I read here in FAOL that a piece of drinking straw makes an effective hackle guard. Some say to slit the straw, but I think it’s easier to slide it from bobbin to fly. I tried it & it’s not only MORE effective than those metal hackle guards I’ve previously purchased, it’s versatile. Obviously, it works well on hackle, but that’s not all. When I tie foam spiders, I tie the head down & those floppy legs drove me nuts, until I used these. I cut my body strips 1/4" wide out of 3mm foam & the straw slips from the bobbin tube over the foam & traps the legs very well, allowing for easy head attaching, finishing & cementing. I’ve attached 3 pics. Note the straw (1/4"-3/8" long) on the bobbin in pic 1, the straw “at work” in pic 2, & my ugly, yet effective finished spider in pic 3.
I hope this helps at least ONE fly tyer. If so, the post was well worth it. Just thinking SLIGHTLY “out of the box” gets it done. BTW, the head on this one was a little sloppy, but still productive for BIG 'gills.
Mike
Ohiotuber - I have used the straw trick for years. Like you I prefer to cut a short piece of straw and attach as you have done. I would like to add that I prefer to have several different sizes of straws on hand for use depending on the size of the fly.
Tim’
I agree 100% on the various sizes! The straws not only make it easier, but you sure can’t beat the price (WHAT price?) & the number of tying tools you get from a single straw. Thanks to all who posted in the previous thread…Sure did help this old guy!
Mike
Hi OhioTuber,
I love using straws as a hackle guard and there is another method that also works great when spinning or stacking deer hair. Before tying off at the head of the fly, slip a piece of sandwhich bag or any other soft, pliable plastic bag over the hook eye and slightly pull backwards or hold the plastic and material towards the hook bend while positioning the thread to tie or form the head. It is OK to wrap the thread right over some of the plastic. Cut off the excess plastic before tying or final wrapping of the head of the fly. Makes a cleaner fly and a clear hook eye.
You can also use a small rubber o’ring which can be purchased just about anywhere for less than a dollar. The advantage of the o’ring is that it will expand as it goes over the material at the hook eye which would eliminate the need for different size straws.
This has been a great little tutorial. One of the images seem to show that the slip of straw is used to push back the foam over the back of the fly (creating a foam bullet head). Is this correct? Is this how you used it?
Peter…In the picture, I just used the straw to hold the legs back, BUT let your imagination be your guide. You may flatten that straw, use (as Warren suggested) various sized o-rings, or come up with another idea to create that bullet head. It’s a simple matter of using different diameters. Thanks to your question, I will try a variation to assist in the tying of foam stealth bombers. That’s the great thing about threads like this. Given open minds, we can all gather some new ideas from questions…THANKS!
Mike
In this school of thought, those little orthodontic rubber bands for braces are perfect, too, and even cheaper (if you don’t count the thousands you spent on braces for the kids…)
