Review of “Andy’s Bobbins”
This is a review of a unique and beautiful bobbin holder that is hand-crafted by Andy Andrews of Springfield, Missouri. But before I start, Iwant to take a slight detour and talk about The Sowbug Roundup in Mountain Home, Arkansas. This is where I met Andy Andrews. Sowbug, as it is known, is hosted by The North Arkansas Fly Fishers and is billed as “the best fly fishing show” in the country with 150 expert fly tyers and over 20 venders. One look at the “featured tyers schedule” and the seminars offered and you see a who’s who of world class tyers. This is definitely a fly tyers fly tying show and I highly recommend it. OK, so now back to the bobbin review.
Andy’s Bobbin does what a bobbin holder should do, which is to hold thread for tying flies. And it does hold thread very well. I can almost guarantee this bobbin holder looks different from any thread holder you have used. And the pleasing aesthetic design of this bobbin holder, the way it fits in your hand, and the tactile connection to a natural material are a big part of the appeal of this bobbin holder for me. The variety of woods is almost overwhelming, and makes it very hard to choose-so much so you may need two!
This bobbin holder was modeled after Wayne Moore’s and Steve Jenson’s design. Andy made some engineering improvements and the final result is a very functional and beautifully designed fly tying tool.
On the pragmatic side, you might be surprised to know the bobbins supplied with Andy Bobbin will hold an entire spool of standard fly tying threads. Also, additional bobbins can be readily purchased (at a very reasonable price) at most sewing centers or Walmart, as well as an electric bobbin winder that will spool up a bobbin in seconds.
