Whip Finish Direction?

[haziz 0]

I think I finally figured it out! After practicing 50-60 times- the wrong way, of course! I started re-watching every YouTube video on whip finishing out there. I finally got it!

My problem was that after engaging the Matarelli tool hook and bend around the thread, I used to rotate the tool creating an upside-down figure "4" with the horizontal section of the thread UNDER the vertical section, this meant that by wrapping in a conventional/clockwise direction it would take me at least one and sometimes two wraps to finally trap the horizontal section of thread, and at that point would often end up with either a small tangle or at least the feeling that it was quite awkward.

By rotating the tool in an opposite or different direction, I actually end up with the horizontal section of thread OVER the vertical section and it is trapped with only half a turn and far less room for things to go wrong.

Interestingly even some famous tyers seem to show it both ways, sometimes even the same tyer! E.g. Tim Flagler in his regular Tightlines video seems to show it under the vertical section and requiring him to make a complete turn before trapping the thread. This is the way I struggled with. Interestingly in his (different) video made for the Orvis Learning Center, he turns it so that the horizontal section of thread is over the vertical, and requiring only half a turn to get trapped. It is only after watching the latter video a couple of times that it finally clicked.

It is a little hard to explain in words, I hope the above description is clear.

[flytire 0]

just keep practicing. youll get it right

[mikechell 0]

I fully understand what you were doing.  Glad to read that you figured it out!  Also, always wrap the thread from back to front with the whip finisher.  This leave the tag end under all the wraps.  If you wrap from front to back, you end up with the tag end looped over the wraps.

 

[haziz 0]

16 hours ago, mikechell said:

I fully understand what you were doing.  Glad to read that you figured it out!  Also, always wrap the thread from back to front with the whip finisher.  This leave the tag end under all the wraps.  If you wrap from front to back, you end up with the tag end looped over the wraps.

 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by front to back as opposed to back to front?

Is this referring to hook bend to eye?

Thanks.

[flytire 0]

2 hours ago, haziz said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean by front to back as opposed to back to front?

Is this referring to hook bend to eye?

Thanks.

watch this video and see how he wrap from back to front

lots of great beginner techniques on the lightlive video channel

[Gene L 0]

3 hours ago, haziz said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean by front to back as opposed to back to front?

Is this referring to hook bend to eye?

Thanks.

Wrap forward, not toward the hook bend.

[JSzymczyk 0]

wow I forgot what a bunch of nerds you guys all were.....   If a Chief ever caught me tying a knot in the wrong direction, it was hell to pay.    

I'm right handed, and tie like 99% of correctly handed people with my fly eye pointing to the right-  but for whatever reason my thread wraps are over the top towards me... CCW if looked at from the hook-eye point of view.   I learned by reading books checked out of the public library, and that's the way it happened.   Many "experienced" tyers have told me I am doing it WRONG.  40+ years and god-knows how many fish later I don't think it matters.   What DOES matter is that your whip finish knot is tied in the same direction as all the other thread wraps on your fly.  

[mikechell 0]

Fortunately for you and other wrong direction tiers ... there's plenty of left finned fish, too.  Correctly finned fish would never touch a left hand tied fly !!!

[cphubert 0]

Being a southpaw does tying my flies in the wrong direction make my flies "right"?  

[mikechell 0]

Right for left finned fish, sure!😉