I swore my first whip finisher was for a left handed person but after some practice they become second nature. I have since graduated to the one that swivels which means... well actually nothing. They both do the same thing.

Count, AHH, I didn't read that one. That is the perfect fly. My deal on tying flies, is, I sit down and tie a fly, and then the next one is just a little different. I may add something different. I tie a bunch of them, and then when I catch a fish, I want them all to be like that one, but many of the rest are just a little different!
And head cement, or no head cement?..Some can view it, that if you catch a fish on the fly the fly has served its purpose, don't complain if it falls apart. Thread will loosen up when wet..head cement prevents that. I want a durable fly that when things are going good, I may be able to catch a bunch of fish on that fly, and not waste time tying on another one. The problem is getting the cement in the eye of the hook, and the frustration of then trying to tie on a fly. Lately, I have been using the very small plastic beads that come in XSM, and SM. I bend down the barb, and slip one on running it up to the head of the hook. That becomes the bug head, the head of the fly, and you tie up to that. They come in blk., brn., peacock, and look good when you finish off the fly never now crowding the hook eye, and not getting cement in the eye because you apply it behind the bead. I use them on dry flies as there is virtually no added weight., and I use them on my nymphs, and soft hackles, as well as some streamers. But those have metal beads, and some bigger beads to get them down. My XMS's will just fit over a #12 dry fly hook, and I use the SM's on the bigger, hoppers, and stone flies I tie. The size of an XSM is about that of an "O")

Here's my prejudiced opinion, for what it is worth. Since watching a Gary Borger video decades ago, I have felt no need for a whip finisher..Forget what he calls it, but it is a very simple finishing knot that places the thread underneath itself two times...you can tie it easily forward in front of any hackle, and with a drop of head cement I have never had one come undone that I can remember. Borgers comment, and I will never forget it.."are we tying the fly to fish with?...or wearing it in our lapel"...and then the simple, finishing knot.

I don't have problems with my whip finishes comming undone , even without head cement. I do use the other style of finisher though(matarelli).

One of the most brilliant inventions of modern man. Indispensable for my clumsy fingers.

Whip finish knot or not... I still soak the head of the fly with the craziest glue/head cement I can find. It makes the fly last alot longer, in my case.

William @ AnglerWise.com

Sayfu, great to hear from you! And I like the idea about the plastic bead head taking the place of the whipped finish/head cement routine! Brilliant.

My first instructor (I've had a few)had us tie the Cary Stevens Special. He told me to keep it and look at it over the years to come, because he thought I would stay with the craft forever. A True Sage, he was.

I tied 6 Cary Specials that day back in 1969, kept them all and man are they pathetic attempts! Over the years, it's still a fly of choice when searching and, as you know, was very popular around Washington State Waters.

I doubt your instructor asked you to keep your very first fly, or did he? Later, alligator...

it looked a lot harder when i first heard about it. untill then, i just used my hands or a paper clip. now, i loveit.

I'm thinkin he means a Carey Special. Originated by a Canadian Military guy, I believe...Admiral Carey comes to mind. They used the long, rump hackles of the ringneck pheasant up front after a pheasant tail fiber tail, and assortment of different body material for the body..black, olive chenille...a popular one was a self bodied Carey that had pheasant tail fibers wrapped for the body then the long, rump feather hackled. There was a pea-green died rump feather on a self-bodied Carey called a six-pac that was a great lake pattern. I've tied a popular one up lately that has the body wrapped with pea-cock strands. That one has to be ribbed to strengthen the pea-cock. They were tied on 2x-3x lg. hooks, Mustad 9672's or 9671's size #12-#6's..strip pauses to make the long hackle open, and close for lake fishing. I am using them on the wet fly swing in the river.

Thanks Sayfu for answering buck...

buck, here's a youtube version by Todd Oishi and true to the receipe I first used back when, works as a searcher today, good damsel fly nymph imitation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7IFHYHGjLY

There are several instructional videos out there on this fly. The one I'm offering you has "Hey Jude" background music. Which proves two things...

*It takes 7 minutes to tie
*Todd obviously has great taste in music!

Alright guys...gentlemen, start your bbq's!