I am pretty set in my ways. I like black coffee. I like IC Light beer. Not necessary in that order, but I stick to what I know. As for fly tying, I prefer natural materials most of the time. I like standard hooks. I use a handful of thread colors. I like to keep it simple.

And I thought I had a pretty good handle on the process of wrapping thread around a hook after many years of fly tying. But after reading how A.K. Best recommends holding a bobbin and trying it — I’ve adopted a much more accurate technique. And it has made my thread control so much better.

The key seems to be to only have about half an inch of thread between the hook shank and the end of the bobbin tube. And if you keep your index finger closer to the end of the bobbin, you gain much greater accuracy as you lay down thread wraps.

It is such a simple thing to adjust, yet yields much nicer looking wraps. I plan to add this little tip when teaching new students (and seasoned veterans) in my classes.

If you are interested in reading up on many tips from A.K. — check out this book that I refer to quite a bit. Happy tying! ~Drifter07