Whats the real difference. I have only tied wiht unwaxed. Am i missing anything? I am tying on hooks 6 -4/0 and mostly chenille and hair. What should i be using? I am tying Sockeye flies mostly. What do you think of Danville flat waxed 210 denier thread?
Waxed thread is slightly easier to work with, but either will work fine (I use both). Nearly all tying threads are waxed these days. I like Danville 210 a lot, especially for the larger flies. Comes in a nice variety of colors, lays flat, and is reasonably strong for larger ties.
Nearly 40 years ago when I learned to tie, we were taught to wax our thread as we went before tying flies. I think the wax makes the thread easier to handle, and I use several types of wax these days. I used only straight natural beeswax for many years.
Now, I have several blends, and they range from straight beeswax or parrafin, to some very sticky stuff I use for touch dubbing. I like wax, and use it all the time, but I ain’t sure it’s strictly necessary…that’s my take, though I don’t imagine it answers your question…ModocDan