1) Holding elk hair with left fingers, align hair along shank so that tips extend back of hook shank about 1/3 hook shank length. This length will vary according to personal taste and style. Note tie in point at hook eye and cut off point about about hook eye length.

2) During this process, you may want to grip hair closer to hair butts so that just the area between tie in and cut off is extended past finger tips. In illustration, I grip near hair tips for visual clarity. Cut excess hair.

3) Should look like this with butts trimmed evenly.

4) Angle hair downward on your side of hook shank. Notice A tie in point is now out of alignment with thread. When we make first wrap. the hair will turn and twist up on shank and it usually turns out okay. It will with practice.

5) Make loose wrap of thread with no thread tension. Takes a certain feel to keep enough tension on thread to keep it in place and not jump around but also not too much and it pulls hair fibers over and under shank. The reason we angle hair is to keep hair in compact bundle and make it harder for hair to wrap around shank.

6) Wrap should finish with thread making full circle and pointing a little rearward.

7) Lightly tighten thread up snug to consolidate hair fibers.

8) Tighten thread (almost to breaking) down and toward your belly button. Notice how hair butts flare and roll a little up on top of shank.

9) Maintain thread tension and immediately make another wrap just forward of first. This will bring hair right on top of shank. Make 6 to 7 more heavy thread wraps overlapping same area.

10) With right forefinger, push hair butts up so they stand almost perpendicular to shank.

11) Make 1 or 2 heavy thread wraps in hair butts. This really locks in hair so it will not roll around shank like the wings do on cheap flies.
This is crucial on #14 and bigger flies.

12 Make another 1 or 2 wraps back behind hair butts and now you are ready to whip finish.