WETFLY Deluxe Fly Tying Vise and Tools Kit with Materials, Book and DVD - Complete Set Review (2026)

The vise and mounting

At the center of this kit is a vise the maker markets as the Super AA, mounted with a C-clamp rather than a pedestal base. A C-clamp mount means the vise attaches directly to the edge of a desk or table, which gives a very stable, wobble-free platform once it is tightened down, but it also means the setup is tied to whatever surface you clamp it to rather than being freely portable like a pedestal vise. For a beginner tying primarily at home on a dedicated tying desk, that trade-off is a reasonable one, since stability matters more than portability during the early learning stage when hand control is still developing.

Tools and materials

Alongside the vise, the kit includes the core hand tools a new tier needs: scissors, hackle pliers, a hair stacker, a bobbin and a bobbin threader, which together cover thread control, feather wrapping and hair evening without requiring separate purchases. On the materials side, WETFLY includes a selection of natural fly tying materials such as hackle, dubbing, marabou and other natural fibers, which lets a beginner tie recognizable wet fly, dry fly and streamer patterns using components that ship in the box rather than needing to source materials elsewhere before starting.

Book and DVD instruction

The kit comes with a printed book and an instructional DVD aimed at walking a first-time tier through basic technique step by step. This pairing of physical materials with structured instruction is one of the more useful aspects of the set, since a vise and a pile of feathers alone do not teach someone how to start a thread base or finish a whip knot cleanly. The DVD format is now dated, and anglers without a disc player will need to rely mainly on the book or supplement with online tutorials, but the intent of giving a beginner a guided path rather than just raw materials is a real strength of this kit.

Fit for different tiers

This kit suits a true beginner who wants a single purchase that covers vise, tools, materials and instruction without having to research each component separately. Anglers who already own a vise, or who specifically want a rotary or pedestal-style vise for portability, will find the C-clamp Super AA less flexible than dedicated aftermarket vises built for travel or bench-free setups. The natural material selection is general rather than tied to a specific hatch or region, so as with most starter kits, expect to supplement with pattern-specific materials once you move past the basics covered in the included book.

Bottom line

WETFLY has offered variations of this deluxe kit for years, and the core formula of a stable clamp vise, complete hand tools, natural materials and guided book and DVD instruction remains a sensible way to get a first-time tier from an empty desk to finished flies. It is best suited to tying at a fixed home setup rather than on the road, and the DVD component shows its age, but as a complete beginner package it covers what is needed to start tying real flies. Anglers weighing this against a materials-only kit should remember this option already includes the vise and tools, so there is no separate purchase needed before the first fly can actually be tied.

Frequently asked questions