Material Talk: Articulated Wiggle Shanks

The first time I thought about tying something with an extended body I tried to cut the ends off of my hooks, and after a few sticks to my fingers, not to mention the waste of money.. I gave up.

So when I came across these small articulated shanks I was thrilled and began using them for flies that I wanted to give a little more movement to.

Articulated Wiggle Shanks to put it simply, are a long shank hook without a point, that can be used to give a lifelike movement to your flies without having to sacrifice a hook. They can be used to tie a variety of patterns, such as the Pompadour Iso Emerger and the Wiggle frenchie. The only limit is your imagination! They can also be used for bigger nymphs such as stone flies and hellgrammites.

Techniques for using wiggle shanks:

How to use and attach wiggle shanks: A step-by-step tutorial

Fly Patterns Using Shanks:

Isonychia Wiggle Emerger

Wiggle Frenchie

These shanks make it a much easier to acheive the elongated body you are looking for, without all the extra work, but if you do have trouble working with them, I have a tutorial here that may help. Happy Tying!

Patterns using Wiggle Shanks

Isonychia Wiggle emerger

Wiggle Frenchie