Cute trick to tie off thorax

[gkieser]

As requested in Shamwari's thread, here's a cool way to tie off your nymphs neatly without building up thread between the bead and the dubbed thorax. The rod builders would have seen this before and would know where the idea came from.

I tied this on a brassie for the purposes of the SBS (i am lazy) but it can be used for most of your nymph patterns. It may seem complicated at first but it is actually really simple.

1) place bead on hook, and do your body how you like. In this case i just untidily wrapped some wire on the shank and marked out where i want my thorax.


2) set up your dubbing loop and put it to one side


3) now take a piece of strong waxed thread and tie it in a loop forwards over the bead. leave the two tag pieces hanging over the back of the fly. do not wrap too tightly. Just firm enough to hold the waxed thread in place. Once you do it a bit you will know the best tension to use so that you can pull the waxed thread through later in the sequence


4) Now spin your dubbing loop, tease out the fibres and wrap forward to form the thorax. tie down with the thread from your bobbin. Two wraps around is enough and will still hide the thread when the fly is finished.


5) Trim off the excess dubbing loop, then place your hackle pliers on your bobbin thread between the hook and the bobbin holder (can you see i learned something on flytalk this week?). Then cut the thread so that you can remove your bobbin holder and the hackle pliers apply tension to the thread.



6) Now, keeping tension, push the thread from the hackle pliers through the loop of the waxed thread and try to keep tension the whole time. I have not done so in this pic, but that is because i only had 2 hands and was trying to take the photo at the same time - but i run the risk of my dubbing tie off coming loose so try not to.


7) Wet the thread, and then pull the tags of the waxed thread, pulling the tying thread through under the thorax.

[gkieser]

8) Keep pulling until you have pulled all the thread through, and your fly has now been tied off by the initial thread wraps and the wraps of the dubbing loop.


9) Trim the tag, and your fly is complete. I was sceptical at first about how long these flies would last before coming apart, but they are suprisingly durable and to this day i have not had one come apart yet.


Do it a couple of times and you will be amazed at how quick and easy it is.

[Shamwari]

Grant this is truely brilliant. You have proved why this forum is a gem when it comes to learning.

Thanks...I am going to try this for sure.

[Mike Taylor]

That's great - it always looks crap when you can see a few loops of thread between the thorax and the bead.

[mornesm]

Neat trick! Thanks!

[Gaza]

Thanks Grant.
That is a neat and efficient trick. I like!
Gaza

[ArcherFish]

nice tip, thanks

[Gerrit Viljoen]

What is the point of this tie down? To hide thread behind bead? If so I can still see the thread btw. And it's an additional step??

But will try it when I tie off again thanks.

[poppernel]

What is the point of this tie down? To hide thread behind bead? If so I can still see the thread btw. And it's an additional step??

But will try it when I tie off again thanks.

My view, tie to hold.

DAVE