Spinning Deer Hair

[RustyB 0]

I'm going to try tying some deer hair bugs and not sure if I should use deer body hair or belly hair. Which one is best?

[utyer 0]

Belly hair is the preferred choice. It is a little thicker, which is good for spinning and stacking. It is usually white, which makes it easy to die into a bunch of colors. Deer hair from the rest of the body will vary in thickness and texture, some will be ok for spinning or stacking, and some won't. Unless you can look at it, its best to order belly hair for spinning.

 

 

[Hairstacker 0]

Both belly hair and body hair work great, as long as the description of the body hair indicates it is for spinning purposes. With either type, it's actually best to buy it in person, if that's an option, to make sure the hair is long enough, the color is uniform and of the right shade, and that the patch hasn't been damaged during processing (seems to happen far more often with belly hair than body hair).

 

I use both types interchangeably for spinning/stacking and will pick one over the other just to get the right color shade -- belly hair comes in brighter colors (for example, white and bright yellow is only available in belly hair), whereas body hair comes in more muted, earthier color tones.

 

-- Mike

[Bruce Derington 0]

Here is some other good info http://globalflyfisher.com/staff/helm/selecting/

 

Hope you find it helpful: scroll over to the right and click on "Hide chart"

[ikerajala 0]

I know one thing for sure If you want to get good at spinning deer hair you will want a big patch of hair so you can get lots of practice. :bugeyes:

[Wayne P 0]

Call Chris Helm at http://www.whitetailflytieing.com/. Tell him what you want to do. He'll point you in the right direction. He has a great DVD for getting started also.

[perchjerker 0]

Hairstacker 2+.

 

aged sage

[RustyB 0]

I picked up a pack of Hareline belly hair, while traveling over the weekend, and was surprised as to how short the hair was. Boy, did I ever make a mess with it. This is going to be a real learning process. Guess I can give the ugly early attempts to my buddies!

 

 

[perchjerker 0]

Now you know why white is used more often for stacking, as opposed to spinning. It typically is way too short for satisfactory spinning on the 'standard sized' bass bug hooks; though it can be done.

 

perchjerker

[snowranch 0]

Wayne and Bruce, excellent references!

[bluegill576 0]

I prefer body hair for the color.

[Hairstacker 0]

I prefer body hair for the color.

 

That is often the case for me too. For example, take the color red. In belly hair, the red tends to be a very bright red, as compared to body hair, where the red is much less bright and often has a slightly darker shade to it. I've tied my red and white Tap's Bugs using both sources, and I've got the distinct impression the ones tied with body hair are slightly more effective due to the color shade difference. Just a vague impression though, not based on any particular study. . . .

 

-- Mike