With thread and feather - Threads

Thread i piórkiem - thread

Text: Agnieszka Kubale, Photos: Arek Kubale

The article appeared in Angler's World (11/2019)

After the hooks - about whichówhich I told in the last issue of WŚ - it's the turn of a few words about the threads without which theóof which it is difficult to imagine a modern flytying.

What exactly is fly tying thread and can it be replaced by ordinary haberdashery thread? The answer to this question is not so simple at all, flytying because - similar to other narrow fields - it has made fly tying thread a rather narrowly specialized product. Thus, such a thread is created from the right material (usually polyester or nylon, less often silk), has the right diameter and - something you can look for in vain in haberdasheries - is sometimes pre-waxed. So, with some experience and knowledge of fly tying materials, one can experiment with materials found in a haberdashery - which, by the way, can sometimes be a great and fairly cheap place to stock up on fly tying materials. However, this is an option for people who know what they are looking for. Buying „real” fly tying thread guarantees that we will acquire the right product for still quite fair money - in most cases, these products are not expensive, compared, for example, to feathers, fur or synthetics.

        Fly tying thread can be described by three basic parameters. They are: material, size and color. So let's take a closer look at each of these three characteristics.

Materiał

Polyester - currently the most popular and versatile type of thread for making artificial flies. It comes in a large range of diameters, the most common being 8/0 and 6/0. It is not very stretchy, so at smaller diameters it is quite sensitive to breakage. Its weave has a rather pronounced texture (especially when the thread is gently twisted), so it holds the material well.

Nylon

              The next most popular fly thread material after polyester. It is slightly stronger than its predecessor, mainly due to its stretchability. According to some flytiers, this characteristic also makes it hold the material better. It has a smooth surface, making it lay nice and flat on the hook. Thanks to its glossy texture, it is somewhat similar to so-called floss, the fly fishing equivalent of silk. Nylon threads will work well as a trunk in small flies and so-called "floss". underbody, which is a layer applied before the actual material on the torso to give our fly a spindly, insect-like shape.

Silk (silk) - is a very traditional material, today almost superseded by the two described above, polyester and nylon. However, this does not mean that it is not worth using. It still finds its use in traditional type flies spider and other old patterns, where often the torso of the fly consists only of thread. In this application it performs better than the synthetics described above. The only problem is its scarce availability - for many decades it was produced by the British company Pearsall (18th - 19th centuries), today it is practically unavailable. The characteristics of silk are a fairly low breaking strength and a smooth, glossy surface, somewhat transparent when soaked.

Other materials-that is, Kevlar or GSP (Gel Spun Polyester). These are the strongest of the threads, useful for tying large flies (such as pike and sea flies). They will also come in handy when making patterns from fur, which should be firmly fixed and squeezed on the hook shank.

Size

Fly tying threads are usually described by two systems of measurement. The first, is the so-called. aught system, where the size is given by the number of zeros. The more zeros, the thinner the thread (for example, 8/0 is thinner than 3/0). The second system, slightly more precise, is the denier (den), which is a unit of linear density of synthetic fibers. A thread of 70 denier is thinner than 210 denier. The best choice to start with are sizes 6/0 and 8/0.

Color

Here there are no rigid rules, although the most universal colors are black and white. The former fits most patterns, while white, on the other hand, is easy to tint at the end with a waterproof marker, making the head of the fly. Over time, it is worthwhile to stock up on more colors - it doesn't make much difference to the effectiveness of the fly, but it increases its aesthetic value.

 Flytying in practice / With a thread and a pen-rod

Flytying in practice / With thread and pen, Wire.

Flytying in practice / With thread and feather - fly hooks