FLYMPH FORUM

Hello,
I've noticed that many of you use silk tying thread for your soft hackle flies. My color selection of Uni-thread is pretty good and covers most if not all the drys I want to tie. This same thread does double duty for my wets as well. Is there really a need to buy silk thread for my soft hackle flies, would it make that much of a difference? Why are many of you using silk threads and are there just as many using Uni-thread or other non-silk threads for soft hackles? Thank you.

Tim - I use UNI-Thread a lot. It will work just fine, if you do not have silk thread. I like tying traditional patterns with silk. At first, tying with silk gave me poorer results, due to the thicker diameter and my lack of understanding how to make every single wrap count (and count every single wrap). I needed to practice a lot with silk thread. Then there is the whole translucency and color change issue (silk changes color when it gets wet), and the various types of wax you can use (also changes thread color). For me, that was part of the fun. Lots to learn, and an excuse to try new (to me) things, and connect with history.

So, is silk thread an absolute must? No. UNI-Thread will work fine.

Keep in mind, the fish will only bite flies tyed with silk... (kidding/humor/wink)

Why use silk thread?
To throw in my 2c worth, some of my favourite patterns are tied with silk. Take these for example,
- Partridge and yellow
- Greenwell's Glory
- Stewart's spider.
I couldn't imagine NOT tying them with Pearsall's silk!
In my eyes, they are some of the most beautiful flies tied. Gorgeous materials, simple form and still very effective today.
Yes, they can be tied without silk and still catch fish well BUT it is not the same .

A much loved New Zealand angler, Norman Marsh, wrote that tying a Coch-y-bonddu without a gold tag was like going out to dinner without trousers on. I feel the same way about old patterns traditionally tied with silk.

Uni-Thread and a number of other synthetic threads work very well for tying flies of any type. They are strong, readily available, relatively inexpensive, and come in a very wide range of colors. Silk, however, becomes translucent when it gets wet, something that synthetics do not do. I feel that this makes flies tied with it -- especially wet flies -- appear more "natural" to fish.

Thank you everyone for your comments regarding threads. For now, I will continue to use the Uni-thread for my wets and slowly add a few silk colors as time goes on. My flies would never win any prizes but the trout don't seem to mind too much...lol.