Fly Tying Community “On The Vise” Launches Online
OutdoorHub 02.19.13
On The Vise, is a new online fly tying community for fly tyers. Custom software powers a never-before-seen tool where fly tyers can search for fly patterns based on inventory they have on hand, and users have the power to upload flies, make comments, and win prizes too.
Like many fly tyers, Luke McCoy turned to the Internet for inspiration on new flies and fly tying information. Unlike most, however, when he didn’t find what he wanted, he built a fly tying site that could offer it.
That site launched January 28, 2013. It’s On The Vise, a brand-new online community that gives fly tyers a place to share ideas, show what they’ve tied, search an extensive database of flies based on the materials they have on hand, take part in fly tying forums, win prizes and buy branded merchandise.
“There are thousands of fly tyers out there,” said Luke McCoy, founder of the site. “And it just seemed like the available resources for our hobby were limited by poor usability and sites that were just plain hard to navigate.”
A key differentiator of the site is that it makes it easy to search and browse an extensive online database of fly patterns. Users can even input the inventory they have on hand, and the site will search its database to recommend new flies to tie based on those materials.
On The Vise has been engineered for user-friendliness. A photo-rich navigation puts images right up front, and the site has been built to make it incredibly simple for users to upload their own images and make comments.
“There are other fly tying sites out there, but none of them put the focus on patterns like we do,” McCoy said. “We’ve also built a site that’s extremely organized, so users spend less time on a frustrating search and more time getting the information they need.”
To do this, McCoy and his team of developers custom-built software. Whereas other sites rely on off-the-shelf software, open-source tools and blog formats, OnTheVise.com is specifically built for the fly tying community.
Regular giveaways add additional excitement for members – including random weekly prizes for members who upload a fly, a Fly of the Month giveaway and a February sweepstakes where one new member will win a new vise.
“I’ve been fly fishing and tying flies since I was 15 years old,” said McCoy. “And I’ve been in the Web development business since my early 20s. It’s been good to put those two passions together – hopefully for the good of the fly tying community.”
