tutorial about tying tails for dry flies

[LuciV 0]

I wrote for beginners a small tutorial about tying tails for dry flies.

if somebody is interested and is curious to read it.

 

 

 

cheers,

Lucian

[Crackaig 0]

Hi Lucian, Your link just brings up the first picture from your post, not the instructions.

Cheers,

C.

[flytire 0]

the right link

 

http://www.flyfisher.ro/en/tie-better-your-flies-1-tails-for-dry-flies/

[Fotwin 0]

Hi Lucian,

Thanks for the link to a great site.

 

I left a message which was about setting the splay of the tail on a dry fly.

 

What I find is that when the tail fibres become wet they tend to stick together into a single strand

and the spay in the tails is lost reducing the ability of the dry fly to float.

 

I try a figure of eight between the tail fibres but find that I end up with a large ball of material which

sometimes works and sometimes does not.

I've wondered if it may be that I'm using too fine a thread?

Any help would be appreciated

 

Fotwim

[LuciV 0]

Hi Fotwim,

glad that you like the article. I just answered to your question there on my blog.

What type of thread do you use? The thicker thread that I use is 70 Denier UTC. Usually I use 17/0 Uni even for my flies tied on size #12.

 

best,

Lucian

[fishingbobnelson 0]

Lucian,

 

Great article and well done. You should consider posting it to the J. Stockard Blog. http://www.jsflyfishing.com/blog/guest-posts/

[Fotwin 0]

Hi Lucian,

 

Like you I use UTC 70 Deniar thread for most of my fly tying. I use white and colour it with Pantone pens.

It's a great material.

 

I use the same technique as you which is to form a Tag , usually tinsel, which provides a step

In the body , when you then tie in the tail fibres they cock up in a vertical direction as you have shown in

your great step by step.

 

The problem is the tail feathers do not splay sideways.

 

I tie in say six barbs.

The middle two I tie as you do onto the top of the shank and they cock up vertically as you have shown.

For the remaining barbs, I tie them on separately , two either side, tied onto , THE SIDE, of the hook shank,

which cocks them horizontally.

This gives a spread of tail fibres both vertical and horizontal which when wet stay separate , in the form

of a spayed fan.

If I use microfibbets for the tails I tie them in the same way, top and sides, but I take heated pair of tweezers

and at the base of the microfibbets where they meet the body, I make a 'kink' to set them in a splayed position to

provided floatations.

 

It may be that using UTC 70 Deniar thread , is the reason that figure of eight does not seem to keep the tail

fibres separate when they are wet

 

Fotwin

[LuciV 0]

Hi Bob Nelson,

thanks for the idea

 

Fotwin: try in the following way: make 3-4turns under the barbs to spread them. After that you make another 3 turns over the spreaded tail to fix them in the desired direction. Do not sart making the body right away from the base of the tail. leave 1mm of thread and then start making the body like the photo bellow:

[Fotwin 0]

Lucian,

 

Got it , thanks .

 

Thread under, then ,thread over the spreader tails,

 

Thanks

 

Fotwin