Eyes of all kinds - tie them better

By Martin Joergensen

Mono eyes: top in an angle and unpainted, bottom straight and colored with a black marker

Melted monofile
These eyes are actually quite easy to make, but can tease a bit if you want to do them both on the same piece of monofile -- which is the neatest way to do things.
The alternative is of course to make two 'stalks' and tie them in seperately This works fine on many patterns, but it can be hard to get the eyes to sit perpendicular to the hook shank.
You need a lighter or a candle and some small scraps of monofile. Select a thick monofile (depending on the size of the finished fly). I usually keep a candle lit on order to have the flame ready whenever I need it, but a lighter will do fine.
After the eye has been formed you can leave it as it is or color it. I use a permanent marker which works fine, but black varnish will do the job as well.

The trick
The trick is to melt and not burn, but just to melt the nylon. And the hard part is to control the melting process. Grab the line and put it near the flame -- not into it. Let the line melt. It will form a small ball. When properly controlled this ball will sit right on the end of the stalk, but if the process gets out of hand it will either melt too much and drop or even burn. If it burns just put it out with a blow. It might still do, but if it drops and you can't correct it. Cut it off and take a new try.

If you want single eyes that are more perpendicular like the ones on the top of the picture here, just put the newly formed eye over the flame, not too close. This time the mono just behind the eye will melt and the eye will drop down in an angle. Hey presto...

Did you find the above interesting?

People who looked at the above also looked at these pages: Tie Better Section: Improve your fly tying and learn new, neat tricks with materials Tying the Matuka style Who would have guessed that a fly tied to fish the lakes of New Zealand would have such an impact all around the world? By Bob Petti Comparadone! Comparaduns are one of the most versatile mayfly patterns in existence representing a low-riding mayfly to near perfection. However, many tiers shy this simple pattern due to the perceived complexity of tying the deer hair wings. Learn to master the technique with GFF partner Steve Schweitzer. Bobs Garage There is a story behind "The Garage". Not too long ago my wife and I were renting a two story house that had a tiny little room upstairs with no closet. Since we already had a spare bedroom for family visitors, this room was quickly claimed as the "Sports Room".

A few random articles for your entertainment Morning fishing A podcast recorded on a quiet October morning on the Danish coast where GFF partner Martin Joergensen talks about getting up early - advantages and drawbacks - and a lot of other things of course. He even managed to get out again later the same day and did catch a few fish. December 7th 2006 The Trout Bum Diaries The Trout Bum Diaries marks a change in fishing DVD's as far as double reviewers Michael Smith and Martin Joergensen can see. They take their turns in reviewing this fast paced and extremely entertaining DVD. They agree that it may not be to everybody's taste but both love it. September 30th 2006 IFTS 2007 The International Fly Tying Symposium was held on November 17th and 18th in Somerset, New Jersey. As usual, the place was wall-to-wall fly tyers, tying everything from giant saltwater streamers to trout flies. Streamers, salmon flies, you name it - someone was tying it. November 18th 2007 Catch Yellow Fever Imagine a fish that takes a fly as readily as a trout, whether it is nymph, a wet fly, or a dry fly. Czech nymph style, wet fly swing, North Country style or upstream dry fly. Now magine that, pound for pound, at least twice as strong as a trout April 22nd 2006