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Okay, generally the thing I do most and have the hardest time doing is finishing tying on a piece of hackle. Whether it's for a parachute or just on the body (like a griffith gnat), I always end up tying half the hackle down onto the hook. For example, I was tying BWOs with parachutes last night. When viewed from the top, the parachute should form a general shape of a circle, mine look like more of a half circle.
Anyhow, what are some techniques and methods for finishing hackle without tying the hackle down?!
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[font "Pristina"][green][size 4][cool][#005000]Hey there hartz - not sure what you meant:[/#005000][/size][/green][/font] "[size 1]Anyhow, what are some techniques and methods for finishing hackle without tying the hackle down?" [/size][size 4][black][font "Pristina"][#005000]How would you like to finish it off?[/#005000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]All I can tell you I do is, I wrap the hackle, then pull the stem down to the eye. I then run a thin layer of Zap-A-Gap, down the thread, then wiggle it around the post/hackle (on the bottom of ithe post), then with the whip finisher right next to the eye I do the 2 or 3 whip knots. The glur holds everything real nice and actually makes it a little more bullit proof.[/size][/black][/font]
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Dryrod - I want to tie the end of it down ("finish the hackle") of course, but I don't want to grab all the 'feathers' and tie them to the body.... not sure if that makes more sense... I'll take a picture of one of my flies with this problem this weekend and post one monday for clarity.
FG - So using the zap-a-gap helps to stiffen the feathers and make-a-gap between them and body, making it easier to tie the whip finish? Or did i interperete that wrong.
How about using a whip finish tool? I have never used one and whip finish all my flies by hand. Do one of these help with precision whip finishes very much?
I think in the end, I think the ultimate solution is..... [#ff0000]practice more[/#ff0000]!
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[#005000][cool]Hey there hartz - I found a good video on how to tie a Parachute Adams dry fly. This video comes in four segments therefore I cannot post it here. I will PM you the link. Hope that this video answers all your questions. Let us know the out come.[/#005000]
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Many people use FG's method of pulling the parachute hackle down to the eye and tying it off. With or without the zapagap. But it sounds like you are having the problem with both parachutes and standard hackle wrapping.
One of the problems probably is that you are not leaving enough room behind the eye. Crowding the eye promotes this problem. I know because I have experienced this plenty. So that is one thing to do.
I think that you will find that if you pull the hackle past vertical so that the first wrap of thread over the hackle captures the hackle fibers on the far side of the fly will tend to keep any trapped fibers that are facing forward but out of the way of the eye. Then it is just a cosmetic problem. Not a cosmetic problem and a problem feeding light tippet through the eye.
Another thing that helps when you start having the problem is to use a a half hitch tool and slant the downward from the eye so that the thread wraps tend to come upward from below the hackle. You can simulate this some with a whip finisher by tilling your hand and whip finish tool downward but you have to be carefull because it is easy to pull the thread wraps off the fly and letting the hackle unwind.
For parachutes I find that Hans Van Klinkens method of tying off the hackle works exceptionally well for avoiding trapping the hackle fibers under the thread. I tie all my parachutes with this method.
Look at his instructions of tying his Klinkhamer Special and reviewing them at the point he starts to wrap and tie off the parachute. By rotating your whip finisher a little bit from side to side over the top of the fly while wrapping thread you can get the wraps to stay under the hackles (this point is not discussed in his explaination). Note also that I typically use Griffiths 14/0 instead of The spider thread that he talks about. The technique can be used with any thread size. Take a look here at Hans Weillenmann's website:
[url "http://www.danica.com/flytier/hklinken/klinkhamer_special.htm"]http://www.danica.com/flytier/hklinken/klinkhamer_special.htm[/url]
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While tying some dry flies today that took two different hackles it came to me that I should mention that to some extend the amount of hackle that gets captured under the thread depends on the thickness and shape of the base of the feather and also on how thick the individual hackle fibers are. More so the feather base I think. One of the two feathers I was working with caused a lot more of fibers lay flat as you wrap thread over it. Thus it is something you have to live with unless you can afford to get different with better wrapping properties. But that is only aquired through experience.
I find that when I am trapping a lot of the hackle under the thread I appreciate a thread that lays down flat as opposed to staying round and bundled together. Having a thread that does not build up a lot helps because you can get more wraps over the hackle fibers and get them covered up. Those are two properties that I find in the Giffiths 14/0 that I really like. Working with two feathers you can end up with a bulky looking head if you are working with a thick thread and one that does not lay down flat when wrapped.
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Thanks. Some solid tips there. The link was very helpful too as a lot of those methods I've never thought of nor used!
Dryrod- Thanks for the video in the PM. Pretty interesting. I might have to go buy one of those whip finishing tools now!
I have to stock up on parachute adams for ice off at one of my favorite places/times to fish. Won't go into too many details to give away the secret but the basics are: Macks, flyrod, topwater, strike on every cast...[cool]
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