beginner fly pattern using horse hair

[FarmChic 0]

Hi there! I'm new to this I will probably buy a starter kit and book in a few day but until then is there something I could play around with using things I may already have on hand? I love the idea of using horse hair as we have an overabundance of it. Thanks for your help!

[rockworm 0]

Vince Marinaro used horsehair in his ant patterns.

[FarmChic 0]

Thanks! I'll google it.

[rockworm 0]

There's not much to it:

 

Marinaro's Ant

 

hook: 16-22

body: horsehair- tyed in 2 knobs; the rear larger than the front with a small waist

hackle: bronze-dun; tyed at waist

[Piker20 0]

They make good ribs to segment a fly and they add a bit of translucency to the fly. You can bleach them a bit if you have a sunny windowsill. I find them a lot easier to work than quill bodies as I don't snap them being too heavy handed. I'm just amazed more patterns don't use it. Horse hair is everwhere and free most of the time. You would have thought in the good old days they would have utilised such a widely available item

[sandflyx 0]

they did use it in the old days for flies and leaders/tippet...I use it for flies all the time,tail is stronger than the mane though.

[FarmChic 0]

Thanks!

 

I don't know anything about fly tying but I do know horses and much like humans all hair is not created equally. Now if your finding it in your food (yuck!) yeah, a hair is a hair but I would think if you were using it for something important then the texture and strength would matter and I would think bleaching or dying it would change that??

 

What about those long hairs that grow under the horses chin? It's kinda whiskery, not as long as the mane but more like the mane hair than than the body hair, I bet that could be used for something.

 

By the way if anyone needs some horsehair I'd be glad to send some your way. I have just about every color you want. I've been looking at our horses in a whole new light now. I'm wondering what I could make with that little chestnut filly's mane? It's a beautiful copper/red.

[Piker20 0]

I know they used it to make lines but I haven't found any patterns using it. The Marinaro's Ant I've seen here in the UK uses either seal dubbing as the two knobs or lacquered body for it to sink.

Anyone with any other patterns please post them up cause I think horse hairs got great possibility

[lykos33 0]

I use horse hair for ribbing, for bodies, for lateral lines on streamers etc. I only have black so I am limited in my uses. Harold Ray weaves bodies out of HH, Russ Forney did an article in Hatches about it (http://hatchesmagazine.com/blogs/Hatches/2010/05/02/horsing-around-by-russ-forney/),and there are articles on line about using HH as the collar on flies...i can't seem to find them at the moment tho...

Murray

PS If you have blond, dun, red etc, that you dont have a need for, send me a pm about what you want for some...I have plenty of black from a local source..thanks

[Mickalo 0]

I know Feather-Craft sells dyed horse hair. Could probably find some on Ebay I'm sure.

 

MIke

[FarmChic 0]

I'd be glad to share....you might need to tell me exactly what you need. Do you want tail hair only or do you have a use for body hair? Should I wash it first? Can I ship it in just a plastic storage bag? I can show you what colors we have if you would like.

[irish1 0]

Hi there! I'm new to this I will probably buy a starter kit and book in a few day but until then is there something I could play around with using things I may already have on hand? I love the idea of using horse hair as we have an overabundance of it. Thanks for your help!

Along with the other suggestions mane and tail hair make great legs for the smaller flys like ants and spiders. Tie a bunch of hair together for hopper legs.

 

Clipped body hair is a pain to collect and use but you can use it as a substitute for hares fur in a hares ear nymph in a bind.

[Gene L 0]

Back when they used horsehair for lines and leaders, "clear" white hair was considered superior to dark hair as it was round according to "The Compleat Angler." Which assumes other tail hair wasn't, I suppose. But none of the flys mentioned in that book used horsehair.

 

White could also be dyed. I've never tried it but don't see why it couldn't be used for ribbing, or even for bodies on nymphs. It would be interesting to try some.

[FarmChic 0]

Don't know if anyone knows a use for it but right now body hair is coming off by the bags full because they are shedding their winter coat

[Piker20 0]

Pm me and I'll arrange for you to post me some and I can send you some incredibly inventive patterns I come up with! Well at least some flies that should catch something.