Many of you have asked why and how do we post wings on dry flies. Hopefully you will find
this of benefit and it will simplify any problems you have been experiencing.
Post is the act of wrapping thread around the base of a group of vertical feather barbs so as to
gather them into a distinct group or bunch.
The Cahills and Hendricksons are good examples of where the technique is employed. These are both
tied with bunches of Mallard or Wood Duck flank feathers upright and divided.
The picture below shows an un-posted wing of mallard flank. Notice the general sense of disarray,
which this conveys. Fibers while divided fairly well are still going in many directions, and generally
appear unruly.
Steven McGarthwaite (a.k.a. Parnelli) came up with this tip to take some of the frustration out
of the posting of the wing.
Lay you bodkin aside the wing you want to post and take a loose wrap of thread around both. Take
another such wrap and while slowly removing the bodkin, tighten the wrap.
This may be repeated several times to gather the wing into a nice well defined bunch.
Posted wings lead to neater, more durable flies and if you are not using this technique you really
should give it a try.
If you have any tips or techniques, send them along, most of this
material has been stolen from somebody, might as well steal your ideas
too! ~ George E. Emanuel
(Chat Room Host Muddler)
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