How to Tie a Rotary Vise

Tie fishing flies with a rotary vise much as you would with a fixed vise. Like a fixed vise, a rotary vise features jaws that clamp down on your fly's hook. Unlike a fixed vise, the entire mechanism rotates around an axis, letting you rotate the hook rather than the bobbin of fishing line. This also lets you easily wrap the tie with additional material, such as tinsel.

Things You'll Need

  • Fishing line
  • Hook
  • Pliers
  • Wire cutters
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Instructions

    • 1

      Loosen the jaws of the vise by turning the dial counterclockwise.

    • 2

      Insert the hook between the jaws. Position the shank, the hook's longer arm, on top, ensuring that it is parallel to the floor.

    • 3

      Turn the dial clockwise to tighten the jaws.

    • 4

      Using the pliers, straighten the hook's rounded arm, the "barb." This creates two parallel arms rather than a curved hook.

    • 5

      Hold the bobbin of fishing line in one hand. Stretch a length of thread against the shank with the other.

    • 6

      Repeatedly crank the vise's actuator arm, the handle on the left side. Wind it, holding the bobbin steady, until the line attaches firmly to the hook.

    • 7

      Cut off the loose length of line with the wire-cutters.

    • 8

      Place your additional attachments against the hook. Wind the line around the attachments to secure them.