Start Fly Tying
Tying on a tail
The tail is tied on once you have wrapped the thread to the hook bend in touching turns.
1: Hold the tail between the middle finger and thumb.
2: Take a turn of thread over the hook-shank, and just catch it between your thumb and middle finger, above the material, so no or minimum pressure is put on the tail material. As for the position of the thread and your fingers, you are looking to secure the tail at the end of the touching turns.
3: Bring the thread down and under the hook shank, then lift the bobbin holder so that the thread is now to the vertical.
4: Now is the time to put some pressure on the tail material - pull the thread upwards, allowing it to slip through your thumb and middle finger onto the hook shank, securing the tail. The idea is that the thread pressure is only applied on the material evenly from the top. If you just wound it onto the hook shank without forming that cushion of a loop before turning to the vertical, the tailing material would slide to the side of the hook and ultimately would look unnatural.
5: Repeat for two or three turns.When following these instructions, remember that the aim is to attach the tailing material to the top of the hook-shank, not skewed at an angle to either side of it.This technique, like all the others, requires practice. So much in fly tying is about learning to work with the materials, and getting a 'feel' for them and how much pressure to apply with the thread and when. No one is born knowing this - it just takes practice.As for the length of the tail, this can vary from fly pattern to fly pattern, but is often around two thirds of the length of the hook shank.
Now try dubbing
1: Hold the tail between the middle finger and thumb.
2: Take a turn of thread over the hook-shank, and just catch it between your thumb and middle finger, above the material, so no or minimum pressure is put on the tail material. As for the position of the thread and your fingers, you are looking to secure the tail at the end of the touching turns.
3: Bring the thread down and under the hook shank, then lift the bobbin holder so that the thread is now to the vertical.
4: Now is the time to put some pressure on the tail material - pull the thread upwards, allowing it to slip through your thumb and middle finger onto the hook shank, securing the tail. The idea is that the thread pressure is only applied on the material evenly from the top. If you just wound it onto the hook shank without forming that cushion of a loop before turning to the vertical, the tailing material would slide to the side of the hook and ultimately would look unnatural.
5: Repeat for two or three turns.When following these instructions, remember that the aim is to attach the tailing material to the top of the hook-shank, not skewed at an angle to either side of it.This technique, like all the others, requires practice. So much in fly tying is about learning to work with the materials, and getting a 'feel' for them and how much pressure to apply with the thread and when. No one is born knowing this - it just takes practice.As for the length of the tail, this can vary from fly pattern to fly pattern, but is often around two thirds of the length of the hook shank.
Now try dubbing
