Comments on: The Double Half Hitch

By: Ed Mills

Ed Mills — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:40:15 +0000

Hi Dave, Just wanted to say thank you very much for website. You v’e simplified alot of technique for me. Don’t stop makin the videos. Thanks Again Ed

By: fred stam

fred stam — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:54:46 +0000

Flyfishing is becoming more popular in the flat country of Holland and I also started tying my flies a while ago. Thanks for your lessons. It is a great help for me. I hope you continue with this.
Best regards F

By: Paul Price

Paul Price — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:12:28 +0000

I have bought many “imported” flys and they all fall apart. The flies I have left I am sending my son’s way. He is 5 and loves to pan fish. Those cheap flies don’t even stand up to an hour of pan fishing. I should be thankful for these cheap flies as they have introduced me to a wonderful hobbie of tying my own. Had the import flies been of better quality I might not have had an incentive to tie and would not have found your great website.
I live in the US, Minnesota to be specific, I’d love to see a video for us “Yanks” on tying a good fly for Small or Large mouth Bass and perhaps maybe even a pike fly or two. Best wishes.

Sincerely,
Paul

By: Dave H

Dave H — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:07:08 +0000

Hi Dave
After many years of buying mass produced flys i have just been bought a tying kit and found your videos most helpfull in learning a new skill. as for this whip finish tool i just cant get it to work right but your halfe hitch and double halfe hitch is so much easyer to tie then the whip tool. many thanks and tight lines to the team.
Dave H

By: steve lawson

steve lawson — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:58:06 +0000

Hi Dave,
Just wanted to say thank you for your many instructional videos. I’ve really been struggling with the whip finish tool I got with my fly tying kit, and your video on the double half-hitch has convinced me it’s a far simpler and better way to finish off my flies. I also quite like the fact that it’s the way “things used to be done”!
Very best wishes,
Steve

By: Vic

Vic — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:53:27 +0000

Dave,
Your instructional videos are an inspiration to all those wishing to learn about the fascinating art of fly tying.
I’m still as keen as ever after many years of trying to fool the trout. I do enjoy watching you continually show us how to tie those creations that contribute so much to our enjoyment of the sport .
Every best wish,
Vic

By: Cybro

Cybro — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:26:36 +0000

Hi Dave,
Re half hitches and finishing flies – I’ve been tying for over 15 years now and find your video tutorials excellent. An easy way to tie half hitches and whip finishes uses a “very expensive tool” available from Ladbrokes and Argos. If you remove the ink nib from the inside of their pens, polish the rounded end a little it forms an excellent tool.
The method is :
With the finished fly in the vice hold the thread straight up above the head and wind it a couple of times around the end of the pen.
Keeping the thread tight lower the pen down in front of the hook eye.
Place the pen hole over the eye and gently slip the loops off the pen and onto the hook head space gently tightening the knot.
Repeat if necessary and varnish after trimming excess thead.
PS I also discovered the same tool on the end of my brass handled needle

By: DaveC

DaveC — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:55:09 +0000

Hi Bass-Bug
Thanks for your e-mail. Good to have you on board.
I am a practicing geriatric in my mid seventies. When i was at the tender age of eleven years my mentor, Wilf Proud bless his soul, showed me how to tie off my flies with a double half hitch. Those were the heady days of no vices and hand held hooks for spider patterns from 16s to 12s(mostly march browns)
It was only when I started tying flies for a friend of mine with a tackle shop, when the reservoir boom happened that, I used a vice. I never did make out with a whip finish tool and being the lazy old codger that I am I just carried where I had started all those years ago.
I simply have not tried the half hitch tool because I have not come across one in the UK.
Happy Fishing
DaveC and the Team

By: Bass_Bug

Bass_Bug — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:45:27 +0000

I’ve watched all your beginner and intermediate video’s and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Even as a seasoned tyer (I’ve been tying over 1o years) I always pick up something new watching others. And your double half hitch technique is definitely new to me. For me, after learning a typical hand whip finish and trying several different whip finish tools I settled on the Materelli type for my preference, and to each his own. But what I notice in the way you do your double half hitch is how much thread you waste with each fly. Why not use a half hitch tool? The knot is the same and there is no waste of thread.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:50:21 +0000

Thank you Dave for taking the time to teach us your valued skills. Please continue with your fine work. Thanks from the USA.