Jump to content
Fly Tying
flytire

I wonder....

Recommended Posts

....how many flies from a 100m spool of thread

some variables like how much thread is wasted on the tie in, how many useless wrap of thread, wrapping heads that are too big and unnecessary etc

i just finished this spool and was wondering

spool.jpg

i'm not about to count wraps or how many flies from the next spool 

giphy-downsized.gif

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I knew a commercial tier that was very neat at his tie in almost never cutting or breaking excess.  I thought it was a habit he had but it could have been to reduce waste, I never asked just assumed it was his style.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

nope

with the time i have left tying flies, i'm not about to count wraps or how many flies from the next spool 😀

giphy-downsized.gif

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Impossible for me to say. Way too many variables for my bird brain.
Maybe a pro who ties hundreds of a particular fly and needs to count pennies has a better handle on it than any of us late evening warriors.

edit: Next fly I tie, I am going to mark the thread just to see how much I use on it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just kidding.  I'll bet Bob Lemay knows, for salt flies at least.  

I know that the more experienced you are the less thread you need.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So... The marking on the thread faded, but I am pretty sure that it took a little over one foot of BigFly thread to tie an overbuilt fly with hackle tail, some flash and three bunches of reverse tied bucktail on a 5/0 freshwater hook.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Beats me how many flies per spool. I do try to keep waste to a minimum. I look at each spool emptied as a sort of milestone passed in my tying. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Funny Norm I finished a spool of 6/0 yesterday.  I can say that I tied something like 15 to 20 flies in size 12 and 10 after the white spool was showing through - 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was up to 233, wait was that 234...DAMN!  I'll start again and let you know!!

Kim

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I once had a spool of thread that was tangling up.  I could only get about 12 inches of thread, then I'd have to break or cut it off, find the end and start again.  Of course, I only did that a couple of times before throwing the whole  spool in the trash.

The reason I bring this up ... was able to tie a fly with each of those 12 inch sections.  It doesn't take a lot of thread to complete a fly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

it would only be an accurate answer if the question was how many of a specific size and pattern would be tied with a spool of thread.   Simplest way I can think of is tie your fly without using any cement,  cut the thread without whip finishing at the end,   unwind it all and measure the thread.  ASSume the 100yds is an accurate measure of the thread on the spool,  standardize your units, divide the spool length by the length you used, and you got your answer. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...