Whip Finish Loose?

[JGRAHAMONTHEFLY 0]

Hello All,

 

New to the forum. What an awesome place for a new tier such as myself and others. Question, I live in Hawaii (here with the Military) and have been fishing bonefish flats frequently. I recently began to tie my own flies (mostly Charlies, Gotchas and similar patterns.) I've got the tying part pretty much down, but when I go to whip finish with my tool It seems really loose and by gently running my fingernail over the whipped thread it will pop loose. Any advice?

[cheech 0]

You could add more tension to your knots, but the easiest fix is to add some type of head cement to them. I like the Loon water based cements.

[Jaydub 0]

Keep the wraps tight and adjacent to each other. Wrap from back to front. Pull the thread tight before trimming. Add head cement. Sometimes on a tapered head the wraps will want to slide down the head. Finishing at the rear of the head, where there is less slope, may help.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I've tied hundreds of dozens of bonefish flies (commercial tyer) and long ago learned to just touch the wraps with a tiny bit of superglue (Krazy Glue is the brand I use. Here's a pic or two..... If you really want to do a first rate job, after the glue dries (a few minutes at most...) come back and use Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails clear fingernail polish as your finish coat.... once again be sparing in your application.

[Crackaig 0]

From what you describe I think I might know what is happening. What kind of thread are you using?

 

Every complete turn around the hook shank adds a half turn of twist to the thread. This builds up into a lot of twist. When you come to tighten your whip finish you are tightening down onto tightly wound thread. Then you cut the thread. The end now untwists. In its limp untwisted state it can introduce a tiny amount of slack into the whip finish. Enough to let the last turns move.

 

All the remedies above will solve the symptoms, If you want to make a tight whip finish before using one of the above then simply untwist the thread, by spinning the bobbin holder, before forming the whip finish.

 

Cheers,

C.

[JGRAHAMONTHEFLY 0]

Thanks for the tips! Tonight (Hawaii Time) I'll try the Krazy Glue on the head. Other than that, I'll just focus on nice, tight wraps. I'll post some photos tomorrow.

[mikechell 0]

J ... Are you on Oahu? I was there last summer, both at the Coast Guard station (Sandy Point) and at Pearl Harbor.

If you get the chance, with a kayak or other boat, go fish Lake Wilson for some Peacock Bass and Red Devils.

[JGRAHAMONTHEFLY 0]

Mike, I am. Stationed here at KBAY with the USMC. This place is a blessing. Haven't ventured over to Lake Wilson just yet but will soon. Been too busy chasing the Bones and Papio. Summer fishing is in full swing here. I'm going to upload some photos soon to share.

[mikechell 0]

Well, thank you for your service. I don't think Red Devils will thrill you as much as bonefish, but a good Peacock Bass might.

[JGRAHAMONTHEFLY 0]

Mike, is my 5 wt rod suitable for Wilson, or should I bring an 8?

[mikechell 0]

Depends on how good you are, I suppose. Peacock bass are great fighters, but I think you could handle them on a 5. If you don't catch any big ones, the 5 is also going to give you the best time on the water. I didn't catch one when I was up there, but I did catch a Large Mouth Bass a little over 3 pounds ... a 5 is fine for that size LMB, too.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Make sure you are tying your whip-finish in the same direction as your thread wraps. I've seen it happen. Also, as already mentioned, hit the thread heads with some head cement (Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails is what I come back to for as long as I can remember, 30 years +) before you BS around with the thread wraps. Everyone will tell you cement is not a crutch for a poorly tied knot, which is true, but on flies with rather large thread heads it is almost required for durability.

[Dave G. 0]

Your heavier monochords or even nylons can slip on the bigger flies if that's what you're using.. I do a minimum of 4 wraps in the whip, nice and tight and pull the tag down tight and a drop of what ever cement, could be super glue, head cement , Sally's or any combo of those. I've never had one unwrap done like that.

[Adam Saarinen 0]

I've heard some people just never get the hang of the tool & just do it by hand! I am one of those people!:-) Also VERY GOOD Atlantic salmon & seatrout angler & flytier Mikael Frödin dosen't even use knots, just a drop of super glue! Thats it!

[Hatchet Jack 0]

[Can't un-bold the text]

 

Don't know how many thread wraps you are laying down, but too many wraps in one whip finish makes it harder to snug up. Also, I've found waxing the thread right before doing the whip finish helps too.

 

Some excellent posts from others, DO take a look, very helpful:

(JSzymczyk)

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=70282

 

&

(SilverCreek)

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=80393