Is there a proper way to tie on soft plastic legs to a fly? As to make them stick out at right angles to the hook shank I’ve been trying to tie them with a figure eight type “technique”, this kind of seems to be working but if anybody has some better ideas let me know.
Matt
Are you refering to plastic legs like ‘Japanese Nymph Legs’ or the rubber/silicone legs you would use on a Madam X?
For the nymph legs I figure 8 them to the underside and bend them into shape with a tweezers heated in a lighter.
For rubber legs I tie them into the sides using straight thread wraps (several wraps one on top of the other, no spiral) The thread pressure will cause them to stick out from the sides at about a 45 degree angle. Often I dub over the tie in point and can adjust the leg angle by wrapping dubbing behind and in front of the leg.
In either case it is critical to have a good smooth base at the tie in point. An unevan or soft base will cause the legs to stick out any which way and make things difficult.
Wrap a thread layer as a foundation before you tie in the legs. Be extra careful to fill in voids and produce a smooth even surface. I spin my bobbin counterclockwise a few times to take the twist out of the thread and flatten it while wrapping the base.