Prepping Your Hands for Tying Pattern & Tying Instructions

One of the most important fly tying tips I can give you is one that many people choose to disregard. Washing your hands well before you start tying makes a huge difference. Dirt and grime along with sweat and skin oil can greatly reduce fingertip sensitivity. This often leads to poor material tie-in, an increased number of thread wraps and basically less than precision tying. It can also affect the color and quality of the materials and your tying thread.

I like to use nice, hot water, about as hot as I can stand, bar soap and a nail brush to get my hands really clean. I kinda pretend I’m a surgeon scrubbing in. After rinsing all the soap off, I’ll use a clean, dry hand towel to thoroughly dry my hands.

After washing, I like to take an emory board and touch up any rough spots or loose skin on my fingertips that might grab materials or fray tying thread.

I’ll even go so far as to recommend washing your hands multiple times throughout an extended tying session, just to keep them in tip-top shape.