Wooly Worm - Method

Fly Patterns
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1

Okay, quick question and I ask that you only consider the two(2) choices offered.
Question: Of these two methods, which one would you prefer as your tying sequence for tying the Wooly Worm?

Option 1 - Tail(tag), wire at tail, chenille at tail, wind chenille towards eye, tye in hackle by the stem at the head, wind hackle back to wire, trap hackle with wire and wind wire through the hackle to the head. Tye off and finish.

Option 2 - Tail(tag), at tail in this order: wire, hackle, chenille. Wind chenille to eye, wind hackle to eye, wind wire to eye. Tye off and finish.

Thanks.

Allan

2

I don’t use wire at all, other wise OP-2. also I tie the hackle in by its tip.

3

Allan,

As you are only offering me these choices, I will (grudgingly) go with Option 1 :cool:

Cheers,
Hans W

4

Option 2 for me.

5

Option 1 with one modification - I’d tie the hackle in first, or at least after all the materials had been tied in at the back end and before they were wound forward; makes for a neater head for me.

Regards,
Scott

6

Books I’ve looked at usually show Option 1.

I go with Option 2 mainly because I like to have both ends of the hackle tied down with thread.

7

That begs the question Hans-how would you tie it?

8

Option 2, but I have a rotary vise so I wind it all at once…#1 is how I used to do it, it’s certainly more durable, but I find I can tie these so fast with the rotary vise I don’t care how long it lasts.

Buddy

9

Option 2 but I’d tie in chenille first, then hackle, and skip the wire. Woolly Worms should be FAST!!

Woolly Buggers might be tied style #1, but only if I want to rib them.

10

Option 1 - Tail (tag), wire at tail, chenille at tail, wind chenille towards eye, tye in hackle by the stem at the head, wind hackle back to wire, trap hackle with wire and wind wire through the hackle to the head. Tye off and finish.

Close enough…
I’d add some weight, but that reflects the locality and usage.
Dave

11

Option 2. Without the wire. If they lasted forever there would be no need to tie them again.

12

Option 1. Although I have been known to use option 2 and skip the wire altogether.

13

Option 1. That’s how I tied buggers for years.

Now I no longer use chenille. I Create dubbing brushes using angora goat or similar hair or fur combined with saddle hackle.

14

Allan,

Option 1 with the following differences:

I usually never use wire.

I always tie the hackle by the stem and the chenille at the eye of the hook, run the thread back to the tail tie-in point and then wind the chenille to the tail tie-in point and do a couple wraps of thread to trap it there and then palmer the hackle back to the tail tie-in point and tie it in with the thread and then run the thread through the body to the front and whipfinish. I prefer to use the tying thread instead of wire so I usually never use wire.

15

I usually go with option 1.

  • Jeff
16

Option 2, but usually without the wire.
<Listening to Goon Show re-runs while surfing the web at lunch is quite interesting.>

Ed

17

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the many responses. In the original question, where I wrote “wire”, I meant to put a slash(/) “thread”, meaning one or the other. So if you wrote, as Warren P. did, “Option 1 with the following differences: I usually never use wire” it would have been the same.

Just remembered that some tyers, like Walt Dette, counter-wrapped white thread over peacock herl on Quill Gordons and some used ultrafine copper wire. Both materials served the same purpose. B Both materials served the same purpose.

Anyway, thanks for responses.

Allan

18

option #1, I’ve been shown other ways, but I like the durability of the wire wrapped the opposite way of the hackle.

19

option #2 for me, like to have hackle tied down both ends

20

Just to note: Not sure I understand what you mean? In both options, the Hackle is tyed down at both ends. In #1, by thread at eye and either wire or thread at tail. In #2, thread at both ends.