Norm Norlander Tying at Mountain Home, AR
Many years ago, Norm Norlander, came to the fly tying show in Mountain Home, Arkansas. At that time, he brought a truck load of his Novice System with him. He sold them all. I bought one and have use it ever since. There are a number of things I like about his fly tying system.
First is the ability to spin the hook on a zero axis with the tying thread in line with the thread holder. This allows easy dubbing of the tying thread. Norm was an expert at this as you know if you ever saw one of his demonstrations. It also makes it easy to furl hackle and yarn for extended fly bodies. I also like the indexing at 90 degrees around the vice. This feature allows you to tie materials onto the sides or bottom of the hook without repositioning the hook.
Another feature of the Norvice System is the Automatic Bobbin Holder. There are several advantages in using an automatic bobbin holder.
In fly fishing, precision and efficiency are essential for creating high-quality flies. An automatic bobbin holder enhance the fly tying experience.
1. Consistent Tension Control:
Automatic bobbin holders maintain a steady tension on the thread, resulting in uniform wraps. This consistency ensures durable and professional-looking flies, reducing the chances of fly failure during casting or fishing.
2. Improved Efficiency:
With automatic tension adjustment, fly tyers can focus more on the creative aspects rather than constantly managing thread tension. This speeds up the tying process, enabling anglers to produce more flies in less time.
3. Reduced Fatigue:
Repetitive manual tensioning can lead to hand fatigue, especially during extensive tying sessions. Automatic bobbin holders minimize this strain, making the process more comfortable and enjoyable.
4. Enhanced Precision:
The stability provided by automatic tensioning allows for intricate and precise wraps around hooks, which is critical for achieving realistic and effective flies.
5. Ease of Use:
Many automatic bobbin holders are designed for user-friendliness, accommodating both novice and experienced tyers. They often come with adjustable tension settings, making customization straightforward.
But, I do have a problem with the Norvice Bobbin Holders. First, let me say they work great. Once you become accustom to palming the bobbins during use and placing something over the tip to keep the thread from being rewound when finished tying, there are easy to use. Actually this becomes second nature.
My problem is this. I normally I tie with black 8-0 0r black 3-0 thread. I have three bobbin holders one each with 8-0, 3-0 black and white GSP thread. Lately I have been tying small flies with thread bodies of different colors. To use my Norvice bobbin holders, I must wind the required thread onto a spare bobbin. I have plenty of spare bobbins. Initially I tried labeling them with permanent ink markers. Permanent ink is not always permanent. I also tried a small metal engraver. That was more permanent but with my shaky hands, the engraving was not easy to read. I must admit that at my age remembering what was on the unlabeled bobbin was impossible. Sure, I could use a regular bobbin holder and tie the flies but then I lose he advantage of the automatic bobbin holder.
Solution, I found an automatic bobbin holder that allows the use of regular spools of thread. Changing spools is easy and the labels stay attached to the spools making thread identification easy. Thread tension is a little less than the Norvise bobbin holders, but more than sufficient. The bobbin holder is a little expensive, but you only ned one. Cost is $150 compared to the Norvice bobbin at $100 each.
The Automatic Bobbin is manufactured by Faruk Ekich of Flytying Enhancements. He cam be reached at www.automaticbobbin.com. The site has a short demo using the bobbin holder.
(I have no affiliation with Flytying Enhancements.)
BTW: The BWO Emerges at the top of the page features a furled hackle for the wing. The hackle was furled using the Norvice.
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