so I’m reading the latest flytyer magazine and come across an article about using wire to reinforce parachute wingposts, go figure.
I’ll pass.
then in another rag, scott sanchex offers his parachute tips, just standard stuff, and as many others suggest he recommends head cementing the bottom of the post. a superflous step in my mind w/ the potential for disaster should the cement be wicked up the wing.
so, two questions…do you plan on using wire for your parachute posts and do you cement your post?
My real concern is why all the fuss? Seems pretty simple, so are the folks advocating all this extra stuff (wire, cement, I saw one demonstration where they put in a little piece of a toothpick, THEN removed it after the hackle was wrapped) having problems with the post?
Are flies falling apart? Is the hackle not staying put? Are they having trouble wrapping the hackle evenly? What would lead to the need for the ‘fix’.
I haven’t a clue, but it seems that someone is concerned about it.
Mikey…thumbs down on the wire idea. Didn’t Partridge make a hook with a wire post as part of the hook?
I always cement my posts. Sometimes twice.
Jason
Sounds kinda like they’re afraid to tie more than one parachute fly. I haven’t tried to tie any of these yet, so I don’t know more than a little bit about them, but I’ve seen a few patterns and they seem to be durable enough without the wire. As for the glue, I could see using just a speck if you thought the hackle would “walk” out from under the thread wraps.
There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim
I came up with the idea many years ago to super glue the hackle to the post and it works quit well. In either case one needs to make sure the post is covered with thread were the hackle will be wrapped on the post. The thread will keep the glue from wicking up the post. No matter how I tie a parachute fly I always put a drop of glue on the post. I feel it makes the fly stronger. I also use head cement on the heads of my flies. Just a part of the old school coming out I guess? Scott is a good tier and a truly nice person. Very inovative.
As for the wire I don’t think I need to go that far. I find that a lot of steps taken now days are not necessary if the fly is tied properly in the first place. Ron
No I don’t do either Mikey! I thought the same thing you did about the wire and thought wrapping the post to be plenty durable, I feel the added weight would not help, as you need more hackle to float the fly.
Good to hear from you again . mabye a parachute swap is in order? Heh!
No to the wire and I sometimes cement the post depending on what the post is made from. If a hair that compresses, no. If using a synthetic that is slippery, sometimes.
Why do people always try to make things more complicated then they need to be? I also read the article on using wire to make the post of parachute flies. Are these people fishing for Bluefish or Muskies? I think people are always lookng for a shortcut, rather then just
practice already proven techniques.
I’m actually working on a parachute pattern for the next issue of Fly Tyer that has a real parachute attached for EXTRA soft landings. I’m just having trouble keeping it from deploying before the final forward cast .
Why would you want to add weight in the form of wire to a dry fly anyway??
When these writers have deadlines to meet or a number of articles that need to be written in a given amount of time, they have to do what they have to do. So what if it’s old, or been there done that, or been written about before? Recycling and a minor change or something not worthwhile to begin with fills up space. By the way, haven’t you noticed that dead space(photos, advertisements, line spacing and photos) keep increasing?
If anyone has a copy of the original Fly Tyer magazine, any of the ones from the original publisher, compare the amount of ‘text’ to the amount of text and quality information to that same magazine today. Today’s magazine isn’t even close. The only thing better are the color photos and the paper.
When I finish a larger parachute pattern and I whip finish on the chute I’ll slide a bodkin with a thin flim of cement in there to secure the thread. It seeps in and gets on the post a little bit and may well stifen it up. Wire? No.
If some of you folks don’t start sending in YOUR Fly of the Week, I just may have to come up with a horrible variation of some poor fly which probably should not have ever been tied in the first place.
It seems a lot of people have a hard time with parachute posts these days. I think cement helps in some cases but I generally do not add anything extra to my parachute patterns. I do think it depends on what you use as a material for the post as well. I typically use poly yarn which is pretty resiliant itself and does not need to be reinforced but I remember using calf tail before and it was quite soft and probably could’ve used a drop or two of cement.
wire - can’t see it happening
cement - a little dab will do it … to the center of the post just above the hackle. I’ve never had wicking problems - or floatation problems. Why did I start … dunno, seemed like a good idea at the time …
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