Tying Thread

[salmo]

I’m sure that my question won’t be new, but I have a question on tying thread. I’m looking for an olive thread for flies 16-20 for dry flies and nymphs. I’m looking for strength, ability to flatten and thinness in that order. Price is not much of an issue. The 8 ought I have breaks frequently. I’ve always been confused by the thread types and size designations. Mono chord, nano, nano silk, Vevus, Semper Fly?

 

[albatross]

Semperfly Nano Silk in 12/0. Meets all your requirements.

 

[salmo]

Thanks

 

[JimNovo]

UTC70 should do well too.

 

[falcon]

I use UTC 70 or Veevus 14/0 or 16/0. Uni is more round due to the spiral binder.

 

[just_jon]

I’m a UTC70 for 90% of my tying. I recently tried Nano Silk 30D and really like it for small flies.

 

[fritzer]

Helpful Semperfli site for thread specs:

Nano Silk – Semperfli Fly Tying Materials Manufacturer

semperfli.us

 

[Facemelted]

I'd buy that nano-silk while you can. Don't think it's being made anymore. Company who makes it for them went bust.

 

[fritzer]

another great site……………

Fly Tying Thread Table

A large sortable table comparing more than 100 fly-tying threads.

globalflyfisher.com

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

I use UTC 70d for nymphs size 16. Small dries and nymphs I use the Nano silk 18/0 and 12/0. That stuff was a game changer learning to tie tiny bugs. If they are indeed not making it anymore I need to stock up. That tiny thread is crazy strong but still splits for dubbing twists.

 

[redietz]

I'd buy that nano-silk while you can. Don't think it's being made anymore. Company who makes it for them went bust.

It would be news to Semperfli that they're out of business. They're made posts to their FB page within the last hour.

 

[Nocktavius]

UTC 70d in olive is one rare Pokémon. If you’re planning to stock up I’ve got bad news for you.

Does anyone know why it’s no longer being produced? Fly tying materials companies seem to really suck at keeping up with market demand. For some natural materials that’s understandable but this is literally just Nylon thread. It’s been made pretty much the same way since the 60’s. And there’s money to be made…. I don’t care if it’s 7$ a spool, it’s good stuff.

 

[Facemelted]

It would be news to Semperfli that they're out of business. They're made posts to their FB page within the last hour.

I doubt it's news to Semperfli. Recently spoke with a gentleman who used to work with the company who produced the dyneema thread for Semper. There's a reason he no longer works there.

 

[Bamboozle]

UTC 70d in olive is one rare Pokémon. If you’re planning to stock up I’ve got bad news for you.

Does anyone know why it’s no longer being produced? Fly tying materials companies seem to really suck at keeping up with market demand. For some natural materials that’s understandable but this is literally just Nylon thread. It’s been made pretty much the same way since the 60’s. And there’s money to be made…. I don’t care if it’s 7$ a spool, it’s good stuff.

I can't speak to UTC but three reasons I could imagine could be part of the problem:

One may simply be competition & market share. Since "the 60's" there have been a gazillion additions to the fly tying thread market. That dilutes the demand for specific products from specific suppliers. This is probably the biggest reason and also explains why so many other fly fishing related products or manufacturers just disappear.

The second reason is sourcing, how many of the companies who peddle thread actually MAKE the thread they peddle? If their sources can't produce for whatever reason, they can't deliver.

The third reason using Gudebrod as an example is diversity of products, utilization of manufacturing capability and what percetage each segment of your business represents towards your bottom line. Gudebrod made great fly tying thread, as a matter of fact it's what I use. They were also known for their rod building threads.

However their bread & butter was dental floss.

When they lost their biggest dental floss contract to a Chinese competitor it killed them financially because the fly tying & rod building segment of their business wasn't enough to sustain them and they went bankrupt...

...so much for "money to be made" selling fly tying thread...

 

[Facemelted]

UTC 70d in olive is one rare Pokémon. If you’re planning to stock up I’ve got bad news for you.

Does anyone know why it’s no longer being produced? Fly tying materials companies seem to really suck at keeping up with market demand. For some natural materials that’s understandable but this is literally just Nylon thread. It’s been made pretty much the same way since the 60’s. And there’s money to be made…. I don’t care if it’s 7$ a spool, it’s good stuff.

Because of raw material not being available and the spooling machine Wapsi purchased a couple year back is way too fancy for them to operate.

The spooling machine they purchased is from a company who sends someone to train employees how to use it efficiently but, they purchased it during the height of COVID. Needless to say, nobody was trained properly on how to use the machine and systems.

I just found some spools of woodduck 70d - Returned them because they look like a baitcaster with about the worst backlash you've ever seen.