Need some tips.....

[Seth]

I have a hard time managing the marabou to the correct size and position on the tails of small flies. Any tips you guys have for sliding it into position and tying it down?

Also, I always seem to crowd the hook eye on my flies and it makes it really hard to thread the line through. Will my flies not be near as effective though if there is a little bit of gap between the thread and the hook eye?

Thanks for any help

Seth

[Leonard]

Seth..

When I tye on the marabou.. I try to get the same lenght as the hook shank...

As for as crowding the eye im not sure about... If it with the marabou... I make about 6 or 7 good tight wraps and cut it off... which leaves plenty of space to tye off... Im hoping thats what you were talking about

[Brian K. Shaffer]

As far as crowding the eyes of your flies you are tying.. just make a note to start your thread at least one hook eyes length behind. Never start on top of the eye.

Also - check this out : 20 tips to increase your tying speed

20 tips to increase your tying speed - Fly Fisherman Magazine

Happy tying - Brian

[jOrOb]

Seth,

Have you tried wetting the marabou before working with it. I usually keep a small cup of water on the bench and just wet my fingers and stroke out my marabou clump before trying to tie it in.

As for the crowding, remember that most flies are tied for the fisherman not the fish. Give yourself plenty of room at first. You will eventually start sliding forward and your heads will be right in place. Brian's suggestion about leaving an eye's width is right on. You might even make it a little bigger at first.

Brian, excellent article on tying speed. I enjoyed it!

jOrOb

[Seth]

Thanks for the link, I will check that out ASAP and try out some of those tips.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Seth I hold the 'bou between left thumb and index finger and place it a little long and wrap it 2-3 times firmly, then pull it through the wraps to the length you want, normally about shank length, trim and secure. This way you can concentrate on getting the material on the shank properly and worry about the length as a separate issue.

[Danoinark]

Excellent tip Wayne

[Seth]

That is the tip I was needing Wayne, thank you. I always cut my marabou a little too short when I am working with it and it makes it really hard for me to get it on the hooks.

Do you make a loop around the marabou with the thread before tying it down, or do you skip that step and just tie it straight onto the hook?

[Wayne SW/MO]

I make a couple of loops and then snug the thread down while I make sure of my alignment, a couple more to make sure it stays and then make a length adjustment. I don't always trim it. If I'm tying Wooly Buggers in the larger sizes, I wrap over the 'Bou on the shank for bulk and to avoid a step down. Don't overdo the tail. On small flies it doesn't take much for a tail.

[KRflyfisher]

All good tips that I follow as well. One other thing I do is try and keep a short length of tippet close at hand to make sure that I can thread it through the hook eye and to clean out the eye just in case I get a little messy with the head cement. Also if it is close and your thread build up isn't too bad, you can take your fingernails and pinch the thread around the eye to push it into place.