This neat little device consists of a 3" wide by 4" high magnetic pad, which attaches to a steel stand, which can be placed in two inclined positions. The magnetic pad has a 40 mm scale on one edge for measuring hook dimensions and a dry fly hackle gauge (designed by Jim) which is based on the dimensions given by André Puyans. To use the hackle gauge, take a hackle, tip up, and bend it so that the barbs splay out from the shaft. Place the base of the barb at the dot and find which of the concentric rings (marked with hook sizes) correspond with the tips of the barbs. Change the bend point to match the desired hook size. For hooks smaller than size 10, bend the feather to the right; for sizes below 10 bend the feather to the left.

The white vinyl pad provides a good background for viewing the fly in your vise.

The magnet on the stand is the same material that we use in our magnetic fly box. It is so strong that you can place small tools (ferromagnetic) on its surface as a temporary catchall. If you spill hooks on the floor or carpet and have a hard time seeing them, use the stand to pick them up from the area. It works better than a vacuum cleaner.

The stand pads are interchangeable with the box pads so you can tie up a bunch of flies for a specific occasion and swap them into your flybox. You can also take the fly pad out of the box put it on the stand and tie the patterns you are short of and replace it in the box.

Use the edges of your stand as a place to put your flies when your head cement is drying or your epoxy creations are curing.

If you’d like a larger viewing background behind your vise, or larger surface area to attach your flies you can attach two or more stands together. Here are some pictures of different configurations:

The magnet on the stand is the same material that we use in our magnetic fly box. It is so strong that you can place small tools (ferromagnetic) on its surface as a temporary catchall. If you spill hooks on the floor or carpet and have a hard time seeing them, use the stand to pick them up from the area. It works better than a vacuum cleaner.