How to Tie Flies

WAX: Use a good grade of wax for fly-tying. The proper wax will work much better than shoemaker's wax or beeswax. Wax for fly-tying should be quite sticky so that when the waxed tying silk is let go of, it will not unwind while tying the fly.

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[Illustration: Page sized photograph of feathers.]

TYING SILK: Ordinary sewing silk is too coarse for ordinary fly-tying and it doesn't seem to have the strength. Size 00 is a good size for all flies including bucktails and streamers. For dry flies and small wet flies a gossamer silk size 000 and 0000 is the best to {14} use. Although the strength of this fine silk is much less than the size 00, it has the advantage that more turns can be used, and the heads can be made much smaller.

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BUCKTAIL STREAMERS

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[Illustration: Diagram 3. Page sized diagram showing drawings of bucktail construction.]

Place a hook in the vise and start waxed tying silk (See Diagram 3, page 15) (A) 1/8" from eye of hook