Interesting Byron, I've been using the hackle pliers like that for over 20 but leaving the tip on and using the pliers as a "handle" to hold the tip while I tie it in. I can see times when I would use that technique, but I would not use it on North Country Spiders. The few barbs tied down when tying it in would spoil the shape of the hackle.

The dubbing technique is ok if you understand dubbing. Many don't. Dubbing is based on the old art of felting. The fibres mat together "around" the thread. They don't stick to the thread. (In forming a dubbing noodle that is, touch dubbing is a different technique). That's why wax doesn't give any advantage - it is trying to do something different to what you are doing.

I was surprised to see him start the thread so that there was no tag end to cut off. That is something I usually do, unless I need the tag end for something else. If you cut the tag off you end up throwing away lots of thread. When you use a lot it makes a difference. If you leave it long to break it off I estimate you throw away more than you use. You need 4 to 6 inches of thread to grip if you are going to break it off. On a fly of size 10 or smaller you only use 2 to 3 inches of thread. It may sound penny pinching, but in production tying you have to. A penny saved is a penny earned.

If you have a very deft touch, you can take a bunch of oversized partridge hackle fibres and spin then around the hook shank as you might deer hair. Imagine a dot on your thread. Make a couple of loose turns, think about the path that dot takes as you pull the loops tight. Understanding that enables you to spin all kinds of material you wouldn't normally think of spinning. Another way is to hold the bunch on top of the hook shank and chase the fibres around the shank with the thread. Thats done by holding the thread under tension as you wrap, catching some fibres and pushing the others out of the way. A deft touch and practice are needed for both of these methods.

Putting more than two layers of thread on any part of a fly still goes against the grain with me. It just isn't needed in 99% of cases. Down the shank and back up, whip finish job done, tie another. All the winding back and forth I see in so many videos doesn't make the materials any more secure, builds up excess bulk, takes extra time and uses more thread.

Cheers,
A.