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sherrib

Horse Hair

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Hey guys, does anyone ever tie with horse hair? I have 5 horses and would be glad to give some away when the girls groom their horses we have plenty! Especially as it starts getting warm they really start shedding. I could send a little tail hair and body hair. The colors are chestnut, sorrel, palomino. Pm me if you would like some. Sherri B

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Hello SherriB, I have came across a few old patterns using horse hair to wrap the bodies on dry flies, but I havent had the chance to try any yet. There is horses everywhere around me, but i figured that I would get shot at if I got caught with a pair of scissors in the pastures around here :D I would love to try some, but I am a computer idiot and don't really know how to pm anyone. I don't expect nothing for free, so if we get together on this, maybe I could trade something to you. I have a little too much woodchuck, deer, and bobcat.

 

 

 

 

Take Care,

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The classic Potts hair fly series is tied entirely of horse hair. They were wet flies and very popular in the west.

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SherriB

 

Horse mane is glorious stuff for tying tiny flies. It is strong and has a beautiful sheen. If I remember correctly, Vince Marinaro used red and black horsehair for tying his red and black ants. I like to use a strand of black and one of white to make bodies for small nymphs and midges.

 

I am only familiar with hair from the mane. How does the body hair compare in length and thickness?

 

 

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The body hair is much shorter, but I can send some mane and tail when the girls comb it out. When they start shedding their winter coats wich will be soon there will also be some fuzzy material, I;m thinking "dubbing" Sherri B

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Tony in Va...

 

PM ARE EASY..just find the member you want to PM by either clicking on their name or thru members search the go to send a personal message put a titile in and type away then send...when they respond you will get a message that say you have a new personall message tehn go into your ..."my control" and retrieve your message ........simple eh...

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Hey Sherri if you run out I can be a second source. We have a manure factory (wife calls it a horse ranch).Down here its 75 deg and they're shedding already . Wife is about to body clip the minitures.Now if you could just come up with a pattern that uses manure.

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I use a half and half mix of composted horse manure and white pine sawdust to dub my garden.

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IPB Image

See the lovely whiskers on the fly. Well that is dyed horse tail. It is much more useful than wild boar as it can be white and dyed easily for making the pot bellied pig salmon flies.

Jason.

P.S. Hows it over there in America because Ireland has had a beautiful fox hunting season which closes up in 2 weeks and then starts the salmon and trout fishing (lucky me!!!! :headbang: :yahoo: )

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Oh yeh don't bother with the body hair. It is to long and hard for dubbing and two short for every thing else.

Jason.

 

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If its hair, fur, feathers or whatever, I believe it can have a place in fly tying. I've even thought of using lint from the clothes dryer, but just haven't done that yet. It would be cheap!

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I think way back in the day, like Izaak Walton's time, they used to use horse tail for tippets? You might have an untapped source of materials for the ultra-traditionalists. Market it as ultra-premium, hand selected, best-quality, 100% natural, biodegradable tippet material from horses specifically bred for tippet-quality tail hair. They'd probably pay you a buck a hair. :hyst:

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If its hair, fur, feathers or whatever, I believe it can have a place in fly tying. I've even thought of using lint from the clothes dryer, but just haven't done that yet. It would be cheap!

Lol, I actually tied a bead head nymph with some dryer lint. Size 18 with some silver tinse and tungsten bead. Dryer lint for dubbing. Worked good and caught some trout. It was a really pretty blue color. I used the lint after I washed our blue jeans. Sherri B.

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Most of the horse hair used for leaders and line comes from breeds from Siberia and Mongolia. It is the same as the traditional hair used for violin strings.

 

In fact there is material written that the best hair for line and leader comes from the center of a 3-6 year old stallion's tail with "the most proper time for plucking is when he goes to cover a mare." They believed that this afforded the longest ,strongest, roundest and most transluescent hair.

 

Just thought I would throw that out there. The only reason I know this is I took a class given by Darrel Martin called the Antique Angler. Check out his book "The Fly Fisher's Craft, The Art and History" it is full of great little tidbits.

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