Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 Any one have a favorite material they like to work with ? Right now I'm on an Estaz kick. When I can I like to use deer hair. I like use it for tailing, wings and bodies. I dislike working with Peacock, find it brittle. Can you tell I'm bored at work today ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 YES! I'm diggin' the Polar hair type synthetics for streamers. I've been finding ways to use them as primary body material, fins, and just wherever I can logically stick 'em as "wavy things"! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 I have been playing around with arctic fox and arctic runner (Icelandic horse hair) for streamers. Both take dyes extremely well and have a maribou movement in the water but more durable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 i have many favorites...marabou mainly...i tie ALOT of bass flies and flies for other warmwater species and there or few 'gills or bass that can resist a pulsating marabou tail tied onto a hook!!! Deer hair is probably my second favorite...you can get real creative with spinning and stacking and the types and styles of flies you can create are inconceivable!!!! I love Dahlbergs, but have tied thousands of Bomber style patterns in the last couple of years...the ol salmon fly catches everything from gills to gar!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 YES! I like materials! I still prefer natural materials, hair, feathers, & fur, but there are many excellent synthetic that I also like. All of my favorite dubbings are primarily natural materials, but some do have synthetics added. Estaz, holographic flash, flashabou, krystal flash, wing n' flash, etc. there are just too many to list. I'm not yet a fan of a lot of flies tied with only synthetics, especially baitfish types, although I do tie some flies like that. I tie a Bluefish fly with Ultra Hair, but only because they tear up everything so easily. It's a fly you would use when you find Blues blitzing baitfish schools, with a wire leader of course. I still prefer bucktail or feathers for searching flies or Striper flies. I like the hard foam popper heads, but I still like cork too, problem with cork is it's hard to find good quality. The foam heads are very durable & easy to use. Ostrich Herl is a material I like to use, it ties some real nice Clouser Minnows, although it's not as durable as hair. It does have better action, and doesn't mat like marabou. I use badger hair instead of calftail, it looks very similar if you remove the guard hairs, is finer textured, and is generally less expensive for the same number of flies you can tie with it. It also dyes very easy. Arctic Fox fur & tails is a material I also like a lot. Red Fox is good too. Grey Fox has it's uses also. Australian Opossum tail I like too, it's an excellent material for small Clousers, and I also tie hair jigs for bass with it. It's dark brown to black, but very fine & has excellent action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted September 11, 2003 I'm with Jim, I like tying with as many naturals as I can. But, I do like some of the synthetic dubbings by Hareline (STS series). But I love tying with seal dubbing. Just something about it that the synthetics don't have. Materials though. Too broad. I love tying flies, so I love all materials. Just depends on the fly I'm tying at the time. Now, materials I hate is easier. LOL. Hate chenille. Has it's place, but I rather dub a body then use chenille. But, when producing 20-50 flies each sitting, it's nice when wanting to knock them out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
