My Thoughts on Thread

I am writing specifically for tying buck tail jigs (weighted hooks) though much of this information overlaps into the tying of jigs, flies & streamers.

The term fly tying in this exercise is used in general terms which include Fly, Jigs, & Streamers, and any other lure crafted by lashing hair and feathers to a hook shank.

Jig Tying & Thread

The thread a jig tier chooses to use is often, at the beginning, not up to the tier at all but merely a result of availability, marketing, and/or peer pressure. It isn’t until the novice tier develops confidence in their ability with attaching materials to a hook shank where their initial acceptance of the thread of choice is questioned, and for good reason, the tier is beginning to think creatively.

Thread and its application for tying bucktail jigs

There are many types of tread available to tiers: round vs. flat, waxed vs. un-waxed, nylon, Kevlar, monofilament, silk, polyester, and the list seems endless. Figuring the size needed is again a daunting task as thread companies, over the years, have implemented aught (00, 2/0), Government size (A, D), denier, weight, diameter, tex, and needle size as thread size identifiers to name a few. For this discussion we are mostly concerned with the aught and Government or alphabetical sizes, though denier is another common sizing found with tying threads.

To simplify things as we get set to tie a jig consider thread in terms as small diameter or large diameter. Large jigs which in this case would be ¼ or larger in size are best tied with a thicker diameter thread, and smaller jigs ¼ or smaller in size are best tied with thinner diameter thread. Of the Government size threads available, size A is the smallest of the thicker diameter thread (size A, B, C, D). Conversely, 2/0 size thread is chosen for smaller jigs with an additional consideration being a small diameter thread which is thick enough to provide enough pressure when tying in materials. Of course the other aught sizes (3/0, 4/0, 6/0) have their place tying the smallest jigs. Using the smallest diameter thread for the job at hand is a common concept echoed by Ruben Cross where he emphasizes… “the finer the tying silk the neater will be your work, for it will permit you to make many turns around the hook without creating an unsightly bulkiness without adding excessive weight. Of course strength must be combined with fineness”. Ruben Cross is most famous as a founding father of the Catskill style of flies which includes his bucktails also referred to as hair-wing streamers. His emphasis of using the smallest diameter thread regarding bulkiness and weight is also evident in his books as he illustrates tying a simple bucktail. Again when describing tying streamers, bucktails, and bass bugs (similar to foam popper bug of spun deer) SR Slaymaker states quite directly that “thread size depends on the hook size and materials used” and he proceeds to list numbered examples with larger diameter thread for lager hooks and smaller diameter thread for smaller hooks. There is much to be learned from the early fly tiers and the evolution of discovery that came from mastering their materials. I prefer to use size A thread for jigs ¼ in size or larger and 2/0 (00) for jigs ¼ or smaller, and likewise for tying bucktail streamers. I was influenced early during my introduction to jig tying as I eagerly read and re-read The Anglers Guide to Jigs and Jigging. There you find the description of the correct tying thread to use as “size A thread is good for medium to large jigs while 3/0 size thread is fine for tying small jigs”. This book was published in the mid 1980’s and was the first instance where I realized a correlation between what I was taught by my father, and other jig tiers I met in the early years (70’s) and tiers that came before us.

Thread as we have mentioned comes in many different materials which have properties each with pros / cons depending on their application. Early fly tiers used gut and silks to attach materials to the hook shank, and since jig tying is our topic at hand, these are materials which we will ignore as we pursue a less elegant task. As we enter more modern time (Mid 20th Century) manmade materials are used in the creation of sewing threads and nylon becomes a ‘go to’ material for fly tiers. As a side note, if one is too be believed, George Leonard Herter credits himself as being the first to offer nylon tying threads, though he admits these early threads lacked the elasticity that was expected from modern tying threads. I question much of what GLH boasts and a quick review of thread history will uncover DuPont introduced nylon thread for fly tying in 1935. Nylon thread became a very popular choice due to its low cost and availability. When thinking of how the early tiers, many who were from modest means, obtained materials it is not unreasonable to imagine one rummaging through the sewing kit of one’s wife or mother for a fresh spool of thread. Benefits of nylon thread at this time such as strength, water resistance, color availability and resilience, and the ability to withstand abrasion and friction contributed to the quick acceptance by most fly tiers. Jig tying during this time grew and evolved following along with the traditional fly tiers and nylon threads where put to use tying the larger bucktail jigs used in the ocean and off shore fishing as well as the much smaller jigs used in fresh water fishing.

I have always viewed fly tying from a modest perspective where I believe that the patterns and materials we are familiar with as original may be vastly different to the reality of the day. The early years of fly tying in the United States coincided with the Great Depression and you will find many descriptions and early photographic examples of flies tied with materials available not necessarily the materials intended. Stories are filled with the author’s recollection as a boy re-using hooks because after the cost of thread they couldn’t afford an additional $.10 for hooks.

Changes in materials have also allowed threads to be made that mimic the features of original materials. Threads as we move into the late 20th century are now offered in strands which are flat, mimicking the features of silk and floss. Round threads are still available in tying bucktail jigs but seem to have lost favor to threads offered as oval or flat. Wax becomes a feature in most all threads considered as tying thread during this time as well, though the reasons for the addition of wax may differ between manufactures. Waxed thread is used in sewing where a lightly waxed thread is resistant to abrasions and thus is made stronger. Waxing sewing thread helps reduce knotting by acting somewhat as a lubricant as thread is pulled through fabric. Additionally, fly tiers found a benefit of waxing the tying thread to stiffen the thread so it can be handled much more easily without the thread twisting into knots. The early fly tiers used wax similar to our modern techniques, as a binding agent, to help lock the thread onto the smooth faced hook shank which also aided with keeping knots secure. The technique of waxing the tying thread and locking the thread onto a hook shank is a very common practice found in many books and manuals’, many demonstrate the use of a small ball of wax pressed on their right hand index knuckle, others like Helen Shaw included the use of a 2” square of oil cloth to hold the wax which is clearly illustrated in her book Fly-Tying Materials Tools Technique (1963). I suspect two additional reasons wax was first used by the early tiers. First as a water proof, as a well waxed thread not only protects the thread from becoming saturated it also repels water, each benefit aids in creating a fly that floats. Second, and from the perspective of a long time tier, I suspect using a heavily-waxed thread worked similar as a head cement where the thread wraps are protected and coated so the knots do not come undone. This second reason is mostly speculation on my part, mostly due to the original materials used being shoemakers wax and comparing the use of waxed thread and cord in other industries / crafts such as saddle making, shoe making and other leather crafts. I can see these last two reasons crossing over to jigs tying as very useful when lacquers and cements were not available.

A lightly waxed thread is fairly easy to add dubbing and our modern thread straight from the spool provides enough texture to create a dubbing noodle. Dubbing wax adds an additional bit of tackiness for the hairs or synthetic dubbing materials to stick. Beeswax mixed with rosin is the basic recipe for a tying wax with some tackiness which could serve double duty when lightly applied as a general tying wax. Rosin Wax as described by William Bayard Sturgis is used to make a thread sticky so that fibers of fur or wool can be wound onto it to make a dubbing. His recipe is to “dissolve 1 part, by weight, of refined, pulverized, rosin in 1 1/2 parts of turpentine. To this is added a small amount of boiled linseed oil, together with a few shavings of beeswax to prevent too rapid drying. The proportion of oil is approximately 20 drops to a 2oz bottle.” He describes using this by waxing 12-18 inches of thread at a time (as you tie) or, applying this mixture directly to the spool where the mixture would saturate the threads, penetrating several layers. Bergman in his book Trout illustrates a thread waxing contraption where a spool is run through the warmed wax mixture and onto a spool in preparation for tying. Reading the descriptions of adding wax to a spool of tying thread from Sturgis & Burgman sounds similar to the descriptions of waxed thread made by another of the founding fathers of fly tying, Walt Dette. First similarity being an amber color that saturated the thread, the color most likely from the rosin and linseed oil as used by Sturgis; and secondly the illustration from Bergman, of a can of melted wax constructed in a way so a spool of thread can be pulled through the wax from one spool and wound onto another spool; this seems very similar to the descriptions of Dette’s thread waxing box. (I wonder who 1st made the waxing machine; Bergman was familiar with many of the Catskills tiers, the waters, and he has written about the area often).

 Modern threads come pre-waxed for added strength, fiber management, and to aid with dubbing and seem to slightly resemble the older descriptions for the qualities and use of waxed threads as used in the tying of flies.

Lacquer & Glue not as a head cement & in place of wax. Adding lacquer to the hook shank isn’t new, this technique is often used in place of wax to aid in securing the thread to the hook shank. Often this technique is illustrated in tying streamer bodies, and occasionally can be found used on flies and jigs. Creating a fly that is more durable and/or binding body layers together, as found with tying chenille, is a logical step and where the idea of using lacquers and cements originated. Jig tiers seem to learn and/or re-learn this technique and incorporate the practice into their tying steps. Adding lacquer or glue is not necessary when tying jigs (any jig) if round thread is used with good wrapping technique. As a general rule in tying bucktail jigs I do not add lacquer to the thread when attaching thread to the hook shank. A coating of lacquer or similar thinned finish will be added to hook bodies (ex: tandem streamers & stinger hooks wrapped in thread or floss) to protect the wraps though it should be noted this is added at the completion of the tying steps.

 I am very interested in the differences in jig tying techniques that are discovered, learned, lost,

and re-invented that you find in different regions or between a new and veteran tiers. It is best to

keep an open mind when discussing techniques and understand regardless of how confident we

are in our knowledge and how confident others may sound that often there is a grey area where

the knowledge is gained and lost at different times and both can be correct (somewhat). At the

very least, and perhaps why a good portion of this exercise seems to be about fly tying, our

knowledge of jig tying comes from an older craft & wiser men.

A Traditional Approach

The evolution of jigs and jig fishing started with salt water fisherman and soon these weighted lures were scaled down around 1940s and used by fresh water fishermen. Conversely, adding weight to streamers was a practice from decades earlier and is much like a jig in its appearance and application. My selection of thread for jig tying, and all around technique, can be described as a traditional approach to jig tying; traditional in so much as my thoughts and techniques learned in the 1970s are closer to the early evolution of bucktail jigs, around the mid 20th century, than the more recent 21st century approaches toward fly tying. Often this is the quickest way to satisfy the curiosity of casual conversation and the best way to sum-up my craft. As alluded to above, my preferred thread for tying bucktail jigs is a Round, Nylon, Un-Waxed size A or 2/0 (00) depending on the jig size, of course. Spool size is a consideration which I have not included in this discussion, does factor in to my preference, though the reason is not significant to our discussion. There are other reasons for these sizes and properties (un-waxed & shape) that do contribute in a positive manner which I have learned to appreciate over the years. Firstly there is the benefit of cost. Un-waxed nylon thread has been readily available and priced affordably since its introduction from DuPont in 1935. We have touched on the many different reasons why wax is used for fly tying so starting with un-waxed material allows a tier to add wax (or not) specific to the desired application. I cannot say I have never waxed thread used for jig tying, for me; it’s just not a common practice. I prefer the un-waxed thread so there is nothing which could impede the saturation of the lacquer or cements used in finishing the collar.

Size – Yes as described by the founding fathers of tying choosing the thread size for the job is the #1 priority. I would add that size is also important esthetically. Proportion is a consideration in all forms of fly tying, and regarding thread the two sizes I prefer lend themselves well to building a nicely proportioned collar without excessive wraps (cost savings) for the jig sizes we have discussed (large & small).

Stackable / Interlocking – The qualities of a round thread lend themselves to stack the thread in an angle and the wraps layer themselves when looking at a cross section, much like a stack of logs. Interlocking is a similar concept with knots as the round shape of the thread fits in the grove of locking wraps. Reverse wrapping over a base of slightly open wraps, as one would wind thread up a hook shank on a bucktail streamer, creates a solid thread base very much like intertwining your fingers (and why lacquers & glues are not required).

When considering shape round thread lends itself well to building up material with the least amount of movement and material. This is easily witnessed when wrapping a jig collar or building a streamer head. When building a head on a bucktail streamer new tiers often choose a flat thread to avoid ‘slippage’ as round thread tends to roll at the worst time and a clean, nicely formed head is the desired effect. To remedy this tiers should use the thinnest thread they are comfortable with which does aid in building a pretty jig collar or streamer head and soon you will find as you become more confident as a tier the larger diameter threads will be adequate.

Final

As we practice the craft of tying bucktails, jigs, jig flies, or the many other names that are used, we use techniques that have evolved over decades and adapt these techniques to fit our needs as jig tiers. We learn to use natural and synthetic materials and develop new techniques in response to the changes in materials. Tying thread remains a personal choice as much of our preference of the materials for tying jigs comes down to ‘how it feels’. Use the thread you have available, try something new when you can. Keep it simple - thicker thread for larger jigs, thinner thread for smaller jigs. Lastly, I believe it is most important that as tiers we think creatively.

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