Ribbing

wgmiller

wgmiller

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I understand that to a large extent, ribbing is a functional item on a fly to help retain material and for durability. I have a question regarding this and that is, does ribbing actually serve to represent a feature of a fly? For example, is it a "blood line" or delineation of a segment in a fly?

I ask this because I wonder if most of the flies I tie (scuds, buggers, nymphs, etc.) that have wire ribbing could be ribbed with mono. Why does it have to be wire? Does the wire serve an aesthetic value as well or is it purely functional? I realize that wire is more durable than mono, but I'm going to guess the rest of a fly will be destroyed before the mono will degrade.

Color me curious...
 
Weight (wire)

segmentation/Color contrast (non-wire for drys or nymphs, Wire for nymphs)

I rib my wooly buggers with thread to protect the hackle. I also reverse the palmer from eye to bend then take the rib from bend to eye to accommodate the ribbing.


I like to think about a pattern and its materials whether weighted or not, reflective, etc and then substitute materials not available at the time with other suitable materials based on the patterns characteristics.
 
I use a variety of materials for ribbing and, yes, mono is plenty durable. And yes, ribbing can imitate segmentation etc. I think the material depends on how much contrast you want. Obviously, mono isn't very noticeable but makes a nice rib on some translucent flies like scuds or mysiss shrimp. For most applications, if you want a prominent rib, stick with bright colored, opaque materials like wire or tinsel in colors that contrast with the background material.
 
heavy thread in colors makes a nice rib on flies, i just started using horse tail in different colors again, very strong. can be used for leader and tippet as well..
 
You should probably be ribbed for saying color me curious
 
What color would be I ribbed? With mono or wire?

So from what I gather, mono is a viable ribbing material in applications where aesthetics isn't important. As far as weight goes, I'd have to think one extra wrap of lead would more than equal that of the wire. I try to use lead wraps underneath and/or beadheads wherever possible.
 
Ribbing more accurately represents the segmented bodies of the majority of bugs that we tie. Mono accentuates the underbody without changing the colors, of course colored mono adds another dimension. Aesthetics is not a term I use in fly tying, I'm not concerned with how people see the form as much as how the fish will percieve it in the method used to present it. That being said I generally rib nymphs and wets and use self segmenting material to tie mayfly dries. You I would rib in 3/8" yellow poly rope for proportion and because that's what I have lying around. Or if I knew you could take it I'd bust your chops about saying color me curious.
 
Oh, I can take it :-D Since you brought it up a second time, I figured you really wanted to get it off your chest and fire a shot across the bow :p
 
You guys have to stop ribbing each other. :)
 
All this talk of ribs is making me hungry.
 
I don't rib any of my (dry) fly bodies anymore. It usually unravels after the first fish anyway.
I think that ribbing is mostly done to represent a two toned effect on certain mayflys - such as green drakes and march browns. However,
that barring is just on the top of their bodies - which the fish don't normally see anyway.
 
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