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UTC 140: is heavy but lies flat when
winding. It is strong and is useful for large patterns on hooks from size
#12 and bigger. Also good for attaching dumbell and bead chain eyes and for
building up bodies on Humpies and other floss flies.
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Danville 3/0 Monochord: strong thread
that works fine for large patterns. About the same diameter as UTC 140, but
does not lie as flat on the hook.
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UTC 70: thinner by half than UTC 140,
but strong. Still lies flat on the hook. Great for making smooth heads on
all fly patterns, and for tying from #12-24 flies.
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Danville 6/0: standard thread that's
about the same diameter of UTC 70 and also lies flat. One of the differences
are available colors.
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Gudebrod 8/0: thinner than any of the
other threads, yet strong it lies flat and is good for tying flies smaller
than size #18.
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Always have a base of thread on the
hook shank and under the next material that will be tied in so the newly tied-in material will not
spin
on the hook shank. After all, you want to put the material where you
want it, and then you want it to stay there.
When tying in materials, use only the number
of wraps of thread necessary to hold the material in place. This may be from
one to three or four wraps, and is rarely more. A common
mistake that
wastes time and builds bulk on flies is using too much thread! This actually
causes the fly to be less durable.
Example: when tying a standard trout fly that
has a tail there is always going to be more material tied in and wrapped
over the tail. Start the thread at about the 1/2 point of the shank of the
hook and
wind it back with adjacent wraps until it is in the proper position
- the spot the tail will be tied in. Select tailing materials and make one
wrap to hold it it place. Now, dub, tie in a quill or other body part and
move thread back toward the eye - stop the thread just in front of where
that material will end - and wind the material to the proper spot. While the
tail only had one wrap of thread to hold it in place, the additional wraps
to tie in the body, and then the wrapping of the body will also hold the
tail in place.
More flies are retired from being lost in
trees than from losing tails.
