thread for saltwater patterns

[mickfly]

what is the best thread in your mind for tying saltwater flies.ive got a bit confused with 1/0and 3/0threads amongst the othrs avalialble.
cheers mick.

[GentyTheShrimper]

I'm gonna open a whole can o' worms here....but why the hell do you want to use 1/0 or 3/0 thread on saltwater flies for????

I use Uni 8/0 and Danvilles Extra Fine Mono for 90% of all my Salt Water flies, and I tie up some pretty big flies at times on 6/0 - 8/0 hooks.

I've heard all the arguments about being able to secure materials better with 3/0 but IMHO and my own experience, I can gain just as much security within the dressing by using the 8/0.

I do occasionally use 6/0 when spinning deer hair, but the only times I will use 3/0 is for building up underbodies or heads of big flies or where a shaped, steep tapered head, such as that below is required, and even then, I finish off the process with 8/0.

I await the Flak

[cubera]

You won't get any flak from me! I do exactly the same as you, and see no reason to do otherwise. I use the same tying threads for everything; I only tie down to size 14 (as I have difficulty seeing even them) and tie plenty of GT and Tarpon flies on sizes up to 6/0. The only time I've upped things a bit was to tie some immense "flies" for billfish, where the thread useage would have been ridiculous in the thinner guages, but that was for reasons of bulk and speed; thinner threads would have sufficed otherwise. I don't know what the hook size was, as they were supplied. I just called them meat hooks.

[patk]

Danville extra fine mono for me and only recently started using it great stuff. have found it tricky for securing dumbell eyes on clousers though pat

[THE ROOK]

I Totally agree with you genty the shrimper ...I tie some big scary pike flys and only use 10/0 power silk it 100% better finish and bombproof.... I used to use heavy Kevlar but bulky on some patterns, until I ran out one day and tried the trout gear and i will never use the big stuff again.



Wilkie

[JRT]

Flat waxed nylon and mono is all I use.

[stevekale]

MOno and UTC 140 if I want colour

[elucius]

So....
as a real newcomer to all this...
thin thread is better than thicker thread for large( saltwater) flies?
Really interested in this as just started tying

[Offshore]

I use mono or very fine dyneema thread...

I'll quote Toby's website here: "This thread is even finer then 10/0 Power silk. It is the worlds ultimate thread for tying fly patterns of all sizes. Use it for #28 midges through to salmon and saltwater patterns. Very fine, flat, multi stranded and with a very high breaking strain. This superior thread can only be cut while under tension. Only available in White but will take colour from marker pens."

It is fantastic stuff very little build up... which I like... I do have spools of kevlar and bigfly but rarely use them now... I think that the dyneema gives a securer hold... big isn't always best...

[GentyTheShrimper]

Originally Posted by elucius

So....
as a real newcomer to all this...
thin thread is better than thicker thread for large( saltwater) flies?
Really interested in this as just started tying

Better, is perhaps not quite the word.....You will definitely tie neater flies using thinner thread, but they might well take you a little longer to tie.

The end results may look better to the human eye, but I doubt the fish care two hoots about whether your fly has a small neat perfectly varnished head, or it has a rough old finish with a bit of bulk in it