5) Tying in Materials

Now that you have the thread at the bend, you are ready to add the materials.

Here is a piece of red yarn before it is tied into place. Notice how the long end is away from the hook. If you try to lock the yarn into place by wrapping the thread around it, you will have difficulties. The thread will push the yarn out of the way as you try to wrap the thread over it. This requires a technique called the pinch.

Press your thumb and finger together over the hook and yarn.

Push the joints of your thumb and finger together. This allows the tip of your thumb to move outward a bit. Now bring the thread up and back so it goes between the thumb and finger. Now pinch the thread into place by rolling the tip of your thumb inward.

Now keep the thread loose while making a broad loop around the hook and materials. Remember, your thumb is pinching the thread and keeping it in place.

Once you have made a rotation around the hook and materials pull the thread upward and pull tight. Repeat this pinch procedure three times before removing your thumb and finger from the hook.

Now put thread wraps around the yarn so it is tied down along the shank of the hook.

The next picture is from the section that follows (Wrapping Materials and Tying off). In that section it shows how to tie a fly called the Wooly Worm.

The materials for this fly have all been tied into place. A future step will be to wrap the materials around the hook and then tie them off. A very important step must be done first. Cinch all materials one last time at the bend. If this isn’t done you will experience difficulties when wrapping the materials.

Here is an example of what happens when a material isn’t cinched in at the bend. It will start wrapping forward at whatever point it was tied in at, leaving more hook bare than desired.

Here is the result when the material has been cinched in at the bend. Notice that more of the hook shank is covered.

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