What it is
The Hareline Stonfo Bobbin Rest is a fly-tying bobbin rest that mounts at your vise so you can park your bobbin without losing control of your thread. It’s adjustable for height and angle, built to feel ergonomic at the bench, and made to hold up to regular tying use. In practice it helps you keep steady thread tension instead of letting the bobbin swing, unravel, or fall off the bench.
What to tie with it
Use it anytime you need clean thread control while you’re repositioning materials, switching tools, or reaching for a whip finisher. It’s especially handy when you’re building heads, stacking and securing hair, or working through multiple tie-in points where you want to keep the bobbin positioned and the thread under consistent tension. Adjust the rest so the bobbin sits where your hand naturally returns, then pick up and lay down the bobbin without changing tension.
Flies and the fish they're for
This kind of bobbin rest earns its keep on larger flies and heavier thread setups where managing tension matters, like saltwater patterns for redfish, striped bass, and tarpon, and big freshwater streamers for smallmouth and trout. It’s also useful on small trout flies when you’re doing careful thread work and want the bobbin out of the way without going slack, like while you’re tying in delicate materials or finishing tidy heads on nymphs and dries. Even though it’s just a bench tool, the result is fewer thread mishaps and more consistent wraps across everything from trout patterns to saltwater flies.