For those of you that like fishing and tying soft hackle flies here’s a tip that may help you “complete” the process with ease. I was showed this technique by Terry Seaton. Get a coffee straw (you know those small black straws they give you in the coffee shops to sip your coffee). Cut a small piece of it off the straw, about 1/4 inch long, and then cut it long ways so it has a “slit” running down the 1/4 inch piece straw. When you have completed the tying in of your soft hackle but before whip finishing, slip the 1/4 inch straw on your thread through the vertical slit that you cut in the straw. Then run the straw up the thread and over the hackle and hook. This will push the hackle back and away from the end of the hook and allow you to whip finish without the hackle getting in the way of your knot/head. It will also allow you to get a nice clean whip finish to tie off the fly.
