Question about dubbing.

[Hookedintheear 0]

I noticed on a fly tying app that it said when tying certain flies to use only "dry fly dubbing" how do I know that the dubbing I have is correct. Does that mean to only use fur or fur like material? Thanks.

[notenuftoys 0]

Dry fly dubbing is usually very fine, so it makes a much tighter body or smaller thorax.

[flytire 0]

bookmark this

 

https://thelimpcobra.com/2013/01/08/fly-tying-2/

 

dry fly dubbing is usually a synthetic fiber that doesnt absorb water (although natural materials can be used

[Cold 0]

Also, it tends not to absorb water (which leads to sinking, which is bad).

 

Natural dry dub includes most aquatic mammal underfur, most popularly beaver and muskrat.

 

Synthetic dry dubs include superfine, antron, and Spectrablend among many others.

[Hookedintheear 0]

Thanks. I'm getting frustrated thinking I'm using the wrong materials together.

[Cold 0]

Let us know what you've got going and we can make suggestions (not all of them from the snarkier members being physically possible, unless you're really flexible...)

[Hookedintheear 0]

bookmark this

 

https://thelimpcobra.com/2013/01/08/fly-tying-2/

 

dry fly dubbing is usually a synthetic fiber that doesnt absorb water (although natural materials can be used

Flytyer I have this bookmarked! This is exactly what I needed! Thanks!

[Meeshka 0]

Great Article Flytire!

[agn54 0]

Flytire, is that a copy of that great post from the UK fly tyers forum that now seems defunct? Or is it just something similar? Either way it's good stuff

[flytire 0]

i do believe the article is a copy from the UK forum it was originally posted on and written by the same person

[oldtrout58 0]

Don't stress if you lack the exact material for every pattern. I think of recipes as suggestions.

[Gene L 0]

People were tying dry flies LONG before synthetic dubbing was invented. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to what will and what won't. A false cast or two will pretty well dry all-natural dubbing.

 

Synthetic dubbing to me gives a slimmer body, not always, though. I believe the tail and hackle go a long way toward floating a fly, but that's just me.

[Cold 0]

 

 

A false cast or two will pretty well dry all-natural dubbing.

Your rabbit must differ significantly from the stuff in my tying desk...

[Gene L 0]

 

 

 

A false cast or two will pretty well dry all-natural dubbing.

Your rabbit must differ significantly from the stuff in my tying desk...

1

Crop it finer. For every problem there is a solution. Rabbit will trap air in it and work just fine. In fact, the March Brown pattern I use has a rabbit fur body, but the hackle/tail is what floats the fly. Body contact is brief.

[Dave G. 0]

Rabbit can work, at least for several casts anyway. I use rabbit in some of my dry flies, especially caddis because it's the only dubbing where I found the peach colored, so called pink fox blend I needed for my West Branch caddis . Just tie it in tighter and grease it up before the first cast and have a couple of extra flies on hand so if it does get really soaked you can change it up. It's chopped really fine though, it takes usually a caught fish or two before it wants to sink on me.

 

I got turned off with synthetics early on when they all seemed very coarse to me, I never tied well with them,or not like with naturals anyway. So I just worked around it. I notice these days there seems to be way more offerings in synthetic, so I may start using more of it, much as I have done in my streamer tying with synthetic hair fibers. But I've never found a synthetic blend of colors that match that peach and one caddis olive I use in rabbit. Not yet anyway. So I make sure I have at least three flies with me is all and change them up as needed, let the first dry on my vest patch. Then it's not the end of the world if the fly starts sinking.

 

Muskrat is a good option if you can get the colors you need it in. Around here good natural dubbing is getting harder to find.