Finishing the Fly Head

I think I remembering a pretty famous person writing in his book that he ties off the fly with just two half hitches and head cement. Seeing as how one can wrap as much as he wants with the bobbin before he decides to tie it off......this technique sure sounds quick, succinct and easy. Don't even have to pick up a whip finisher. I KNOW the whip finish by hand but it doesn't work smoothly for me. The thread keeps hanging up on my dry skin and just won't continuously and with consistency slide down onto the hook. Any opinions on just two half hitches and head cement?

Gem

I'm not very good with a whip finisher, so I use a couple of half hitches and take it one step further and instead of head cement I use a drop of the thin Zap-a-Gap on smaller flies. Larger flies I use a loop dental floss threader. Make 3 or 4 wraps over the floss threader, cut the thread and pull the tag end under the wraps and a drop of Z-A-G to secure.

Gem,

Two half hitches and head cement is plenty.

So is just putting some CA glue on the thread, wrapping it a couple of times, and cutting it off.

I use a whip finish tool, so most times I skip the glue/head cement unless the 'head appearence' is visually critical to the finished fly.

In any event, use whatever works best for you. Certainly not critical to the fish.

Good Luck!

Buddy

Some tools have a taper and an indentation at one end of the "handle". Usually like a bodkin or a threader tool. With the eye of the hook "inserted" into the indentation, it is duck soup to slide the hitches from the tool onto the hook.
Clear as mud? Sorry. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif
....lee s.

Yeah....Lee. I use ball point pens to half hitch. The right ones have the right size hole to get over the eye of the hook and the thread will slip right off onto the hook. I just have a Mattarelli whip and learned it, and learned how to do the whip by hand......in my progress.....and forgot about the 2 half hitchs and glue and method. So wanted to know if it was adequate. Looks like the simplest method to me.

Thanks for your method Philly. I will give them a try for fun.

And Buddy thanks for the confirmation.
What is CA glue?
Are you still too busy to go fishing?

Gem

CA = Cyanoacrylate = Super Glue

Sorry Buddy, you beat me to it. used to use tons of it in former job to develop fingerprints etc.

[This message has been edited by Grn Mt Man (edited 05 March 2006).]

Gem,

'CA' is the abreviation for what the 'super glues' like Zap-a-Gap are made from. 'CryoAnolac' or some such (I doubt that's the coorect spelling, I've always just used 'CA')

I'm a going to go fishin' tommorrow!!!

Spent three days redoing the interior of the boat. It's ready. I can skip a day at the shop, they're closed on Mondays anyway. Fishing is good. It's finally 'time'.

Been a while.

Thanks,

Buddy

Speaking only for myself, I can do a Matarelli whip finsh faster than I can do half hitches and then apply head cement with precision. That's true even if I stick the flies I've tied in a foam block and then cement all the heads at the end of the tying session.

I don't bother to cement whip finishes and have yet to have a problem with this. I mostly tie smaller flies, though.

I used to use half hitches and head cement and it worked just fine. most tools have a tapered end with a hole (anyway the ones I use do LOL). I now use a whip finish tool but when I do bead heads I use half hitches. no problems with both ways