Not the end all, but here is how I was taught.

Place your hook in your vice, (Im going to assume you’re right handed, Im a Lefty but I tie right handed)

The eye of your hook should face to your right if you’re looking at it left to right.

When you look at the eye of the hook take note of the inner diameter of the eye of the hook..

Take your thread and thread it through your bobbin (if you find that you break your thread often 2 things. A. spend the 10 bux for the ceramic bobbin B. put some wax on a tooth pick and swirl it around the tube for your bobbin if it aint ceramic. ) If you still snap thread, get kevlar thread, yeah :uhuh: they make it.

Begin your first wrap make sure that your wraps go away from you. Always wrap AWAY from you. You’ll want to wrap an area the size of the inner diameter of the hook. If you look at the eye of the hook, begin your first wrap approx. the distance from the eye, the same distance as the hooks width itself. This gives your bucktail something to sit on if you will. (if you’ve got hard as nails I like to hit this first wrap with a drop, stuffs relatively inexpensive) Your call do or dont. The measurement is the pic on the right.

You’ll want to tie in your flash if you’ll be adding any. (it varies really on if you’re just tying in sparklies or going for a lateral line ie. Like on a baitfish., not so say you cant tie in your flash to run on the sides then your bucktail over it, its all a matter of preference) Again you’ll want to measure. You want your flash to extend about 1.5 times the length of your hook shank, sometimes 2.0 times the length of your hook. You can tie in your flash, at the mid point or forward portion of that first initial wrap you tied that should be all set with hard as nails. I was taught to tie my flash in at its mid point then flip it back and give it a few wraps to hold it in place (this helps, if you notice some tails you can pull the flash right out) The extra step of tying it in at its mid point (tying it forward) then flipping it back and securing it will take an extra 15 – 20seconds but in the long run, they’re custom plugs right. Ok so at this point you, got the measurements, you’ve laid down your first wrap, you’ve secured that, and you’ve secured your flash. Bring that thread back up to the right-hand-side and don’t crowd your eye. (remember you want the distance of your first wrap to the hooks eye to be the same distance as the diameter of the hook) Basically grab your flash, find the middle, give it 3-4 wraps fold the second half back give that 3-4 wraps.

Here is the flash tied in you can begin to see the head slightly forming. Its off to the side for the picture but you'd place it ontop or on the sides your call.

Ok now you’re ready for the tail (I wont profess to know everything about hair selection at this point because that would be another couple pages itself) Grab yourself a chunk (every tyer in the world just puked) you’re happy with and trim it as close to the hide as possible (get good scissors and don’t skimp here, it will save you headaches) pinch the messy clump of hair near the base where you cut it. Now figure out how long you need the hair to extend. With your free hand pinch the hair at the length you want it, now flick the base of the hair the (the portion you cut close to the hide) this will get rid of any under hair (its kinda floaty you don’t want it it’ll change your action **floaty is a technical term** ) First pic is the messy hair, second pic I'm holding the tail at the desired length and you'll see the under hair flaring out the sides.

After flicking out the under hair. Notice it in the back there, its hollow and very **floaty** you dont want it.

:eyes: Notice that once I've got the hair I want to use all, nice and neat, no stray hairs or underhairs laying around I cut the portion I'm tying down. what you REALLY want to notice is: A. Its cut at a SLIGHT angle, dont make it a wicked sharp angle you'll f it up. B. The angle of the cut, is the same length as that initial wrap I laid down.

Now when I secure the hair, it secures a bit at a time with each wrap. (thats key, if you think you're going to secure it all at once you got another thing coming to ya) in the pic you cant make out the thread, but the first wrap secures the green area, the second wrap secures the red area. This is being tied on the top only, if you wanted to go all around the hook youd secure this with 3 or 4 wraps. Rotate your hook, grab a chunk of bucktail, flick out the **floatys** (again thats a technical term) cut at a slight angle place that on the hook shank, secure it. Easy and clean.

Once you have that down (really its just a matter of getting used to switching the material between hands) you can take larger amounts of bucktail, and secure them in place with 3-4 wraps (medium tension) and if you pinch the hair it will work its self around the hook.


OK, once you have that secured in place, wind your thread all the way to the front and wrap it all the way to the back. Cutting that slight angle in your hair does two things, makes it easier to secure A. and B. begins to build your head (you know what I mean if you've ever just wrapped crazy amounts of thread on the hair to get 'the look' I know Im not the only one to ever do that )

Ok most of it is secured and you can begin to see a slight head forming, hint if you drop your bobbin and its waaay too close to your hook point, at this step you didnt measure right. About 7-9 wraps and this thing is secured, no need to kill it with wraps, but it sure makes em purty! wrap front to back and dont go fast, (the hurrieder' you go the behinder'er you'll get)

when you place a good sized clump of hair on the hook shank, you've already: Flicked out the floaty's **thats a technical term** and you've cut it at a slight angle. (so your hair is good to go) You place the hair on your hook shank, secure it (again medium tension, whats medium tension, medium tension is dropping your bobbin and watching what happens to the wrap) Ok, so now you got this massive clump of hair(which softens or kills action) on your hook shank, pinch it a LIL bit! Dont pinch it hard, take your index finger and tap it to your thumb.. yep :uhuh: pinch it that tight. With each pinch, more of a squeeze really, you'll see and feel the hair move around the hook shank.

There is your head. Tie that off with a few half hitches, dont worry too much about whip finishers and foofy stuff like that since you're going to epoxy your threads. Finish with head cement or 5, 10, 30 min epoxy (the faster it sets the more yellowing you'll get, beachmaster had mentioned something about using a uv inhibitor in fast curing epoxy maybe that can be used here. Im not sure, give it a whack and let me know). If you go with the epoxy, you'll need to make a spinner for the head to get a nice round head. You can get the motors here: Fly shops sell these with a switch and a styrofoam circle for like 30 bux. (http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?subsection=18) the $2.75 deal is what youre looking for. Grab that up, buy your wife/girl/ flavor of the month a nice flower bouquet. When they die (the flowers) rip out that styrofoam "Thinggie" (thinggie is a technical term) and cut it into a round piece. Take that, round piece and stick it on that motor. Go to home rip off and get an extension cord thinggie for a lamp. Wire that to the $2.75 motor. Make a wicked nice stand for it (you got a shop full of tools), so your styrofoam thinggie can spin free and your tails will spin without hitting the base of your spinner thinggie. Spin til they're dry and you're done.

And thats about it. Again I dont profess to know everything about tying or hair selection etc etc. This is how I was taught and I figured it may help someone out. There are some VERY talented tyers here John K., OJ, Scott B., Andrew, Nib ties a mean tail too, these guys come to mind immediately, and I welcome them to chime in with any corrections or points for improvement. :hee:

vic, great post.. i never knew about tapering the hair when you place it on the shank..i always went with a straight bunch, and it was always a disaster..

gracias tio juevo. :D

glad to help bro :kewl:

Thanks for all the trouble Vic....I will let you know how I make out! :)

Thanks Vic, great post. :kewl:

Thank you.

Glad to help guys :hee: If anyone cant make out a certain step or process or anything like that just gimme a call or pm me I'll try and get you squared away. :buds:

Now there was a boatload of stuff I didn't know, thanks Vic!

Good stuff Vic :kewl: Couple of quick additions: You can also find those circular foam disks at Michaels or other craft stores. They sell them to make flower arrangements and come in many sizes (cheap too). I mostly use rod wrapping thread in size A. There is less tendancy to cut the tail with that stuff than kelvar thread ;) If you check around at your local fly tying place you can find a tool for sending your thread through the bobkin (around 50 cents and worth every penny).

One thing I do different is that I'll place the deer hair on the hook before I trim it. Make a few wraps to secure it, spread it around the hook as you suggest, couple more wraps, then trim the hair with a single edge razor. Cut at an angle as you suggest. I find it easier to get all the hair even this way if I have to add more than one bunch. Probably more of a personal thing. I also like to add a drop or two of Zap a Gap (the stuff in the pink labeled bottle) on the wraps/hair before doing the final wraps. Add the zap, then continue wrapping to finish up. This will sink the zap into the threads/hair. It will not come out once done this way. A little head cement or epoxy on the wraps when done and you have the perfect wrap.

Jigman

:happy: Wooo hooo awesome stuff thankz Jigs! :kewl:

Have your guys ever here of using finger nail polish to finish off the head? Thanks for the help!

yes, i do it all the time. hard as nails is the product i use.
works for me...

Great post Vic, Thank You. :btu: Now your gonna make me try tyin again. I hate tyin, my mits are waaay to big. :(

I really dont think its your hands JP. The guy who taught me scotty has hands like oven mitts and he ties these wicked tiny ants, midge files n stuff for trout. I really think its just a matter of getting comfortable handling the materials. Youre not under any sort of rush to get it done or anything so playing with the materials and figuring out what works for you should get 'er done.:D

Same exact way I do mine, great post Vic... Salty keyed me in on a few of the fine points a few years ago at plug fest, it pays to listen...

hmmmm, and i need a bunch for cutty.....

Ya Vic, but his appendages prolly work. :hihi:

ya make it look easy.. I'm prolly the only guy who needs a shrink to get me to tye, and I ain't made that appointment yet :eek: ... just something about it, gets me nervous...:hihi:

Thanks. Some good tips there. Just to add a little something, I find that the easiest way to tie off at the end is to make a small loop with braid and wrap that to the hook with about ten tight wraps of thread when the you’d normally tie off. Then cut the thread, put the end through the braid loop, and pull the tag end of the thread under the wraps by pulling out the loop of braid. A little hard as nails, head cement or epoxy and your all set.