles of motion economy have been applied to dressing flies: very little or no wasted movements. ‘Go then stow’ is the concept behind tools and materials being positioned strategically within the layout. With everything visible and convenient to reach, there’s hardly any reason to get up and leave the desk when working on a fly.

And when it’s time to attend our fly tying meetings on Tuesday nights, the vice and the tool rack are simply set down in the big open plastic container on the left. When they have to be carried, they’re ready to go – no reorganisation needed.

From fly buyer to fly dresser

When Paul started out fly fishing, he was buying his flies off the shelf, mainly online. In the autumn of 2019, at the bowling club where he’s a member, he observed the Wessex branch members gathered in a meeting room. One of them was demonstrating a fly being tied, and it was there that he thought,’ I can do that’. He soon joined the Branch and began dressing his own, eventually moving away from buying online.

Over the years, Paul has already accumulated a large inventory of flies that he’s tied. So these days, his desk is used only about twice a week for fly tying. He now also uses the desk to make repairs. Some flies inevitably get damaged on his fishing trips, but those that can still be salvaged are brought back home and restored at the workstation.

He says, ‘Of the flies that I carry now, 99% of them are ones that I’ve tied or repaired myself at this desk.’ But he will sometimes buy off the shelf if it’s something that he can’t make himself. These would be flies that have moulded resin bodies, for example.

If, like Paul, you’re thinking about moving away from buying those off-the-shelf flies, a fly tying taster session can be arranged with the Fly Dressers’ Guild – Wessex. Drop us a quick note to set it up. Give us a try, and who knows, crafting your own fly tying desk might be the next item on your list.

Photo by Paul Rowcliffe