Finishing a Muddler

[Slacker 0]

Whenever I a muddler everything goes oh so well ...... Then I have to whip finish the muddler. That is when I run into trouble.

 

I would say I am running at a 63.2% success rate when it comes to neatly finishing off these muddlers. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how they keep the deer hair pulled back so they can "cleanly" whip finish the head?

 

I guess I could get my wife to come and hold back the deer hair while I finish it off. But I think that would defeat one of the main purposes of tying flies. :devil:

 

 

[Redwings1 0]

Most of the time when I finish off a fly with a deer hair (or spun wool head for that matter) I just use a few square knots and then iff I am really feeling squirrely I'll add a small dot of zap a gap :dunno:

[Slacker 0]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I had thought about that because many of the muddler's I have seen do not have a built up head. Thanks for the tip. I will try that next time I tie one.

 

It makes total sense. I just wanted to hear someone say it! :wallbash:

[deeky 0]

When I do a deer hair head, I try to finish spinning or stacking a little further back from the eye (about an eye space - I tend to crowd the eye anyway). Then I pull the hair back with my free hand and wrap several times up against the hair. This builds a bump that ends up holding the front hair about straight up. Works particularly nice giving me a flat front to poppers.

[brownsnatcher 0]

I'm pretty much with Deeky on the finishing except when I finish my wrap I

 

 

put a small tap of glue and then push the head up tight to the eye.

 

remeber only pratice makes perfect but I'm far from there , so good tying

 

have fun. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[flytire 0]

Use a half hitch tool to push back the deer hair and throw a few half hitches up there.

[Slacker 0]

Thanks for all the responses! I am pretty sure I get it now.

 

I will now stop trying to build up a head and just throw in a few half hitches and throw some head cement on it.

 

Have heard alot about zap a gap.

 

Question: Is it pretty much the same as head cement, or is it 100% better?

 

Thanks,

 

Tim

[ted patlen 0]

slacker.

 

i am extremely fortunate to own an original muddler tyed by Don Gapen...if i were to show this to everyone they would all say that it isn't a muddler....he used and very, very sparse, UN-SHAPED head...it is not in a "bullet" shape...it kinda looks like a sparsely tied, gagly looking compara-dan

 

any materials that get too close to the head just push back away form the eye in a twisting motion ...this wil tighted the wraps of thread and hair...

 

 

remember sparse is good do you have TOO much hair on the hook?

 

later

[Slacker 0]

Ted,

 

That's a great tip. I may be trying to cram too much hair onto the hook and ending up with a crowded eye. I will certainly keep this tip in mind next time I try.

 

I guess I thought that the deer hair had to packed on tight and that I had to get as much on as possible. I'll have to keep reminding myself that sparse is good!

 

Thanks!

[Alex_F 0]

After packing the hair as much as possible you could also try using something like a Hackle Guard to keep the stray bits covering the place you want to whip finish.

[Joe Hard 0]

Zap a gap is like super glue. I know where you are coming from, when it comes to finishing up deer hair flies. I struggled with them for a while. My problem was the same, keeping all the hair back while trying to whip finnish.

 

What I do now and it works well, most times, is when I place the last clump of hair on the shank. I try to make sure the tag ends of the hair are long enough to push back with my fingers. I will advance the thread through the hair and make about 4 wraps of thread in front of the clump and push back with my finger nails on the thread. This holds the hair, I then wrap toward the eye and back, to secure all thread wraps. I use a matarelli whip finisher and with hair long and tight it is fairly easy to hold the hair back and out of the way, then complete the knot. I like to have the first wrap of the whip finnish knot right against the hair.

 

If you tilt the fly with the eye up and place a small drop of Zap A gap or super glue on the thread wraps and allow it to run into the deer hair it will make it easier to form those nice flat popper style heads. You can also add a bit of zap a gap or super glue to the thread. Then just complete the fly with no knot needed. I think the main thing is to relax and take your time, as the hair is not going any where and you are in control.

[dafack01 0]

All the muddler type flies I saw in the "Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout" book were tied sparse too. Muddlers that are more sparsely tied have an action more similar to a suspending jerkbait to me. The ones i've tied real thick float a lot more and remind me more of a Floating Rapala.

 

But anywho, I just add a couple half hitches just behind the eye (on opposing sides) and add a drop of zap-a-gap to each knot. It's worked for me so far.

[chrislorne 0]

I found using a "thompson" whip finisher has helped me keep hackle/ packed hair out of the way. leaves one hand free to pull the hackle/hair out of the way, then just give it a few spins and you're done

[troutguy#1 0]

Use a half hitch tool to push back the deer hair and throw a few half hitches up there.

Thats what I do.