I have been tying flies, for a few years and consider myself an intermediate
fly tier. When George E. Emanuel, e-mailed me that he was stepping
down, I was stunned to say the least. Then he suggested I might want to help
continue this Tying Tips Section. I hope I prove worthy to follow in his
vacated position.
I am not the most organized person when it comes to tying flies; I
misplace things and drop things. I am even apt to quote (with
exasperation), a favorite phrase of Duke Nukem, "Where is it?"
The one thing I misplace the most is thin ribbing wire.
Let me give you an example:
I'm tying a fly. The pattern calls for thin wire for the ribbing. I cut
off a good size length of thin wire, because I'm going to wrap quite a few of
the pattern (say ten flies).
I wrapped the first fly's body with dubbing, then with the ribbing
wire, wrap and securing the wire. I cut the remaining wire, with a small
wire cutter, setting the wire down on the table.
After finishing the rest of the fly's construction, I start the next fly.
This is when it happens! I look for the thin wire, and mutter to myself,
"Where is it?"
Have you ever looked for something that is almost impossible to see?
Usually, I can't find the wire, so I pull-off another length of wire and
proceed on.
If I am lucky, I don't lose this new segment of wire, for two or three
more flies! Then I start the process all over again, "Where is it!"
This gets very exasperating.
Here is how I solved the problem. I twist one end of the thin wire,
around a small length of bright chenille. Then when I set the wire down, I
can find it again because I can see the chenille. The old "Keep It
Simple Simon" rule, in action.
This technique, can also work for thin tinsel, another easy to lose item.
If you have an tips or techniques, send them along, most of this
material someone else thought of before we did, they just forgot to tell
anyone about it. Or we just forgot about it, while learning something else.
Let us share with each other, all the things we know! ~ Steven H.
McGarthwaite (Chat Room AKA Parnelli)
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