While looking into fly tying tips I ran across a website called
Fly Anglers Online. The website had various tying information and a whole section on tips. There were quite a few I had never seen before. One was about separating bucktail.
Apparently if you take a razor and go straight down the dark section at the back of the tail it will separate the colors. This will give your buck tails a lot longer life. No more having to fight the hairs for a specific color as they thin out.
When I tie softhackles I always have an issue of trying to wrap while keeping the hackle fibers out of the way. The site showed an easy remedy for this. Just use a straw.
I can't believe I had never thought of this before. You can find straws in various sizes at most fast food places. With all the fancy pricey tying tools out there it's nice to have cheap and simple alternative.
Another one of my favorite tips deals with chenille. The material usually always comes on a piece of cardboard. It's easy to deal with but it can unravel fairly quickly. The answer is a pill bottle or 35mm film case.
Just drill a hole in it and pull out as much chenille as you need. This is a great way to keep the chenille tidy and you can even have it dangle and hang in the bottle, or hold on to the bottle while you're wrapping. I love reading tips like this and there is plenty more on the site. Definitely check it out.
http://flyanglersonline.com/
