Fly Tying Materials

[Milltown 0]

So let me give you guys a little introduction of myself, I've been fly fishing for quite a while and have just gotten into tying my own flies. I'm a poor college student and haven't tied many flies or spent any money on fly tying as of yet.

 

My Grandmother gave me some of what was left of her fly tying stuff from 25 years ago including some material which I have been tying with currently, including a 40 year old jungle cock cape that she originally paid $10 for . A lot of it is old Herter's thread and the old wool and floss wrapped around the little pieces of cardboard.

 

As someone who currently has more time then money, I was wondering what animals and what parts you use and harvest yourself for fly tying and the process involved. I know people who raise pheasants. Also have access to most animals and birds that are hunted or trapped in the state of Maine.

 

Currently I have a whole deer skin from a deer seasons ago and it still seems to be in pretty good condition. I was wondering what parts I could use from it. I'm also interested in process of making/harvesting my own dubbing from rabbit or deer, but don't really know the process.

 

My other question is about the differences between elk hair versus deer hair for tying a caddis, my favorite fly.

 

Thanks for the read and the help.

[petelangevin 0]

as far as deer hide vs elk for caddis.. i think its mainly color... you can use hair from nearly that whole hide.. spinning deer hair is fun when you learn. packing deer hair is an art.. watch youtube for a ton of video... you can learn a lot there...

 

fly fishing in maine can be lots of fun... i fish the coast.. and occasionaly a few rivers..

 

welcome to the forum..

 

 

[John Ski 0]

I use both deer hair and elk hair when tying elk hair caddis. I find the biggest difference is that the deer hair tends to flair and spin more on you. You can do it, you just have to fiddle with it and hold on tight while you wrap the thread down. I actually place it a little on the side of the hook towards me, and then thread torque will pull it on to the top. Experiment a bit.

 

I think you can also bleach it if you want a lighter color than what you have on your hide. I've never done that, but I know there are several books and lots of instructions on the web to tell you how.

 

Here's an older thread on the topic:

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?sho...13824&st=15

[JohnP 0]

Here's a web site that has more information about dubbing than you may want to know.

 

 

http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/index.c...4046&page=1

[phg 0]

Obviously, birds are more useful than animals (as a general rule) and Ring necked Pheasant is the most useful game bird out there. The tail feathers are particularly useful. Grouse and woodcock also supply excellent feathers for soft hackles. Turkey wings and tails for quill slip wings, and wing cases on nymphs. If you can find some domestic white turkey, those feathers can be dyed. Mallard and Wood Duck flank are used a lot, but Teal and Gadwall flank can be used the same way.

 

Squirrel tails and deer tails, obviously, but it helps if you have a way to dye them. For dubbing, rabbit, squirrel and beaver (any fur bearing animal, really) in all the natural colors. Again, bleaching and dying to get the right colors is part of the equation. We use a lot of natural rabbit, and muskrat underfur. Red fox belly fur is also useful, as it is white, or nearly so. To use fur, you just clip a bit off the skin, rub it together until it's a tangled mess, and then tease it out into a strand of yarn.

 

The carded wools were widely used for bodies, instead of dubbing, back in the 50's. That's a "lost art", but still work well, if you have the fine yarns that were made for the job.

 

Unfortunately, there's no substitute for good quality genetic hackle, but if you have good access to the things I mentioned above, you can probably trade for some of what you need.

[gaeronf 0]

Seeing how she paid 10 for the cape and its used I'll give you 8 bucks for it.

[narcodog 0]

There are differences in the Elk and deer and difference between white tail and mule or black tail. Deer hair on certain parts of the body are more hollow so the float and flair better. Elk hair is larger so it flairs differently. I use elk for caddis but for sparkle duns I use deer. Chis Helms is the man on hair look up his site.

[Milltown 0]

Obviously, birds are more useful than animals (as a general rule) and Ring necked Pheasant is the most useful game bird out there. The tail feathers are particularly useful. Grouse and woodcock also supply excellent feathers for soft hackles. Turkey wings and tails for quill slip wings, and wing cases on nymphs. If you can find some domestic white turkey, those feathers can be dyed. Mallard and Wood Duck flank are used a lot, but Teal and Gadwall flank can be used the same way.

 

Squirrel tails and deer tails, obviously, but it helps if you have a way to dye them. For dubbing, rabbit, squirrel and beaver (any fur bearing animal, really) in all the natural colors. Again, bleaching and dying to get the right colors is part of the equation. We use a lot of natural rabbit, and muskrat underfur. Red fox belly fur is also useful, as it is white, or nearly so. To use fur, you just clip a bit off the skin, rub it together until it's a tangled mess, and then tease it out into a strand of yarn.

 

The carded wools were widely used for bodies, instead of dubbing, back in the 50's. That's a "lost art", but still work well, if you have the fine yarns that were made for the job.

 

Unfortunately, there's no substitute for good quality genetic hackle, but if you have good access to the things I mentioned above, you can probably trade for some of what you need.

 

I only wished that I had thought ahead to save more of the birds from last fall, oh well. I'm in the process of getting pheasant body/tails and will probably shoot a turkey this spring.

 

[Jolly Red 0]

If you can find a copy of Lieser's "Fly tying materials", he has lots of information on collecting and processing feathers and furs. It's not in print anymore, but you might find a copy through a library, or at a used book store. Maybe online.

[blakejd 0]

If you can find a copy of Lieser's "Fly tying materials", he has lots of information on collecting and processing feathers and furs. It's not in print anymore, but you might find a copy through a library, or at a used book store. Maybe online.

Have to agree this is a great book for finding various uses for tying materials. I snagged a copy from a used book store and love it.

[Milltown 0]

So where is the best place online to order fly tying material as far as price and quality?

[BrianMyers 0]

So where is the best place online to order fly tying material as far as price and quality?

 

 

For dubbing , synthetic hair , flash , etc try Fly Tyers Dungeon. Here is the Link to his current specials (antron dubbing , H20 Flash , micro tails). Be sure to sign up for his newsletter to get the specials email. He takes payment through PayPal.

[flygirl 0]

For Raffia material , I had bought a Hula Skirt 2 yrs ago & have yet to put a dent in it...it will last me a lifetime. I saw some in the Dollar store in different colors & they also make some out of a plastic material. Waterproof markers will help you with a color change

[Milltown 0]

Where is a good place to order hackle from?

[NJFlyMAn 0]

Where is a good place to order hackle from?

 

Thats a million dollar question i'm trying to solve myself... :bugeyes: