For Christmas, two family members pooled funds to buy me something on my wish list: the Prolite. It is a light kit that comes with a magnification lens that can magnify 2x, and there’s a spot that goes to 10x. It totally rocks.

I inaugurated it by tying a size 30 dry fly, and it made a huge difference. I clearly could see every fiber on the hackle, control the thickness of the thread body, and whip finish without trapping a bunch of hackle and crowding the hook eye.

Moreover, I previously tied flies without an overhead light, and I was surprised by how using one made fly tying easier and more fun.

If you’d like to learn more, below, is a video.