Fly Tying Friday - Thread Control

This week's Fly Tying Friday post is a topic that should be of interest to every fly tier, especially the beginner. When instructing students new to fly tying, I always start the lessons with thread control and the proper use of the tools involved with applying and securing the thread to the hook. The sound of breaking thread often rings out in the early days of every fly tying class I have ever taught. But that early lesson on how to properly handle thread reduces that sound quite a bit!

I start that very first fly tying lesson by instructing students to break thread over and over again purposely. They will do this many times before they ever even attempt to tie their first fly! By repeatedly breaking and then re-applying various thread sizes to the hook, they pick up a few very valuable skills.

First, they master the technique of attaching the thread to the hook. You cant tie your first fly until you can bind your thread to the hook. This simple procedure is a task an experienced tier does not even think about, but it can often be challenging for a novice.

Second, they learn how much pressure they can put on the various thread sizes before they break. The class goes a lot smoother because we are not stopping every five minutes to rethread bobbins. This simple exercise helps keep the instruction moving along and allows me to concentrate on teaching other techniques. But most importantly, it teaches the students how to apply thread of any size without breaking it!

Thirdly, it reinforces the instruction given on properly using a few basic but critical tools like bobbins, half hitch, and whip finishing tools.

By the time the student attempts to tie their first fly, they have already learned how to thread, properly hold, and use a bobbin. They know how to attach and lay down the thread on a hook. They also understand thread properties and how to manipulate them while tying. Finally, they know how to tie off to save their work or finish the fly. While some students are anxious to get going and tie their first fly, this little bit of instruction before doing so really flattens out the learning curve.

This week's Fly Tying Friday post will dive into the topic of thread control. Lou Digena is a good friend, a talented fly tier, and a past contributor to The Panfish On The Fly Blog. He recently put up a video on this very subject and has permitted us to share it here. This content in this video is perfect for anyone just starting in fly tying. Folks that have been fly tying for a while may even learn a thing or two.

Do you have a fly tying tip or warm water fly pattern you would like to share? If so, please reach out to us. You can utilize the form on our Contact Us page or send an email to info@panfishonthefly.com.

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Fly Tying Friday - The Hale Bopp Leech as tied by Bill Ninke

Let me take a moment to introduce the fly tier who submitted this week’s pattern. Bill Ninke is a member of my local Trout Unlimited chapter and someone I have been associated with for many years. As a fly tier, Bill has forgotten more than I will ever learn on the topic. He taught fly tying in my TU Chapter when I joined the organization back in the early eighties. I never attended one of his beginner students in those early days, but I should have, as it would have indeed flattened out my learning curve. Instead, I took the hard way of figuring things out on my own. Since those early days, I have had many had opportunities to attend his advanced classes and always walked away learning something new. Today I have the pleasure of teaching alongside him, and he still manages to teach me something every time we sit down at the vice together! What follows is in Bill’s own words. Although he initially tied the fly for trout, we all know leeches are an important food source in our warm water rivers, lakes, and ponds. I am confident this one will be a killer for bass and panfish!

The Black Bead Head Hale Bopp Leech as tied by Bill Ninke

When questioned in classes and at tying demos as to what my two highest producing patterns are, the Parachute Adams and the Carlson’s Copper Cripple are at the top of the list..  But I’ve never had anyone ask on which pattern I have caught most of my big trout.  Well, if anyone ever does ask, my answer will be this month’s pattern, the Black BH Hale Bopp Leech.  It’s a still water fly and, as experienced fly fishers know, still waters hold the biggest fish.  There is little current to fight in such water to sap energy.  Trout just cruise slowly around, eat all the goodies present, and grow fat. And those goodies are mostly Mayfly, Dragon Fly and Damselfly nymphs, small fish and leeches.

This pattern was created by Derek Fergus, a California tier and guide, around 1996-7 when the Hale Bopp comet was visible from earth.  If you look at the above photo you notice that with the bright bead head and long wispy tail the pattern resembles a comet. The construction is quite simple – a bead head, marabou tail, and mohair (African goat) body.  Mohair, a seal substitute, is quite translucent. A thread finishing band behind the bead gives a little hot spot. You might say it’s just a mohair leech.  But there are some subtle but important differences. First, the bead is one size smaller than traditionally used for the hook size. This gives the fly a gliding action like a real leech, not the heavy up and down jigging action of a Clouser minnow. The tail is extra-long and thin for lots of sinewy motion.  And the body is very aggressively picked out so that the fly is almost translucent with the body fibers able to move freely as the fly is slowly stripped.

I was introduced to this fly around 2000 by Gary Fritz, one of the premier guides on the Missouri River.  Gary died a few years ago but the important properties of the fly that he taught me will remain forever in my memory.  The pattern is tied commercially by Solitude Flies.  If you look at their version you’ll see a black bead.  But Gary had them specially tied for him with a silver bead since he thought it fished slightly better. It’s Gary’s version I present here.  Gary liked fishing the fly on a floating line with slow stripping and an occasionally pause.  Certainly has worked for me.

When I first tied the pattern for myself I used mohair dubbing for the body. If you’ve ever tried dubbing mohair you’ve probably done a lot of swearing.  It’s very slippery and hard to control.  In recent years I’ve gone to using Mohair Yarn from J Fair.  Other mohair yarns will probably work but I haven’t tried them.  The yarn is simply tied in and wrapped under high tension with the yarn fibers pulled back with each wrap.  No bad words come from my mouth when using the yarn. Then the body is picked out.  The key is to use a strongly hook, like that on the tip of a Materelli style whip finisher, to pull fibers out and create a halo like body.   I typically spend more time picking out the body than I spend tying the fly.

Although I mostly tie and fish a black version, I also occasionally use an olive one. A copper bead is used on this version.  I’ve included an olive one in the photo. I also tie versions without a bead on size 10 hooks in both colors.

Water temperatures are starting to decrease.  Trout will be packing in calories to maintain themselves for the Winter.  So from now through October is prime time to use this pattern.  You’re sure to get lots of “pops” in still water on your Bopps.

Material List:
Hook: Daiichi 1260, TMC 200R or similar curved shank  hook in size (a TMC 2312 used in fly in the photo)

Bead:  1/8 inch Silver Tungsten

Thread: Red Danville 6/0

Tail: Long strands from a premium black Marabou plume

Body: J. Fair Black Mohair Yarn

Tying Instructions:

 1.    Mount bead on de-barbed hook and place hook in vise.

2.    Attach thread to hook slightly behind the bead, wrap back to the bend and then back to starting point. Trim thread tag.

2.    Tear off about 20 strands from marabou plume.

3.    Tie in with tips of strands pointing rearward so tips extend two shank lengths behind fly.  Overwrap with thread back to the bend.  Trim forward marabou.

4.    Tie in mohair yarn tag end rearward.

5.    Wrap yarn forward behind thread under high tension to bead.  Tie yarn off securely and trim yarn tag.

6.    Form a small thread band behind bead, whip finish, trim thread

7.    Apply head cement to thread band.