so i was considering buying/ordering some Pearsall Gossamer Silk Thread- my local shop does not carry it- and though the fish seem to like the thread i use just fine- i thought i might play with it a bit.
but i have a couple of questions---- and thanks in advance for any info! 
is there a specific bobbin choice for these spools? or will the regular ol’ doc slick ceramics i’ve got work?
does anyone notice that the fish actually prefers this thread?
cheers!
aquabone.
You need to get a bobbin that fits the Pearsall’s, Wasatch, Mattrelli and there’s one other. I use Pearsall’s silk a lot and have not had any comment from any fish of whether they prefer it over man made stuff. What silk does is become translucent whereas others don’t, it gives depth to the fly.
What narcodog said.
If you’re looking to make thread bodied flies, there’s two good reasons for using it. One is the translucency thing, and since most mayfly spinners are translucent, might actually make a difference. The other is that it changes color when wet; if you’re following a recipe that calls for silk of a certain color, and you substitute a synthetic thread of the same color (when dry) it’s going to be the wrong color when wet. A good example is the partridge and orange – when wet, it’s rust colored, and makes a great rusty spinner. If you’d used an orange synthetic thread, it would still be orange when wet, and might not be such a good choice in a match the hatch situation (but might make a better attractor fly)
Hi All;
The least expensive bobbin I’ve found for Pearsalls thread is offered by Cascade Crest tools: http://cascadecrest.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=81&category_id=2&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=32
It appears to be similart in construction to Griffin ceramics but, at only $9.00, works really well for me.
Wayne
I’ve read that silk traps a air bubble next to the body just behind the hackle. i think that was in syl nemes book, maybe not.
I don’t remember reading that but I miss stuff. Silk does not retain air that I am aware of and you have to wax silk so I don’t see how that would happen. Now the hackle will trap some air as most soft hackle hackle will do. If you put a dab of dubbing behind the hackle that will catch some bubbles. It will also change the action of the hackle. No dubbing the hackle folds back and you get more action. A dab of dubbing makes the hackle stand up more keeping it from lying back. Some patterns call for them to be fished either up stream or down and that in some case determines where you place your dubbing.
If you want to catch bubbles in any wet type fly apply some Frogs Fanny.
Probably didn’t quite answer your question but maybe it gave you some answers to another question.
Don’t forget the wax and there are many, I have about ten different waxes that I use and I am always looking for more.
Some of the best wax that I found for S/H’s I get from Jim Slattery at jimsflyco.com
The Materelli Material bobbin works.
- thanks for the feedback everyone!
I thought that silk thread came on the narrow sewing machine size bobbins, The Cascade holders shown in this thread are definitely not for them.
I bought a Matarelli bobbin, hideously expensive and too tight. Then I tried with a Griffin floss bobbin. Worked much better and 1/3 the price.
Hi Ray Kunz;
when at the link I posted, the bobbin selection has a drop down menu for the midge size that fits Pearsalls and/or sewing machine bobbins.
I copied the link with it open but obviously it didn’t work.
Wayne
The tension on Matarelli bobbins, as well as other brands, is very easy to adjust. Grasp the lower leg with two pairs of pliers, one just above the ‘joint’ in the leg and the other just below. Carefully bend the lower portion with the brass spool-fitting end either in, or out, to respectively increase or decrease the tension. DO NOT try to adjust by spreading the legs apart at their union with the tube, as you can break the silver soldered joint, and a standard welding gun WILL NOT get the solder hot enough to facilitate re-soldering. Anyone who does jewelry repair can make the necessary repairs for you.
I know that Pearsall’s silk thread is the traditional thread to tie soft hackles with, but if you don’t want to buy a new bobbin, want to get 100% silk thread for less expense, get it in a wide range of colors, and it comes in a couple of deniers, you might want to try YLI silk thread. It comes on a standard spool. I’ve been using it for a while now and I don’t believe the fish can tell the difference from one company’s silk thread over another.
Here’s one place to get it:
http://www.roserushbrooke.com/yli-silk-thread-1.html
Joe
Hi Joe;
Have you been able to match up colors comparable to Pearsalls?
I have a couple of spools of YLI 100 silk thread and other than purple, green, white, and black, I haven’t found matches for Pearsalls orange, claret, pale yellow, etc.
Wayne
Hi, Wayne
I believe YLI has 81 colors (at least) in the 100 weight and many of them match up, at least to my eye, very well with Pearsall’s, especially when wet. I know this isn’t traditional, but in the colors that I use most often - olives, yellows, browns, and grays - I actually like some of YLI’s shades better than Pearsall’s. I know that may be blasphemy, but…
Joe
I forgot to mention this if anyone is interested in coming up with different shades of olive, or other colors for that matter. If you lay down a very thin foundation of a blue flat tying thread and then cover that with a layer of one of the different shades of yellow, you can achieve quite a variety of shades of olive by using the various shades of yellow. The green won’t be apparent until the fly gets wet and the silk becomes translucent. You can do the same with other color combinations. The fact that YLI has more than a few shades of some of the colors makes it possible to come up with a number of slightly different shades other than just the color of the silk. It’s fun.
Joe
Another vote for YLI 100 silk thread. It comes in a much wider range of colors than Pearsall’s. It’s slightly more thick than Pearsall’s, but not so much that it makes any difference as far as tying goes. Many folks tend to get too hung up on Pearsall’s as the one and only traditional silk fly tying thread. It was major back in the day, but certainly wasn’t the only silk tying thread available for fly tying. Folks back then used what they had, or could get their hands on. I’ve got silk thread in different colors that’s wrapped around an old Christmas card that was used for smaller fly’s from the early 1920’s. Rice brand silk thread was used over here quite a while ago also for fly tying.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Joe;
Thanks for all the info on YLI, I need to buy a couple more colors!
I forgot about the color changing effect of silk over another thread, thanks for reminding me!
Wayne
i think i’ll start out w/ a few of the traditional goto colors w/ the pearsalls for fun…
good info on the YLI also Joe!
have you found that this is available at a typical craft/sewing store?
thanks!
aquabone.
The Matarelli bobbin is perfect. It is expensive, but it works wonderfully. If you use a lot of silk, you should consider it.