whip finish

[Troutfishing4life]

does any one know any good way to learn this for a new fly tier
and can you use your hands or do you need a special tool

[Nymphmeister]

Google some video footage of it, there should be at least one or two on the Internet.

Here's one I found doing a quick search:
http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/...&fr=ytff1-msgr

[alanb_ct]

I feel pretty strongly about this topic. The best, most efficient tool for finishing a fly head is your hand, and what's better, you only need 2/5ths of it! This is one of those things that is harder to explain than it is to do. Ask one of your fishing/tying buddies to show you. If you have trouble with the whip, you can sometimes get away with a series of half-hitches. Using your hands is best because it allows you to pull back or "clear" the materials away from the hook eye as you execute the whip.

[Nymphmeister]

I agree, and once you get the hang of the one hand whip finish, it's so easy to do. I don't even own a whip finisher.

[Troutfishing4life]

i have a hard time tieing flies

[Troutfishing4life]

I should probably go for a fly tieing class at a local shop

[Nymphmeister]

Yeah, I recommend that. Try seeing if your local fly fishing clubs (TU & others) offer free or inexpensive tying classes, they usually do.

[alanb_ct]

I learned from Gabe at the Mill River Fly Shop (now deceased) and from by friend Anthony. That's the way to go. It's important to learn good habits right at the start. After the classes, it's fairly easy to learn on your own with books and DVDs. If you have problems, ask questions here anytime.

[alanb_ct]

By the way, I did use the Matarelli Whip Finish tool in regular and extended reach for many years, until I saw the light. I am a big-time disciple of A.K. Best, and he advocates the strictly no tools approach for the whip finish. Anytime you stop tying to grab a tool, it slows you down. A.K.'s tips on production tying have helped me greatly. I still can't fathom that he tied a thousand dozen flies per year in his prime.

[Nymphmeister]

It sounds like a huge number, but to tie commercially & make a living at it, you pretty much have to tie at least a dozen an hour if you are doing regular trout flies. If you did five 6 hour days a week at that rate, that'a 120 dozen plus a month, times 12 months, then it's relatively easy to crack 1,000 dozen and then some. Some commercial tyers can do 20-30 flies an hour. The monotony of that would surely drive me to suicide!