Three Threads

My upcoming birthday this summer will represent my thirtieth year tying flies. A lot has changed in tying and fishing in this timeframe. One thing that hasn't changed too much for me personally was my use of thread. I never bopped around too much trying different threads. I guess when you find something that works, you stick with it. My humble beginnings were with Danville's mono cord, which was recommended for me to my mother by the Late George E Morris. I hound dogged him one year at a Cape Breton sportsman show, to show me how to spin hackle. The poor guy was happy enough to show me, but in hindsight, it likely took up a great deal of his time. This was probably his choice for me as it was strong enough to tow a truck and relatively easy to work with. I haven't messed with it much since the teenage years. Maybe I should have called this "Four threads."

The three that I will focus on are the ones that I currently use. One thing you may notice is that my colour selection in the photos is relatively limited. I am in the process of trying to whittle down the number of colours of thread that I own (trying). To be honest, I think that when the remaining spools that I have of Flat waxed are gone, I may switch 100% to the UTC 140 except for the most extreme of applications.

Pros- Thin, stays where you put it, 200 yrd spools . Cons- not as strong as some others.

UNI 6/0- I switched to UNI when I arrived in the west. It was more available and my heads seemed a lot neater due to its decreased diameter. It was an adjustment in the breaking strength department. The flies of the west were much different from the ones that I had been used to tying. The smaller diameter was necessary to keep the bulk down. Uni like monocord, is a cord thread. This means it looks more like a rope than a flat thread does. Uni 6/0 is lightly waxed and wound. It is reasonably strong for its diameter and I find it to be the best for creating neat heads because it stays where it is put. It's not slippery and doesn't slide down on a head like some of its flat counterparts. Anymore, if I want a neat head on a fly, I am either using UNI for the whole fly or switching to it for the creation of the head. Its what works for me anyway.

Pros- strong, flat, good for split thread dubbing . Cons- Flat, thick, slippery, only comes in 100yrd spools

Danville's Flat waxed Nylon- I was introduced to this thread while working at fishtales. I like it for bigger flies or stuff with big eyes so you can really winch down on it. It is a 210 denier so kind of thick. Super strong and flat. I don't find it to be as good for heads as its a little thick and slippery. It is an excellent thread for split thread dubbing. I also use this for any sewing I do. I find it to be strong and works well. This is my Big fly thread and I use it a lot for saltwater flies.

Pros- Good strength to diameter, tough, flat. Cons- Flat, slippery, only comes in 100yrd spools

UTC 140- I only started using this thread the last few years. I find it to be a bridge between the flat waxed 210 and the UNiI 6/0, which claims to be 136 denier. Although it may be 140 denier, it seems a little thicker than UNI 6/0 (136 D). It is also quite a bit stronger. I find the difference to be its a flat thread and slippery like the Danville's. Therefore, I wouldn't say I like it where a tidy head is desired. I really like it for anything I'm dubbing. I can really pound on it with the Norvise and it will take some abuse. I would say that i use this thread more than the other two these days.