Certain materials, when tied to a hook shank, just don’t take well to being secured with thread. The lack of friction between the material and the metal of the shank makes it very easy for some tying materials to spin, even after multiple wraps and efforts to tightly bound them to the shank.
Above, Tim Flagler shares our tying frustrations. Barbell eyes for Clousers are notorious for spinning, even after being tied tightly and literally glued to the shank with head cement. Elk and deer hair for caddis patterns also like spin after being tied down. Even parachute posts can be a spinning pain.
The solution? Use dubbing material to make a solid base. There’s no need to go crazy with the dubbing — you just need a small amount tied to the shank that will give you good base atop which you can tie your offending material, be it Clouser eyes or caddis fly elk hair.
Check out the video and see if you, like me, are ready to start building a better base for materials that like to spin.