Whip or Half hitch

[noel]

Hi I still haven't got around to tying my own flies so primarily in strength of finish would you prefer to whip or half hitch, the half hitch tools look soooo much easier to use.

[MARAZION MIDGE]

I prefer the whip finish but there a lots who like the half hitch.
Personal choice maybe but a whip finish will last better without varnish.
You should learn both by the way.
Mike

[123jc]

I worried about this when I started tying about a year ago as I'm an arm amputee, and then I found this clip

Fly tying - one handed whip finish technique on Vimeo

Fly tying - one handed whip finish technique on Vimeo

, I can whip finish down to a size 24 now with no problems.

Cheers Craig

[3lbgrayling]

I prefer to whip finnish,but plenty of folk just do a few half hitches.I think the whip is more precise and secure.but that is a purely personal opinion.

Jim

[flytire]

its purely a tyers preference

i prefer half hitches

[roll cast]

I normally use a whip finish but on very small flies or flies with a lot going on at the head area a half hitch is easier for me.

[Fishtales]

I tend to use both. I started using the half hitch when I began tying flies forty years ago then I learned to do the whip finish by hand. I use the half hitch to hold materials while I get the next material that I am going to tie in which stops the thread slipping and it all unravelling. The whip finish is just a series of half hitches that aren't drawn tight after each one but only tightened after the last one.

[Hans Weilenmann]

Originally Posted by Fishtales

The whip finish is just a series of half hitches that aren't drawn tight after each one but only tightened after the last one.

?????

A half hitch had the thread crossed over itself and has the tag (bobbin holder) end come out over the eye.

A whip finish has the tag end drawn under a series of turns of thread, and is coming out over the body.

Where are the two knots similar?

Cheers,
Hans W

[roll cast]

Originally Posted by Hans Weilenmann

?????

A half hitch had the thread crossed over itself and has the tag (bobbin holder) end come out over the eye.

A whip finish has the tag end drawn under a series of turns of thread, and is coming out over the body.

Where are the two knots similar?

Cheers,
Hans W

A half hitch is a one turn whip finish

[steve collyer]

The whip finish is far more secure as the thread is trapped under 5 turns (or however many you decide) rather than a single turn as in a half-hitch.
It takes a minimum amount of thinking time to understand which is the superior way of finishing a fly.
Having said that, it matters not one bit if you then cover the head in a couple of coats of varnish.