Oops: What Do I Do Now

[Stuart_B]

Here's a question for you to see what the best option is . If you were to tie a nymph or similar and had everything in place having tied in a wire rib but when you start to wind on the wire round the body it snaps off . Do you take everything apart and start again or is there a way of rescuing the situation?

[jonnied17-2008]

you could try and pull the rib back out at the tail end, or just snap it short of the tail. depends on what your standards are???
if you need a rib to hold down dubbing or palmered hackles and such like then i guess you could tie in a rib at the thorax, the fly would appear with a double rib though!!!
or you could tie the rib at the thorax, and create a tag (if using copper wire) and varnish.
ive seen ptn's tied off with wire, think it was called a bivisible nymph???
look quite speedy though
hope this helps

[doonicus]

If it was say a nymph, and the wire broke, you would only need to unwrap the body, be it seals' fur, or hare, or whatever, go right back to the bend, then tye in a new rib. Offer up the wire at the bend, and tye in with 4 turns of thread, bend the wire backwards, then in touching turns go back to the tail, and re-apply the body. Rib it and then add thorax.
If you are dressing say a soldier palmer, or any palmered fly do more or less as above, but take the ribbing to the start of the body, and double it back for say 3 or four turns, then back to the tail again.

There really is no need to go right back to the very start of the fly if you do it this way.
I would add that you should, when tying in the ribbing wire, turn it back a wee bit, so that you have a small hook at the end, then tye it in. Oval tinsel should not pull out very easily, as it has a rougher surface, and should be tyed tightly enough to stop slippage. If you are still having a problem with it, do make the wee hook, and tye it in.

Sam