Ask MidCurrent: 3 Questions About Tying Thread
Question: I’d appreciate a discussion on monofilament vs multi-strand thread. Also, How do twisting or untwisting thread help and cause the thread to move toward the eye or away from the eye?
—Don from Bozeman, MT, via our online form
Answer: Fly-tying thread seems like a fairly uncomplicated topic. I mean, you just wrap it around the hook to hold all the other stuff in place. But as Don’s questions above make clear, there’s plenty more to consider: what kind of thread should you use, and are there ways to manipulate the thread to make it more effective during the tying process? Let’s take Don’s questions one at a time, and we will turn to the great Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions for illustrations of each answer. See his two videos on these subject below.
Monofilament Thread Pros and Cons
Monofilament thread offers several distinct advantages for fly tiers, especially if you’re tying saltwater patterns. Mono thread is very strong and stretches a bit, so you can really clamp down on larger materials when you’re trying to lash them to large-wire hooks. Its translucent nature allows the colors below to show through, when you want them to, or it creates an almost invisible foundation that doesn’t detract from the natural appearance of the finished fly. Finally, monofilament doesn’t absorb water.
The biggest problem with mono thread is that it’s quite slippery, which can make it frustratingly difficult to secure materials. Anyone who made their first attempt at a Clouser Minnow using monofilament thread, as I did, can attest to how hard it is to make the slippery thread hold the slippery ends of the deer hair. That said, as Flagler points out, this very slipperiness is actually helpful when you’re trying to spin materials around the shank, such as when you’re tying the head of a Muddler Minnow or the body of a deer-hair mouse.
Do the Twist
Don’s second and third questions are about how twisting multifilament thread can change its properties and help the tier keep the thread from slipping off the material you’re trying to attach. Again, it’s Flagler to the rescue. In the video below, he demonstrates how spinning the bobbin clockwise or counterclockwise causes the thread to become more rope-like or more yarn-like. Then he demonstrates how a counterclockwise spin causes the yarn to jump rearward as you wrap, helping to get that all-important first wrap right where you need it.
