There are many ways to mount a wing on a typical featherwing in Atlantic Salmon fly. The method shared here is mostly taken from Bill Hunter of New Boston, New Hampshire with some modifications of my own that suit my style.

Possibly the most important part of the wing is the foundation it is to be mounted on. If the foundation is not smooth and level, the wing may twist, buckle or protrude tips upward. The latter is most common with a body that is larger in diameter than the wing platform, for example, a seal body that does not taper off at the throat area.

What must be considered as foundation includes not only the tie-down area for body, tinsel and hackle materials, but also underwing stems and barbs. Voice of experience strongly urges to not cut off underwing waste until the main wing is mounted. If removed in advance, often the main wing will roll forward and down, forcing the tips up and ultimately crumpling what could have been a smooth, even wing, particularly on the left slip. This is due to the thread under pressure sliding suddenly off and forward of the short platform that trimmed underwing butts establishes.

To help achieve a smooth foundation, a flat, untwisted thread is preferable. Wrapping a monocord type thread, such as Danville's Fly-Master 6/0, is easier for me to get flatter than some of the new threads now available. As a right hand tier, 1 must take into account that Fly-Master comes twisted clockwise (when looking down on the bobbin holder from above) to begin with.

Also with every wrap made, the bobbin holder puts an additional clockwise twist into the thread. The appearance of the twist can be enhanced by running the hanging thread through a pinched thumbnail and finger pad. Counter-spinning the bobbin holder will remove as much twist as is desired. Careful placement of materials that need to be secured can evenly and smoothly be distributed with flat thread wraps. Use as few thread wraps as possible to avoid bulk and lumps. Slightly separated flat, firm wraps are far more secure than multiple wraps directly on top of one another.

Barbs selected that will make up the main wing should be equal in shape, taper and texture. In the wing strip as a whole, both right and left strips should have the same angle at the tip, width at the tip, and width at the mounting point. If similar wing materials are not used on both sides, not only will the wing look out of proportion, but also may not mount properly. Avoid, for instance, using soft, well-tapered barbs of turkey from the middle of the feather on one side and untapered barbs from the tip of the feather on the other. Also note the thickness/texture at the base of the barbs when trimmed. If the right strip is larger and coarser, or finer and smaller than the left, select another feather so they match. If the strip on one side, when cut at the rachis, is 4" long and the other strip is 2" long, beware. The useful part of the 4" barbs when tied in will be in an area of much softer and finer texture and diameter than the 2" barbs.

Another consideration is placement in the wing slip of barbs from various bird species. For example very soft barbs may buckle more easily when mounted than less soft barbs. Barbs from argus tail if mounted at the top of the slip are so ridged that they will pull free at the tip and unmarry as the wing is mounted. This material is more useful from the bottom of the slip up to no more than half way to the top. Golden pheasant center tail if not cleaned and steamed may break apart at most any point of marriage in the slip. This is due to the reduced number of barbules present on barbs of this material when compared to most other bird species. Thus feather preparation and selection is extremely important here (as it is with all materials.). The point is that if a given material does not adapt to a given placement, do not discard it, but rather consider such things as relocation, less barbs of that material, more barbs, and/or mixing with different textures of barbs.

When pairing the married feather strips to mount, be sure to pre-arch the slips individually to match themselves as well as the desired end product. Be certain they are of equal length and width especially at the tip.

As a right hand tier, I hold the slips by their upper edges so that they "cup open" at the bottom, more so toward butts and closing toward tips. Now, arched and cupped, they are lowered down over the underwing and/or body. The slips are held by left index (or middle) finger and thumb at a point such that I can slightly roll my fingers open to accept the tying thread. In other words, the fingers should be very close to where they need to be in securing the wing with thread. In my case, the tips of my fingers will be about even with the eye, blind eye or return loop. It is hard to describe an exact placement. The size and shape of your fingers dictates that, as much as anything. I prefer not to let the slips go once lowered onto the hook. If handled, they become easily misaligned, and one invariably changes its shape as opposed to the other. If mounted with each curved in different arches, it is more difficult to cleanly realign them later.

As to placement of the slips with the hook shank, it is preferable to place them level with the upper two-thirds of the shank and tightly adjacent to the underwing if present. If there is no underwing, it is preferable to place them a bit higher on the shank. Otherwise, due to the outward arch produced by pressure against the hook, the wings will buckle. If a less three dimensional look is desired, try to keep the wings as much toward the top of the shank as possible. All the above applies whether the hook is blind or loop.

Note the plane of the fingers in relationship to the hook as they hold the wing over the fly body. The more vertical the fingers from a true parallel position with the shank, the higher the wing will arch upward. The more level, the lower the wing will lay.

Everyone's greatest fear comes with the next step. If proper thread placement and smooth thread under controlled, even pressure are maintained and if the platform and underwing (when present) are as previously described, wing mounting should go very smoothly.

At this point it is most important to have the thread at a point as far to the left (for a right hand tier) as you intend for it ever to be from now on. It is unwise to wrap backward over a mounted wing with thread. If you do, don't be surprised if the wing buckles. Be sure the thread is counter-spun so that it is flat. Flat thread will slide easier on the shoulder of the wing than will twisted thread, thus allowing the wing collapse to be smooth and even.

The wing mount is accomplished through a simple series of three "soft captures" and two firm additional wraps slightly forward of the initial three. The first wrap is begun by bringing approximately 2%" of thread up the near side and back at about a 15 degree angle. (The reason for the 2%" is so that all three wraps can be done in a series of flowing motions. You do not want to have to play around with a bobbin holder adjusting thread during this step.) Bring the thread down the far side at the same angle and back to the exact point that it came from, but on the other side of the shank. Next bring the thread under the shank and straight up 90 degrees to the shank. During this process, the thread is placed between the thumb and the near wing slip by first rolling the thumb tip open then closed onto the thread, followed by the same process with the finger on the other side. It is wise to leave just a slight amount of loose thread looping over yet not touching the wing. All the while, the wing slips are held firmly in position. If anything moves from position, start over now. If satisfied with the wing and thread positions, begin to pull the thread straight up under even, constant pressure. DO NOT release pressure on the wing slips, but do slightly roll the fingers back as the thread slides down and forward. Once it is firmly drawn, repeat this precess. Then repeat it a third time. These three wraps are almost exactly on top of one another, preferably very slightly progressing forward, never backward. After the third wrap is firmly drawn up, let the bobbin holder hang down the far side, thus removing % of a wrap. Still holding the wing with firm pressure, grasp the butts of the wing and underwing, (which will have now rolled away from you,) with thumb and index of the other hand and bring them back to the original position by twisting them. Do not be afraid to apply what may seem undue pressure. In fact, it helps to work them back and forth a few times, as long as the wing proper is still firmly held. This may loosen the three wraps. If so, remove two and rewrap them without soft loops this time. (Note: the wing has not been released to this point.) Now, somewhat less vigorously, draw back and up the wing butts again. Take two additional secure wraps, separated from the initial three by the distance you wish the head to cover. If the butts slip around again, draw them back up; remove one or both of the most recent wraps and put them on again. (What removing and replacing wraps does is further crush the barbs to better secure them. It also makes for a cleaner and smaller head. Additional wraps on top of these do not add security, only bulk.).

You can now finally remove your hand holding the wing slips, and take a look. Everything should have fallen cleanly into place. If you are not satisfied, remove the five wraps and do it again. Possibly the wing is too long or perhaps one side was not even with the other. Maybe one side buckled. The wing arch may be too flat or perhaps the wing is too high at the tips. Do not be afraid to remount. A mounted wing is easy to remount, fairly easy to shorten, but not easy to lengthen.

If the wing is too short or badly buckled, a way to start over was shown me by Greg Bevard of Sacramento California: simply steam the wing slips! I have brought a pair back from failure as many as three times this way. Odds are, the problem is the foundation, not the slips, so check that first. If that is not the problem, you can always marry new slips and try, try again.

Once satisfied with position of both slips, again grasp firmly the wing. Now, remove the last two wraps. With very sharp scissors remove the wing and underwing butts exactly where these wraps were once laid. The more vertical the cut, the more ball-like the head. The more angled the cut, the more potential for a tear-drop or tapered head. I generally prefer a more ball-like head, depending on the fly dressing. Some choose not to cut off the butts now, but wait until almost everything is mounted (sides, cheeks, roof, etc.) I think that is risky, since there is just that much more to slip when trimming finally is done.

Once trimmed, while still holding the wing slips, paint water or saliva,but not head cement, onto the remaining stubs up to the point of the first three wraps. Be careful particularly if using water (since it is less viscous than saliva) to not let it wick up into the wing proper. What saliva or water does is slightly soften the barbules on the barbs, allowing them to compress more than if nothing were applied. (The problem encountered when using head cement is that it hardens the butts prematurely, thus not allowing any additional compression and collapse at a later stage in the fly. Also, it may produce rough spots that can catch and fray thread.) Now take two, flat, criss-crossing wraps over the face of the trimmed butts with one additional flat wrap just behind them. This forms the taper that will ultimately shape the head.

Finally, release the wing, view your handiwork, and complete the fly.

A suggested hand position for mounting a feather wing.

In 1985 while teaching a feather wing class, I was asked why my wing after tying on'stayed parallel with the hook shank and the other students wings were more vertical. As the instructor, I was expected to have the answer. It goes without saying that the teacher has to know more than the student. In this situation I did not know the answer, but was determined to figure it out. Luckily it did not take long to discover that when tying on the wing slips, the angle I held my fingers over the slips was influential in establishing the ultimate angle that the wing would take in relationship to the body. This, I have since learned, applies when tying any sort of similar feather wing, whether it be a Lead Wing Coachman wet fly or a Black Doctor salmon fly.

Most vise heads have a jaw angle of approximately 30 degrees off horizontal. In teaching, I have found that if the student's vise head can be tilted upward to approach 35-45 degrees, this allows more opportunity to get the heal of the "wing hand" down which in turn allows the fingers gripping the slips to be more parallel with the hook shank. Ultimately this leads to a wing more parallel to the hook shank.

I also encourage the student to grip the wing slips with thumb and middle finger rather than thumb and index finger. Whether the vise head does or does not allow for an increased angle, the use of thumb and middle finger will by itself place the grip on the wing slips more parallel to the hook shank than thumb and index can. To prove this place the hand that normally holds the wing slips out in a normal position for mounting a wing. Place the index finger against the thumb, then switch the index with the middle finger. Note that the index finger lays at a different plane when compared to that of the thumb, where that the middle finger is in direct apposition with the thumb. (Actually the ring finger is closer still than the middle finger to apposition with the thumb, but there is less strength and dexterity in the former.) The middle finger is also generally more equal in breadth to the thumb than is the index to the thumb. This equality of width allows a more even hold of pressure on the wing slips.

From the lesson I learned several years ago, I now teach control of finger position and an improved equalness of pressure on the wing slips which inturn has eliminated having my students wings at a different plane than the one that I am attempting to teach. If the student chooses to have a parallel wing or a higher wing, it can now be done purposefully rather than by accident. Any wing can be mounted with confidence and in a desirable position as long as the foundation is flat, the various textures of wing strips are properly positioned and married, the thread is properly positioned and pulled, and the hand and fingers are properly positioned to hold the slips.