FRAME YOUR FLIES!

Hi. Mine flies are tied with incorporated 0.4mm steel wire as you will see later. It is complicating the tying process just a bit, and it is by far the best system I found. If you already have some flies witch you are about to frame, you need to use some other mounting system, like mount them on posts with very fine thread… etc. These are size #8 Wulff Dry Flies. Its always good idea to go bigger with flies for display. When framing wet flies its good to go even bigger, like #6. Here I will write down a list of few essential things you going to need.

  • Frame – I’m using solid oak wood frame 20*23*3.5cm
  • Mats – classic 1.4mm mat, triple-mat in front + 1 in back
  • Glazing – Glass 2mm
  • Spacers – KAPA boards, or similar. Lightweight foamboard with paper covering layers. I used 10, 5 and 3mm thickness
  • Backing board – I used solid piece of same paper mat
  • The acid-free and self-adhesive textile tape – to fix the wires of flies. I’m using 30mm Filmoplast T
  • Double sided tape – I’m using ATG Transfer Double Sided Adhesive Tape with dispenser
  • Framers points – Fletcher Stacked Points
  • Strong self-adhesive brown craft/framing tape – I’m using 38mm Sekisui 504NS
  • Scissors, Graphic knife, ruler…

Make sure you clean the glass well before start. Mainly on the inside. I’m using Alcohol cleaner.

First I glue together the mats, here it is a front triple-mat. Using dispenser of ATG tape is a big time saver over hand application of double sided tapes. The ATG actually stands for adhesive transfer gun, which implies that this type of tape (ATG) is pretty useless without the appropriate dispenser. 

Next step is cut proper spacers. I used KAPA boards. Of course you can use any other foamboard or even a wood. I used 10, 5 and 3mm thickness.

Glued together the back window mat and backing board. Measure the entry points for wires of the flies.

Make a holes with needle, tying bodkin or similar tool. Bend the wires in 90° degrees, and glue them on the backside with acid-free, self-adhesive textile tape. Always use acid-free adhesives because the paper is particularly susceptible to acid, often found in adhesives.

Placed flies. Grizzly Wulff, Carolina Wulff, Royal Wulff & Gray Wulff.

Fix the backing board in place with points. I don’t have a point diver, so I use these bigger triangular points and place them in, with screwdriver and hammer. These triangular points also holds stronger then common framing points. But I will probably buy a diver soon or later, because its more clean and much faster work. And I have 7 more frames coming right now.

Dust cover the back. I’m using 38mm Sekisui 504NS. It is great and really strong tape. Easy to work with. Add some hanging hardware and voilà.

So this is my first blog post. I don’t feel like blogger really, but if there is something worth to share… Why not… Tight lines!


Carolina Wulff #8 Evolved locally as the rough water fly to use in the mountain trout streams of North Carolina.

Grizzly Wulff  #8 The fly was created by Dan Bailey of Montana in the mid 1930’s. Dan and Lee Wulff were good friends that fished together often.

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