There comes a time in a fly anglers life when he or she realizes that to have the most fun you have to tie your own flies. This is when you know the bug has bitten. The point of no return. Once you start tying your flies you are going to need an assortment of different tools, a bunch of materials, some threads, hooks, and some creativity. Keep the creativity in your grey matter upstairs, but when it comes time to store everything else you've collected, you are going to need to get a new fly tying bench.
I've searched high and low for different fly tying benches. Some of the stuff that people are trying to pass off as a "bench" is pretty shocking. In fact, head over to eBay and take a look at what $100-$200 will get you. Looks like something that was built in someone's garage using leftover materials that have been laying around. There are three fly tying desks, though, that have what it takes to stand up to my rigorous critique. The desks below have features that I know fly anglers need, are built using high quality materials, and have price tags that are accessible to most anglers.
Have you ever heard of Orvis? Just kidding. You already know that Orvis produces the highest quality products for fly anglers like you and me. I just had to raise an eyebrow for a second. This “Deluxe Fly Tying Bench” is built by Orvis using their time-tested, angler proven design and manufacturing processes. It is easy to see, with a quick look, that this is by far the best fly tying bench on the market today.
Have a little bit more money to spend? Have more materials lying around than you know what to do with? If you’ve been tying flies for a while, and have amassed a good amount of spare materials, hooks, tools, threads, and other fly tying goodies, then you are going to need something with extra storage space to keep your gear organized. Measuring 40″ tall, 24″ deep, and 47″ long, this desk provides you with more than enough workspace for tying and storing your materials.
If there is one thing I can tell you, when you’re just getting into fly tying and looking for a desk, it would be to start small and figure out exactly what you want from the desk before you drop too much money. These “small” fly tying desks from Cabela’s is the perfect entry-level tying desk. The price is low enough to make it accessible to most anglers, while the quality is high enough to ensure long lasting durability. You are going to need to spend quite a few hours behind a desk before you will figure out exactly what it is that you need from it. To sum it up: you need this fly tying desk!