8) Finishing the Fly

Now you can finally finish off your fly. Again, note the section of bare hook behind the hook’s eye.

Use one of the methods shown to keep the material back from the eye. Make several wraps of thread around where you tied off the materials and keep wrapping onto the bare hook.

The size of the thread head depends on the fly and personal preference. Sometimes the head is an important section of the fly and needs to be large. Sometimes you wrap just enough to make everything secure and keep the head as small as possible.

Now the fly needs to be tied off. Here we shall demonstrate the half-hitch using a half-hitch tool. Instead of this tool you can also use the end of a pen with its refill removed or even your finger.

With your left hand pull the bobbin towards you until about 10 cm of thread is exposed. With your right hand place the half-hitch tool on the thread as shown.

Now, without moving the tool, make one wrap of thread around the half-hitch tool with the bobbin.

Place the end of the half-hitch tool over the eye of the hook and then slip the thread over onto the thread head. Do this at least three more times.

Cut the thread close to the fly. Now you are ready to glue down the threads with head cement.

Take a toothpick and dip the point into some head cement. Carefully place a drop onto the thread head and move it around so all sides are covered. Be careful that not too much cement is put on. It can seep into the fly itself and wreck part of it.

Remove the fly from the vise. Trim the red yarn so there is about 4 mm of tail projecting behind the hook. You now have a completed Wooly Worm.