Tying off preformed Czech Nymphs

[Pritts Apprentice]

Hi

Don't know if any one can help me with this but does anyone have any tips on how to get a good finishing tye off, after having created a woven body on those partridge, pre form leaded body Czech Nymph hooks. The problem is I can get a tye off OK but with use i.e. a session or two's fishing the thread is becoming undone. This could be down to the fact that the woven body is moving, especially after a fish has had a chew on it. The woven body moves because the lead body is very smooth, this smoothness helps when weaving the body and you can really make the weave quite tight, but it does move. I suppose I could put a smear of head cement across the entire body before weaving but that is going to make a right mess on my wool or silk body. The other alternative is too rough up the lead with some emery paper, but that might make tying harder.

Not sure what to do, luckily I am not keen on Czech nymphing, only do it when needs must and I just recycle the hook when the bodies become too loose and show the lead beneath. Partridge could have allowed a bit more room near the eye of the hook for finishing, as I think perhaps the thread might slip over the eye as well.

Anyway if anyone has a tip I liked to hear them, many thanks

[arkle]

It seems as if you're missing out on several areas here. When you apply the lead,wire assumedly, wind it over a base of thread that's been coated with super-glue. Let it dry properly before doing anything else to it. Check it to make sure it's secure, & if not start again & use a touch more glue.

Allow yourself sufficient room at the head to apply a whip finish. If you do not know how to do one, either with or without a tool, then go to youtube & learn it properly. Hooks are made to do a job, i.e. hook & hold onto fish, we apply thread/wire/materials to them to attract fish. If there's not enough room at the head of the dressing, then really it's not the fault of the hook manufacturer.

[Pritts Apprentice]

Hi Arkle

The hooks that I am using are pre-leaded to the shape of a Czech Nymph so no lead wire is required. The problem is they are very smooth which aids weaving the nymph i.e. its not tied on conventially with thread wraps, but actually is woven using 2 strands of differnt coloured wool or heavy tapestry style floss which I use. This smoothness helps in weaving and you can get a tight weave but it also eventually allows for movement which I think is loosening the little bit of thread I use to to tye off the head i.e. a conventiall head tye off is still needed. The preformed lead is so designed that it comes in very close to the eye and there is very little recess to tidy off behind the eye, I think the downsloping lead is aiding the thread to slip over the eye. I may try super gluing the whip finish it might be the only way to seal the head sufficiently to stop movement in the thread, head cement is simply not strong enough. As I said in my orginal post if I apply head cement over the entire body when weaving over this I think it might make a bit of a mess but perhaps its the way to stop body movement, I just haven't tried it yet. I just wanted to get some ideas from people who have tied on pre-leaded, Partridge Flashpoint Czech nymph hooks who probably have also suffered from body slippage and the thread at the head loosening. In terms of coventional fly tying I never suffer from head finishes becoming undone.

Hope people can understand what I am trying to get at it here.

[spidersplus]

Pritt,

If you insist on ussing the pre leaded hooks (I personally hate them!) then either rough them up with a nail file or give them a coat of thick (old) superglue then wrap a layer of 6/0 thread over them to give you a ribbed, rougher underbody before you weave over them. Or ... catch on your thread at the eye, wipe the thread with superglue, then wrap on open turns down the body and back again with the sticky thread.

As you say, they are very slippery and woven floss will slip on them.

Kind regards

[arkle]

Hi Pritt, sorry but I mis-read where you mentioned the pre-leaded hooks but it looks like Phil's come to the rescue. A couple of things I'd add, if I might are that thread choice can make a lot of difference & I think I'd try Danville's 6/0 as it's quite heavily waxed so less likely to slip. Nail files may well do the business for you but a set of needle files will allow you to get into areas of the lead that are not possible to reach with a nail file.

Personally, I've never bothered with that type of hook as they have such a smooth surface that takes so much more time to prepare than using normal or square lead wire & they're more expensive. I don't think I'd bother to replace them once you run out.

Toolstation do a very good super-glue in 2 different viscosities for £1.01 inc vat for a 20gm bottle or a brushable one, 5ml for £1.89, doubtless there are other similar deals out there.

[Pritts Apprentice]

Thanks for your replies and advice Phil/ Arkle

As you have both pointed out there is extra preperation required with this type of hook, prior to the dressing being applied. Material needs to be added to a keyed surface. Perhaps a communication to Partridge of Reditch is required requesting that they put a knurled type finish to the lead at the end of the production process, but I would imagine even such a minimal process as this would add significantly to production costs and as pointed out if not many people like using this type of hook and sales are low then the additional costs are not likley to be profitable. I think Partridge would just turn around and tell me to just pre-wrap the hook with glued thread and to stop being so bloody pedantic

The one thing I do like about these hooks, other than the convienience of not having to wrap masses of 0.37mm lead wire is that they produce a nice body shape and some how feel heavier and more well balanced than a wire wrapped hook. Then again its expensive for a packet of 7 hooks.

Just glad I only fish Czech Nymphes very, very occasionally, truth be known I hate the bloody method, even if it does catch some good fish in appalling water conditions!