How do you finish your fly

[Guest]

How do you finish your fly?

[Guest]

I have never been able to figure out those crazy Whip finish tools and learned to do it by hand. Seems super easy to do it by hand to me

[Pujic 0]

Whip finish (with a tool) , although I find that about half a dozen half hitch knots and a generous goop of head cement work just as well

[BoubouBomber 0]

Half hitch and whip finish, both with a tool

[mozes 0]

I whip finish with a tool (both kinds Tompson and Materelli) and half hitch by hand.

[Guest]

i dunno, if i have the tool handy (martarelli style), I use it, if not I do it by hand.... though one half hitch on small dries are nice cuz it pushes any loose mat'l away from the eye, then whip finish.

 

steve

[Guest]

Never learned to use a whip finisher and the only time I wished I had learned is on flies size 16 and smaller.

 

 

OSD.

[Guest]

Although I voted with a tool I also whip finish by hand. I have both styles of tool and both have their place in my opion. The whip finish does finish off flies with a very neat tapered head if you want it to or a flat even head if you want that.

 

I think everyone should learn all three methods and determine which one works best for their style of tying. I do believe the whip finish makes a better looking head than just half hitching, but you do need to know how to half hitch too.

 

Fatman

[Guest]

Hand whip- I can't even tool finish something inside the Twenties.

[Guest]

I say that 99% of time i whip finish with tool but lateley have found my self starting to use my hand and half hitch a finishing knot on my flies i tie for me.But will whip finish if in swap.Makes them look alot better.

 

tt

[Guest]

Actually, I'm completely self taught. So I improvised alot. I have always had very big hands (not fat, just BIG), wear a size XXL glove in fact. Even on the bigger flies, I always had a problem with hand whip finish, even on big flies. Well, could do, had to feed off alot of thread to do it. LOL. I was given a materelli years ago (still have it) and loved it. For me, I can use it as fast and easy as by hand. Plus, with my client flies, I can evenly and nicely put a head on it. A bit more eye pleasing. When I did tie small flies (which, hasn't been for a long time), I just did a couple half hitches and cement. Pretty easy.

[Sticky 0]

I generally will use a tool to whip finish but lately I've found myself just hand whipping since I've been tying smallie flies mostly.

 

 

[JOhnStoeckel 0]

I've always hand whip finished and found it easier and more versatile (you can finish at any point on the fly -- not just behind the eye). I recently heard someone describe hand whip finishing as "old school" and was starting to feel dated. I'm glad to see that almost half you are equally dated!

[dabalone 0]

I learned with the whip finish tool and cant imagine doing it any other way, these beat up Contractor hands need all the help they can get. It just seems to me the tool gives you nice control both with placement and tension.

[appalachian angler (tn.) 0]

I started making half hitches off of the tip of a retractable ball point pen. Once I figured how to use the Marterelli style tool, I haven't gone back.