Thread differences

[fishin' fool]

Here's another neophyte quiz for you guys. This time the topic is tying thread. I've noticed that thread comes in different sizes, brands, and materials. I get the size thing. That makes sense to me so far. What about brands. What really is the difference between say Danville and Uni-thread? Will a tier eventually need or want both? Why? How about materials? Other than personal preferance, is there any real reason for the different thread materials?

[mcsteff]

Please read Parnelli's thread article here . I think you will find it enlightening.

[fishin' fool]

Thanks, that answers some of my questions and is partially what I was looking for. What it doesn't cover, and what I'm most interested in is the why's of picking thread. Why would I use one type over another? Can I do it all with one type of thread in different sizes, or do I really need many of the varieties that are out there?

[rainbowchaser]

larger thread is easier to use on big flies and may be stronger. smaller threasd is much easier to use on tiny flies. I usually just use black 6/0 danvilles for most flies. It will show through on light colored flies and that is one reason to have a lighter color available. On some flies the thread is part of the visible body of the fly and that is another reason. Saltwater tyers would probably not care for the number of wraps of 6/0 it takes to cover the hook which is a reason to use 3/0 or size A. Those who spin big bunches of deer hair swear by gel spun thread. I usually just use a lot of smaller bunches but it doesn't make as nice a bass bug that way. Best would be to ask about thread for a specific fly if you have doubts. You will get lots of opinions to sort out.

[redietz]

Thanks, that answers some of my questions and is partially what I was looking for. What it doesn't cover, and what I'm most interested in is the why's of picking thread. Why would I use one type over another? Can I do it all with one type of thread in different sizes, or do I really need many of the varieties that are out there?

It depends on what kind of tying you're doing. Some threads are "flat" and you really those for applications where you're trying to make a smooth covering of thread, such as an underbody for floss, or for a smooth head on a presentation fly. You can't do this with thread that's essentially monofilament. OTOH, that mono can be made quite slender if you're tying midges, and in larger sizes may be just what the doctor ordered for spinning deer hair. If you're tying thread bodied soft hackles, you're probably going to use silk thread, for various reasons. If you ever want to use a split-thread dubbing loop, you need a thread which is stranded so that it can split (again, monofilament won't work.)

Do you need a dozen different types of thread? No, especially if most of your tying is of one style of fly. Is it useful to have different types? Yes, you have more flexibility in the techniques available to you.

[92Esquire]

For 70% of my tying, I use UNI thread, either in 6/0 or 8/0, depending on the size of the fly and what I'm trying to do. Even on a size 22 midge there are times when 6/0 thread is appropriate.

The other 30% of the time, I'm tying non-trout flies. For saltwater and warmwater I really prefer Ultra thread, 140 denier. I like the way it lays on clouser and bendback heads. I've tried the 210, and it's OK, the larger thread just ends up a bit lumpier if I'm not epoxying. The fish couldn't tell the difference, but sometimes I'm tying as much to please myself as the fish.

For egg patterns and some flies that use lots of tightly bound hair, I use Gel Spun Poly. I really don't like that thread, as it is so slippery, but you need it to really torque down on materials.

I also have some spools of Danville and Gudebrod. Hate 'em. Can't tie without significant breakage with either - I think it's a mental block.

[ScottP]

For my trout flies, I like Uni 8/0 a lot - it's very strong and still allows me to keep thread buildup at a minimum; I'll use 6/0 for some of the larger stuff, especially foam flies where the 8/0 can cut the foam. I also like Gudebrod 10/0 for smaller flies (#18 on down) since it's a "flat" thread and lays down so well and Danville 6/0 for flies where I use split-thread for dubbing loops (Gudebrod 10/0 works well here too). I use flat wax nylon for buggers/bunny flies and some saltwater, Danville mono thread for the rest of the saltwater. For spinning deer hair, 6/0 Uni for small flies and Danville Flymaster + for the bigger stuff.
It's a function of the kind of flies you tie - if I were doing mostly Catskill dries, I'd be perfectly happy with the Gudebrod 10/0 (or UTC 70). I tie a lot of hairwing flies (Wulffs, Trudes, etc) and like something I can lean on a little more so that's why I use the Uni a lot. I'd suggest you play around with the different threads and see what you like; a lot of this is just personnal preference.

Regards,
Scott

[narcodog]

To answer your question, yes you will need more than one type of thread including silk. The different manufacturers also have different shades of thread, although the Dette's and Darbee's only used white or black.

Chris Helms, whitetail flies, also has a very good article on thread if you are interested.

[Buddy Sanders]

FF,

Maybe you've already figured it out by now, but just in case it isn't murky enough already:

No, you don't 'need' several diferent types of thread. You can get by quite nicely with only one type of thread.

And, yes, you can decide that you may want many different types.

It all depends on how far into the dark side of fly tying you want to get. You could keep it quite simple. You could easily tie 99% of the trout flies out there with size 8/0 black thread from whichever manufacturer you decide to like, and it wouldn't effect your catch rate a bit.

You could also buy fifteen different colors, each in several sizes, and then also get each set in several different types and materials of thread. Then you could tie a bunch of flies with each and see for yourself which exact thread you like for each particular fly.

Up to you which way you go. What happens to most of us is we buy what we find at the fly shop and make do until we find a particular need for a certain type of thread. Sometimes we don't like what we get, and go buy something else until we find what we want.

Eventually you'll develope your own preferences.

Buddy

[crazy4oldcars]

My experiences with thread pretty much mirrors Buddy's.
98% of my thread is UTC, in 70 and 140 Denier. It is a stranded "flat" thread, that can be unwound to lay flat, or wound to build bulk or for instances where a stronger hold is needed. (By winding the thread tighter, it concentrates the fibers, increasing it's strength and allowing you to pull the thread tighter where a hard hold is needed.)
I bought a spool of Gudebrod's 8/0, but quit trying to use it after breaking it too many times on a couple of flies. I have a spool of the Danville 210, and it's OK, but that's some large thread, so it's uses, for me, are limited.
I also have a couple of spools of mono thread for special purposes. It's stiffnes makes it more difficult to work with, including being more difficult to get started on the hook. Give it a little bit of slack before it's bound on good, and you're starting over.
As a reference, in my tying, a size 1 hook is huge. Sizes 10 thru 16 make up the vast majority of the flies I fish.

I hope this helps some.

Kirk