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flyfishiniowa

best fly tying thread

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I am new to all this and my wife says why spend money when we have all this thread in the house so can I use some of it or is there special thread for tying ?

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most fly tying threads are waxed helping them hold the materials better when really locked down. you can wax your own thread but it would be a hassel, fly tying thread is fairly cheap and u can pretty much get away with 2 colors white and black. the white can be colored to what ever color you would like with a sharpie

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iowa,

 

I am new to tying also. I started out using regular thead without good results. I started using utc ultra thread and have been happy with it . I have tried danvilles but I have not been impressed with it. The utc is my choice for now.

 

Keep on tying!

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There are sewing threads that will work fine for tying some types of flies. Nylon threads in particular. I use some round, black nylon thread for tying small jigs & sometimes flies. It's the same thread sold for sewing. I also use "invisible" thread, which is single strand monofilament. It has it's uses too.

 

Cotton sewing threads are not the best choice for tying flies as cotton rots easily once wet, and it breaks fairly easily too.

 

But as Cruzfly89 has said, tying threads are not that expensive & there are various types & sizes that are best used for specific purposes. If you keep it simple, that will save you the most money.

 

I tie mostly bass or saltwater type flies, and much of the tying I do is with Danville Flat nylon thread. As the name implies, it ties flat so the bulk is not there as it would be with a round thread of similar size. There are tying threads in very small diameters too, used for tying the smaller sizes of flies.

 

As you get started, use what you have, but understand the limits of the thread you choose. If you have questions about the use of a particular type of thread for a specific type of fly, then ask & someone will offer advise or alternatives to what will probably work better for that application.

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...u can pretty much get away with 2 colors white and black. the white can be colored to what ever color you would like with a sharpie

 

Took me a long time but I finally realized that. Although I use red so much, I stock white, black and red. Like Tidewater, I tie mostly larger flies, I really like Danville's Flymaster Plus. Being that when untwisted, it lays flat, I even use it for size 10 flies if its already on my bobbin, which it usually is - I'm just lazy I guess.

 

Kirk

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I use UNI thread 6/0 and 8/0 mostly and Gudebrod "G" for spinning deer hair. There are many tying threads on the market. Do a search on the internet and see what you come up with.

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I've never used cotton sewing thread for the reasons stated above. It really depends on what type of fly you're tying. If you're spinning or stacking hair for bass bugs, etc., you need a stronger thread, like Streamcaddis uses. If you're tying small flies, you should use a thinner thread to avoid build up. I normally tie soft hackles, sizes 12-16, so I use a smaller thread, mostly Griffith's Sheer 14/0. I think 6/0 and 8/0 are good general purpose sizes.

 

"As you get started, use what you have, but understand the limits of the thread you choose. If you have questions about the use of a particular type of thread for a specific type of fly, then ask & someone will offer advise or alternatives to what will probably work better for that application." - Good advice. You'll still catch fish, they don't care what you use.

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I've been washing tshirts, underwear and jeans made of cotton and nothing has rotted yet.

 

Why would cotton thread be different and how long does it take to rot?

 

Anybody have a scientific answer and proof?

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I've been washing tshirts, underwear and jeans made of cotton and nothing has rotted yet. Why would cotton thread be different and how long does it take to rot? Anybody have a scientific answer and proof?

 

Norm, that's an interesting point. The only thing I can think of is that if the stuff stays wet; with clothes, we dry them out. With flies, most folks stick them in a box wet. After Katrina, I salvaged some of my cotton clothes that had sit in saltwater for a week, when I got to them a week after that, there was mold on most of it but a couple washings in hot water and color safe bleach provided me with clothes I didn't have to replace.

I'm just thinking if wet cotton thread remains wet in your box, mold could grow and eventually lead to rotting. Not scientific proof just thinking of what happens to cotton stuff that remains damp.

Then again, if you seal the thread wraps, water wouldn't get to it. Like acrylic paints used on poppers, it isn't water proof but when coated with epoxy, the water doesn't get to it and every thing is honky-dory.

 

Kirk

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The best type of thread I've found is UTC's G.S.P.(Gel Spun Polyethelyne) thread. Its great for a lot of reasons. Most of all, if you need to crank down on your materials you can without breaking off your thread. Also if you nick the point of the hook with it, it won't break. It's expensive I'll admit (I pay 3.99 per spool), but it aleaviates a lot of heartbreak in my opinion.

The only disadvantage is you can't use it on smaller flies. Smaller than size 14(depending on how may materials your using).

I just know that for anyone considering using sewing thread, Please Don't. It's not designed for what we use it for. Plus it is not waxed like fly tying thread is.

Also many people don't realize this starting out, but, you spend more time at the Vise than fishing if not the same amount of time.(averaged out). So invest in good quality materials and tools. It will save a lot of headaches.

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I am getting my kit tues. And my wife was asking why I can't use sowing thread so I let her read some of this stuff Lols so not using sowing thread

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Good luck with your kit. The step by step patterns and tutorials will give you some good patterns to tie. I have just started tyingssome foam ants and spiders using craft foam. You can find alot of examples on the SBS page. Can't wait to try some of them out when the weather decides to warm up.

 

Part of the fun is trying some of you own ideas. Tying is addictive. Sure my wife gets tired of me spending alot of time at the vise so be careful.

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Many years ago I started tying small poppers for panfish and bass. The only options were silk and some nasty nylon stuff sold by Herters. I then got into hair bugs and I uses some huge nylon thread that worked but was very bulky. I quit flyfishing and tying for many years and then decided I wanted to do it again and boy has things changed. I started with Uni thread and I still use mosly 6/0 and some 8/0 for most of my tying but I have found that Danvilles flymaster 6/0 works as well and lies flat and makes less bulk and nicer heads in general but both are good to use. Hair bugs are IMHO best tied with GSP 100. You can really torque down on it. If you are tying Muddlers and just need a small bunch of deer hair at the head or a small deer hair body dry fly the 6/0 will work fine if you are careful but for large bunches of deer hair the GSP is the best I have found and worth every penny. A couple of draw backs is it is very slick and the hook/thread attachment should be superglued and It is hard to cut. A razor blade works best. Just my thoughts and experiance on thread.

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