Deer Hair Wing Problems

[Wildfisher]

When tying the likes of the DHS, how best do you prevent the great lump where the wing is tied it.? Especially if it’s a heavy wing

[badger]

Hi Fred,

not too sure what you mean by the great lump..?! Hopefully the hair should stay reasonably together (if you pinch it) and the butts will flare up a little at the head. Then take some sharp scissors and trim. Perhaps you're meaning the mass of hair actually under the thread? Only help would be stronger thread and tighter wraps.  
One thing worth doing is taking the thread only 1.5 (or 2.5) times around the hair before tightening. This means the tightening stoke happens by pulling upwards with the bobbin on the side of the shank nearest to you. I find this controls the flaring and bunching better.

Good luck, and let me know if you want me to put up a photo or anything that might be of help. It's worth tying properly, trust me

[rabbitangler]

Tie the hair in with a few tight wraps, then leave for a couple of seconds. take off three wraps and then put them back on tightly. In theory the initial wraps crush the hair, then the next crush it more, reducing the bulk.

let me know if it works.

Peter

[deergravy]

Hi Fred,

Slightly puzzled by this, the flared butts of the DH sedge should obscure the binding turns of thread. Maybe you're using too thick a bunch of deerhair?
If you want a really bushy wing, two separate bunches might be the way to go.

For the DH emerger, the unsightly bump can be reduced by cutting the waste end at a shallow angle to the hook shank, forming a taper, rather than just chopping them off square.

I use GSP thread, which is very thin and pretty-much unbreakable.
It can slice through deerhair quite easily, but with a bit of practise you can take it to within a ba' hair of the cutting point and it makes for a nice, tight, slim-bodied fly.
In fact, I find myself using for nearly all of my fly-tying these days.

Anyway, deerhair is quite a tricky material to get to grips with, takes a bit of perseverance to tame. Must try that tip from Peter - sounds useful.

All the best

Dave