Fly tying tips and tricks: “How to prep tying material that contains a center cord, to prevent excess bulk.”

Chenille is a commonly used material when it comes to woolly buggers, a fly in which I tie by the dozen since you can fish them all year. But materials like this with an inner thread cord can create a bulking issue when tying in without prep.

An inner cord means its a separate material that is wrapped around a cord or thread which is when wrapped around the hook. Estaz and chenille are common center corded materials. If you are currently having this trouble here’s a quick tip that will eliminate that problem.

First let’s take a look at what happens when you tie it in without any modification.

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How to groom the cord for a clean tie in.

Prepping the material is as simple as stripping the outer fibers from the cord. Lets take a closer look:

If you take the end of your chenille, and use your fingernails to strip the fibers from one end, you can create a clean tie in point.

Here we see a prepped length of material ready for tie in.

Working with corded material

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That’s it! Keep in mind, this technique isn’t limited to only chenille. Over time you will find that many other materials; contain a center cord that you can benefit from by prepping them first, such as cactus chenille and estaz.