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Production Tying!

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This just adds to the "tying in groups" post that Smalliehunter made. If you need to tie a lot of a single pattern, try tying in steps, or assembly line tying, instead of trying to complete each fly one at a time.

 

As an example I'll use a Woolly Bugger. After you assemble all the materials that you'll need, start by preparing the materials. If you'll be weighting the flies, do that first on all the hooks you intend to use. I precut my lead wire into lengths, which allows me to have all flies weighted the same, and I don't have to count wraps of wire.

Then select & lay out all the marabou tails, or if you're doing a variation, like with a rabbit strip tail, precut all the tails to the proper length.

 

As you start to tie, again do it in steps. Tie in just the tails on all the hooks, then go from there. Work with as few materials at once as is possible.

 

By concentrating on doing simple steps in the tying process, you'll be surprized how fast you can complete a large number of flies, and improve not only your speed but your consistency as well. This does not work with all flies, but many that require multiple materials can be done this way.

 

 

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That is a good tip Jim especially about the weighting because I usually cut as I go and I'm sure I never end up with the same amount of weight.

 

I do have a quick question. When you tie on the marabou for example to you tie off and head cement that step and then move on to the next fly?

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Will, I'll tie off using a quick 3 wrap whip knot, but don't use cement at this point. If I cement the thread wraps, again I'll do all at once.

 

I learned many years ago how to whip finish with my fingers, and all my knots are whips, so there's not a lot of need for adding cements. When tying on tails, as in my example, the thread will be cut & retied, but the next thread tie will start over the first, locking it in place. If you want to add the cement, that's fine too.

 

I've been using Pro's Soft Bait Glue for a lot of my tying. It's a "super glue" and dries fast, plus it's waterproof.

 

The assembly line method of tying may seem like it will take longer since it's multiple steps, but fact is the biggest time consumption in tying is in preparing materials. If you're tying Buggers, and your selecting the marabou from a clump of strung marabou, you'll put down your scissors, pick up the marabou, sort thru the feathers until you find one or two that fits your needs, pull it loose then lay down the clump, and pick up your bobbin, and so forth. This takes a lot of time, and adds up per fly. If your materials are already selected, and all you do is tie, and you should be able to tie tails in less than 5 seconds each. Same with the hackle, if you're tying 3 dozen buggers, then select and have ready, 40 saddle hackles, allowing a few extras for breakage. The tying part can be done much faster, and you should be able to complete more flies in less time.

 

Also, like most production tyers, I never put down my scissors, they stay in my hand until I'm done.

 

 

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Nice tip Jim i will have to remember that when salmon season comes around because here in michigan we lose alot of flies in our log infested rivers come september so i always find myself tying 25-40 buggers or esl's at a time.

 

that may just help break up some of the monotany of it also.

 

 

SD

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Incidentally, the expression 'speed tying' should not refer to how qiuckly you can get that bobbin around the hook shank. Speed tying depends on how few turns of thread you use, use less effort in wasting turns of thread and you will seriously speed up your tying. Unnecessary turns of thread bulk up the body and waste time.

 

Chris

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