Four Rivers / VierStromen
(Fly)Fishing the lowlands

How to make a whipfinish

A whipfinish is one of those things that is very hard to explain properly but easy to do. It's a trick that requires a little bit of dexterity but it can be learned in a few minutes. So bear with me.

There are to ways to apply a whipfinish: using a tool and purely by hand. The second approach will impress your tying buddies no end but you will have to learn it somewhere else (try Oliver Edwards' videos), I will use a tool in this explanation.
I have tried to capture in just a few photos what the movements are that create a whipfinish. The most important aspect of tying a whipfinish is the coordination between hands. Pay, therefore, special attention to the position of fingers. When necessary I will also describe what they are supposed to do at a certain point.
If you have never seen a whipfinish tool before; I have added a photo. There are many models, this is just one. I picked this one because I think its easy to learn how to use it, it allows you to position the wraps with accuracy and it allows you to wind forward as well as back. The biggest drawback of this model is that it is difficult to impossible to whipfinish a fly with it close to the hook bend.

This is a whipfinish tool. The wire is free to turn in the brass tube.

The principle of a whipfinish is that a thread loop is used to tie in its own end. It is similar to mounting the tyingthread. When you mount the tyingthread the loose end is secured by wraps with the running end. A whipfinish works in the same way only now a loop is used instead of the running end.

	This is how the loop is formed and the tool inserted. Please notice the fingers of the right hand; they block the tool so it cannot spin. (I tie far side down or to be precise: clockwise when viewed hook's eye to hook's bend.)
	This is the trickiest part. Move the lefthand, holding the thread, up and at the same time de-block the tool. What will happen is that the tension applied by the lefthand will make the tool turn to the position as shown in the photo. The difficulty is in letting go of the tool. It has to be able to turn for this move to work. Notice how the thread running from the hook eye to the hook of the tool crosses behind the running end held by the lefthand. You can see now that if the tool wraps the thread around the hook that running end will be trapped and tied down.
	From now on it is just a matter of turning the tool around the hook wrapping the thread as you go. As long as the tool is able to turn freely this bit should be easy. If your loop gets to tight you can feed mre thread in by lessening the tension with the left hand and gently pulling to the right on the tool.
	After a number of wraps it is time to finish the whipfinish. First pull with your lefthand to shorten the loop. Leave enough room to remove the tool, as shown.
	Next: block the tool with thumb and indexfinger of the righthand and unhook the nearest side of the tool.
	The hook of the tool keeps the loop tight. Now, pull steadily with your lefthand. The loop will shorten.
	Keep pulling until the hook is up against the hook, de-hook and pull tight. Ready.
	A finsihed whipfinish. Now go and practice.