Whip finish
The knot that finishes a fly: turns of thread laid over their own loop.
By hand or with a whip-finish tool, lay four or five turns of thread over a loop of the thread itself, then pull the loop closed so the turns trap the end. Trim the thread.
A drop of head cement or varnish makes it permanent.
Common mistakes
- A big head that crowds the eye.
- Pulling the loop closed before all turns are laid.
Patterns that use it
- Adams
- Ally's Shrimp
- Black Ant
- Black Pennell
- Brassie
- Butcher
- Cat's Whisker
- CDC & Elk
- Chillimps
- Clouser Minnow
- Coch-y-Bonddu
- Crazy Charlie
- Czech Nymph
- Dyret
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Europea 12
- F-Fly
- Foam Beetle
- Gammarus
- Goddard Caddis
- Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
- Greenwell's Glory
- Grey Duster
- Griffith's Gnat
- KlinkhÄmer Special
- Kobberbassen
- Lefty's Deceiver
- Magnus
- Marabou Muddler
- Mickey Finn
- Montana Nymph
- Muddler Minnow
- Parachute Adams
- Partridge & Orange
- Pat's Rubber Legs
- Pattegrisen
- Peeping Caddis
- Pheasant Tail Nymph
- Prince Nymph
- Rackelhanen
- Red Tag
- Royal Wulff
- Snipe & Purple
- Stimulator
- Stoat's Tail
- Streaking Caddis
- Superpuppan
- Teal Blue & Silver
- Thread Frenchie
- Ullsocken
- Willie Gunn
- Woolly Bugger
- Zebra Midge
- Zulu