trimming deer hair

[canotstop24 0]

Thanks, lucky me, I have a tea kettle on my stove. Again thanks everyone. If I ever get this fly looking presentable I will post it.

[Henry 0]

All great tips.

 

I'll add that the job is also alot easier if the hairs are densly packed. Aswell, I use a small electric "mustache/beard" trimmer for stubborn/tight areas on the flies. Does a clean/neat job of it.

 

Henry

[perchjerker 0]

I would like to add a couple of tips this; but before I do, I would like to emphasize trimming the bottom first, as previously noted, and as close to the thread as possible without shaving the hair from the hook. This will clearly reveal the densely packed interior of the bug, which also can serve as a trimming guide.

 

Now for my tips. The first thing you want to do before you start spinning or stacking is to tie down any feather hackle and deer hair collar you may have tied in as part of a tail. This can be done one of several different ways. One is to use a heavy thread and make 4-6 loops around the gathered materials and the hook shank and make a couple of half-hitches to hold everything in place. A quicker and simpler method is to cut a narrow 'ring' from a soda straw and slip it over the hook eye and back over the tail/collar materials. This greatly reduces the likelihood of cutting any of the tailing materials off during trimming (DON"T ask me how I know!).

 

OK. Now we are ready to proceed. Grasp the bug, with it's bottom trimmed, by the hook bend, top-side-up, and look straight at the face and 'visualize' the front curvature you want to end up with. Using your scissors, preferably curved, make a shallow cut, no more than about 1/8 inch deep, following this visualized curve for the face. Next, turn it bottom-side-up and visualize the front-to-rear taper you want on each side of the hook on the bottom and again cut out a profile only about 1/8 inch deep with your scissors (this is where the dense inner portion outline comes in handy). You have now created a two-dimensional template to follow for trimming the remainder with your scissors. As you proceed to remove hair, cutting from front to back, and cutting 1/8-3/16 inch deep each time, and following both of the template cuts at the same time, you will automatically add that third dimension, from front-to-rear, to your bug. All that is left is to do is the 'smoothing' cuts with the razor blade. You can make the front-to-rear cut with a folded razor blade, but be prepared to lose a lot of bugs while mastering this technique. You can remove too much hair in the wrong places too easily with this method, IMHO.

 

After you are satisfied with the hair trimming, you simply cut the tail/hackle restraint, cutting parallel to the hook shank, with your razor blade and you are through, except for attaching the snag guard, if you use one, at the eye of the hook. Whip finish, apply head cement; and then add water with fish!

 

Once you get the hang of it, it goes quite fast. We use this method to teach our students in our club's annual fly tying class and they really catch on quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Perchjerker

[skidoosh 0]

Look into getting one of Chris Helm's DVD's if you are serious about deer hair. The Deer Hair Bass Bugs is great, its worth the investment. Also if you ever get a chance to see guys like Chris Helm, Kelly Galloup, Mike George, Ward Bean, etc work in person it is worth the effort to get there, you will learn alot.

One thing that has helped me is always run a bodkin through the hair before you cut or steam. I often get hair "doubled" back on itself and it will look like a gap when the bug is trimmed. By running the bodkin through the hair you make sure it isn't knotted and will stand out perpendicular to the hook shank.

[perchjerker 0]

I totally endorse skidoosh's comments about watching the truly great deer hair tiers tie. It is well worth the price of admission.

 

Perchjerker

[Bruce Derington 0]

Canastop24, You shouldn't worry about posting a pic of your bug (or fly), its not about being worthy, if we can see it we can make the proper suggestions, there were alot of great tips, sounds pretty simple, you weren't using the right blades. Henry pretty much says it, density is the key for deer hair guys, practice is important and the blade should be used when your not satisfied with results. Here's a dense rapala I tied long ago, the bodies feel like cork.

[troutguy 0]

Some great comments. I want to add my two cents. How you cut it does not matter much if you haven't tied it on well or packed it with your thumbnail or other object real tight. I like to take mine out of the vise and look at it head on (eye of hook) first before I cut.Don't be cheap on the razor blades.