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Manufacturers especially Veevus are playing games with the aught labeling system. You would think that a 16/0 thread would be thinner than a 8/0 thread but no so if the manufacturer is different. Why does the Veevus 12/0 in the chart below have the identical denier measurement (70 denier) as the Veevus 14/0? Why is the Veevus 12/0 thicker than the 14/0 in mm (.049 vs .047 mm). I've tied with both 14/0 and 16/0 Veevus. They seem excellent, but not a huge advance over other excellent threads. First of all, there in NO FREE LUNCH in tying threads. Some threads advertise that they are stronger but the stren th of thread is from the strength of the AMOUNT of material AND the MATERIAL strength. One thread manufacturer's Nylon and Polyester fiber is not stronger than another manufacturer's Nylon and Polyester fiber. they all buy fomr the same chemical companies that manufacture the nylon and polyester. Do you think that they can get a custom run of nylon or polyester for the amount of material these guys use? For more than you ever wanted to know about fly tying threads, have a look at this article by Chris Helms: http://www.swtu.org/pdfs/fly_tying/Threads.pdf (It was written before Veevus came on the scene.) One of the lessons from the article is that the "ought" measure of thread size varies all over the place. One maker's 8/0 is the same as another maker's 12/0. For example Uni 8/0 and Benecchi 12/0 are very similar. That has been my experience too. The hook shank below is wrapped with exactly 40 wraps of eight different threads. Why does the UNI */0 have less bulk than the Veevus 14/0 and 16/0. Could it be that Veevus is trying to fool us! The third issue is that twisted thread builds up bulk faster than untwisted thread because untwisted lies FLAT and twisted has air spaces between the wraps! Uni thread untwisted. The fourth issue is how the thread is bonded. -
Many of you visit Steves Midwest Custom Rod forum here and some of you don't. I sent him an old Shakespeare Wonder-Rod to do some repair work on. This rod had hung in my Dads fishing cabin for about as long as I remember. It is a 3wt 7'6" rod. It was paired up with an old Pfleuger Medalist 3 wt reel. I found the rod in a tube that I had in the basement with all of my old/broken/unused rods and decided to pair the rod and reel back up. When I took it out of the tube, I noticed that the varnish was flaking off and a couple of the guides wraps were dry rotted and needed TLC. I got in touch with Steve, described the issues and discussed how to accomplish the refit. Original Thread: Well, after waiting patiently (NOT) for the post office to deliver my repaired rod, as well as new 8wt that Steve made for me, The rod arrived yesterday. Today I went out and slimed the rod. I didnt stay at my little pond long, because I had other things to do,BUT, did manage to catch a few fish. The Shellcrackers are on the beds in this pond and they were HUNGRY. I caught over a dozen fish between 9-11 inches. Not bad for a rod that is older than I am! This is going to be a show piece on my Mantle, but will get used from time to time. As I sit and look at the rod with a new lease on life, I wonder how many fish it has caught in it's lifetime. Thanks Steve for breathing life back into my Dad's rod!! The 8 wt will get slimed this weekend. Got a kayak trip lined up for the weekend.
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Ok thanks
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Hi the tying thread I would recommend GSP thread 50 denier thread excellent for spinning deer hair and an excellent midge thread hope this helps Kind regards Steve 😉 -
The Veevus threads are about the strongest per diameter you can find unless you go with the nano or gelspun threads. I have no problem with 10/0 veevus on those patterns. That said, I should tell you that I no longer use any "fly tying" threads at all. I have switches to Gutermann Skala (a polyester sewing thread,) for all my tying. The 240 size works just as well for me as 10/0 veevus. Not quite as thin, but thin enough. -
I use the Nor-vise system which spins at a much higher speed than almost all the rotary vises. I also have a Dyna-King Sidewinder, it will spinn but not nearly as fast as the Nor-vise. I can apply dubbing along the thread with either of these vises. The Sidewinder is long out of production, and Dyna-King has nothing link it now. With a standard vise, applying dubbing is best done with either a split thread or a dubbing loop, then you can simply spin the split thread with the bobbin, or a dubbing spinner for a loop of thread. I also have an older Regal and I have no problem tying larger streamers on that.
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I also stuck my 8wt Teton reel on it. It balances an inch or so differently,but still feels really good!
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Hi! I hope everyone is keeping safe. I also hope you can help me: what fly tying thread do you suggest for tying small (sz. 16 and smaller) Elk Hair Caddis, Comparaduns and Stimulators? I am looking for a thread that is not bulky and that will not break too easily. Thank you! John - Today
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Shoe goo is the same material as fleximent, and both are thinned with Xylene. Xylene needs to be used in a well ventilated area, and avoid breathing the fumes. For that reason it isn't a popular. There IS a faster drying alternative now from Gorilla Glue. Its called contact cement, and also can be thinned with Xylene, but the tack free drying time is about 10 to 15 minutes. Still needs a longer full cure before using.
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Mogup I really like the looks and colors of that fly. tom
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WTB: Frank Matarelli Whip Finisher with Thread Cuter
Bazzer69 replied to mvalbano's topic in The Trading Floor
Does anyone else make a thread cutter similar to this one? I have Materelli Whip Finisher but alas it doesn’t have the thread cutter which I’m sure is very handy -
Suggestions on displaying a fly for a keepsake?
HookedOnFTF replied to brkncly's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
Doug - a stupid question if I may. How is the fly suspended in the Christmas ornament? -
@Mogup- I think he's just suggesting a fly snap, he seems to have several posts.
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Jeez 16 days for Priority. Gotta love how on the ball they are 🤨
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HELL YEAH! I have one and I LOVE it. I will never need another vise. They sell a bobbin cradle. But if you are a beginner there are less expensive vises, Griffin sells some good ones (Spider Cam rotary, etc) but if you are set on the Regal, you may never need another one.
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YO McFlyLures Two shad jointed to be one fly. But I must say that material choice is a key factor. Your flies look perfect for this. Enrico Puglisi EP fibres are a great choice. I think that is what you used, or an equivalent too. Water repelling, less dense material are a must when making bigger flies. (just my opinion) Materials that absorbs water (and doesn't shed it during your false casts) are worthless. It's like trying to cast a wet sock. I have made "A LOT" of awesome looking flies in my hand that sucked on the end of my fly line..LOL Even when casting with 9 and 10 weight set-ups. I go big for bass. LOL. If you attach this little gem at the end of your mono or wire connecting extension, you can detach the trailing fly any time you want. BOOM!
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The first is a classic hex nymph and the second is a joe's hopper as has been already noted.
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Some flies I tied last night...
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Well guys it's been a while since I posted last, tied up some bivisibles the other day, also tied a "new" pattern the Au Sable Humpy. It's not really new because it's just a blend of 2 patterns. the Au Sable Wulff and the Humpy. Once I get them (the ASHumpies) good enough I will post a couple.
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Micro Game Changer, CDL - Hen Kimo
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New to tying with deer hair (and the forum)
Packgoat replied to Packgoat's topic in Warmwater Species
I'm still figuring out how to pack the hair. More practice will help for sure. And oh what a mess. Trimming with a razor blade sends waste flying! -
New to tying with deer hair (and the forum)
niveker replied to Packgoat's topic in Warmwater Species
@Packgoat Welcome. There are some great deer hair spinners on the forum, I am not one of them, I'm sure they'll chime in. Your flies above are better than anything I turn out. I wouldn't even post photos of mine anonymously. -
Steve, it arrived about 20 minutes ago. It looks and feels great. I will try both rods tomorrow and cannot wait to get them on the water. Tom
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Brown Owl, first attempt, tied with materials on hand. Crowded the head, and the proportions need adjusting - probably increasing the body length would have helped. Hook: #10, curved (GCO) Thread: brown Body: pearl tinsel braid (FTD), hit with gold Sharpie, coated with Sally's Underwing: brown buck tail Wing: teal flank feather Hackle: India hen, trimmed on top.
