peacock herl snapping

[morpheus171991]

Hi all, just a question that may sound silly but is there any way to stop Peacock Herl snapping or am i just too heavy handed. also do you know of a good supplier of peacock herl.
Thanks in advance
Tom(morpheus)

[DaveMcC]

I'd usually tie in three strands and twist them together before wrapping. Seems to improve the durability aswell.

[breezey]

try artifly members name (Ruthvenflyfisher) drop him a Pm he could sort you out with some peacock herl natural and dyed

[sunkistbob]

Originally Posted by morpheus171991

Hi all, just a question that may sound silly but is there any way to stop Peacock Herl snapping or am i just too heavy handed. also do you know of a good supplier of peacock herl.
Thanks in advance
Tom(morpheus)

Tom, this was happening to me too; alot.

What I did is one of a few things to stop this.

1 I placed a think strip of super-glue gel along the hook and then, gently, wrapped the herl around it; must be gentle.

2 When whipping the herl onto teh hook, I make sure it is tied perpendicular to teh hook shank, i.e. at roughly 90 degrees to the shank as this is the same angle it will be wrapped from. If i tie it so that the herl is pointing backwards then as soon as I try and wrap it around teh shank, I am bending it 90 degress back on itself and it ends up snapping.

I try not to use any power from my hand and try to only use the weight of the hackle pliers if teh piece of herl is short (again, ensuring the herl is at the safest angle, in this case straight out of the pliers)


I am not pro by and stretch of the imagination but learnt this on sundat monring when I had snapped the 10th herl on a hook



BTW - this was with one herl as I find many more and I end up with a fat Diawl Bach and I like them Kate Moss thin.........so do teh trout!

Best of luck


Ben

[Joey1]

Tie two strands of peacock onto your fly hook shank, then wrap the two strands around your tying thread to strengthen the strands. Wrap the entwined peacock and thread around the hook to create body or thorax. Full proof.

[jim doyle]

Tie in 2 strands of what ever colour tinsel in with the herl then spin the lot together before winding around the hook . You can get inventive with 2 colours of tinsel. this is courtesy of arthur wilkie. jim

[troutheaven]

Originally Posted by DaveMcC

I'd usually tie in three strands and twist them together before wrapping. Seems to improve the durability aswell.

It might, but you loose all your transucency and end up with a great big opaque blob. P/cock herl is hellish for drying out and loosing essential oils which make the herls brittle. Dampen them a bit with water/spit and they'll be fine. Twisting herls together goes against all the rules of fly-tying.

[doonicus]

Use only the best herls for fly dressing, meaning herls from the near to the eye of the feather itself, and not from those cheap dried out bundles.

A thin coat of varnish, and a fine rib of copper or gold wire, will help keep the body intact.

Make sure you tie in with the herl on the feather facing you, in this way when you wrap around the hook the herl will open slightly giving you a thicker body, without having to use two, three or four strands, as troutheaven says, all translucency will be lost, and you may just end up with a blob of peacock herl on a hook.

To explain the herl part : There are two sides to a peacock strand, one is much heavier with herl, than does the flatter other side. Tie in with the flatter side to the bottom of the hook as you would with gold wire, hackle, etc. When you lift the herl strand up to make the body, the fatter herl will be on top of the hook, giving a far better body.
Hth.
Sam

[Country Joe]

i agree with sam,
and i dont twist the herls, but i do put a small sliver of super glue, wind on
then rib with wire, this holds it,
dont use many herls, as i like my flees slim.

[arkle]

Try tying them in at the "cut" end first rather than the tips & DON' TWIST THEM. Counter rib them with wire.