Flies can be mounted in a number of different ways, but since some tyers don't want glue applied to the backs of their flies, I wanted to find a solution to this problem. Although plastic-post mounted flies are more attractive from a presentation standpoint, glue applied to a fly, particularly one with a floss body, can damage its over-all integrity. Sewing the fly to the mounting board is a good idea but a pain in the neck to achieve. An easier method which also allows for a dimensional "floating" effect to the fly is to use wire - about 30-gauge or so. I've been using the following method to mount customer's flies for about a year now, and have had nothing but positive results and comments.

This idea came to me after examining the color plates in Pryce-Tannatt's book How to Dress Salmon Flies. The flies depicted were mounted with either wire or thread, it's hard to tell which, but the idea of using wire was definitely the solution I had long been seeking.

To begin with, lay the fly down on the mounting board in the desired mounting position. Using a pencil, make two small marks; one under the eye and the other under the hook bend. (See the Helmsdale Doctor, plate IV in Pryce-Tannatt for ideal wire positioning.) Now poke a needle through each mark and erase any residual pencil marks. Remove the fly and take a 3" length of wire, wrapping it completely around the hook bend at the mounting point. Then pinch the wire together in a tight loop around the hook shank with fingernails or needle-nose pliers. Take another wire section, fold in half and put through the eye. Note in Pryce-Tannatt the wire is wrapped around the outside of the gut loop. By placing the wire inside the gut loop, the amount of wire showing is reduced.

Now insert the wire-ends hanging from the hook through each hole in the mounting board. When you get the wire-ends pushed through each hole, adjust the desired distance between the fly and the mount board to give the desired floating effect, then bend the wires flat on the back side of the board and tape them down. If the fly pivots once mounted, use needle-nose pliers to pinch the wire even tighter where it wraps around the hook wire. If that still doesn't hold, take a tiny dab of Krazy glue gel and apply it behind where the wire wraps around the hook. For a better cosmetic appearance, touch up the wire-wrap with a black felt-tip or Pantone pen (what about doing this before wrapping the wire around the hook? - ed.).

Another method I have found that works well is to use a single wire loop and wrapping it completely around the middle of the fly body and poking it through a single hole in the mount board, directly behind the fly. This will achieve the benefits of a post-mount while eliminating the two mounting holes at the hook bend and the eye. An obvious drawback, though, is having a vertical wire at the mid-way point of your fly body. But when a viewer stands back away from the display, it appears to be aesthetically insignificant. And if anyone can't figure out what the wire is doing, they are probably not going to notice it in the first place. You can even take a Pantone pen and appropriately color the wire to match body color before mounting. For this method, a bit heavier gauge wire is required and must be wrapped as tightly as possible around the body to avoid pivoting of the fly.

(Editor's note - It occurred to me that coloring the vertical part of the wire "post" the color of the mount board might even make the wire less visible. You would have to use some kind of opaque paint to mask the color of the wire and match your board color. Another thought would be to cut a short length of very fine aluminum tubing (obtainable at hobby stores), color it to match your mount board and use as a post through which you can push your wire - this might work quite well for the mid-body single wire).