Frederic M. Halford tying flies from the book The Dry Fly Fisherman’s Entomology, Mosley, 1921. Image credit Mike Cline. A commons image.
So, you think you know how to hand whip finish?
Well, maybe you do, but you should take a look at this video and possibly improve the security of your whip finishes well beyond what you’re used to.
Asked how to tie-off a fly by hand, or whip-finish a fly, I got lost. My explanation made no sense to my students. A hands-on demonstration worked better, but it was a silent movie, and I know I lost half the class of four boys and two girls.
I made it worse because I forgot to tell them about how the thread will kink because of how a fly is wrapped – it will not lay flat, making knotting the fly a weak link, no matter the tying off method.
So, later I poured over the net and finally found a great explanation and an equally good visual of how to tie off your flies using the hand whip finish method. And I have to admit I learned how to improve my whip finishes.
BTW, it’s not harder, it’s easier
Wayne Luallen, with a connection to Global FlyFisher explains how to whip-finish using only your hands and no tool – and adds some tips on how to get these final wraps to lay flat.”
