14 replies to this topic

[Panama Red]

I posted a picture of my rat fur in the saltwater section, thought other folks that don't get down that way might get a kick out of it...

I've been on a Jack Gartside kick lately and nutria fur was too good to pass up.

http://www.jackgarts...coypu_flies.htm



First try @ a Coypu Critter or Crab Monster

[lykos33]

That's one "buggy" lookin' beast there...bet it would work up here for trout and salmon too... I had one of them monkeys as a kid and made one for my granddaughter when she was a lil one...she had no love for it, till she found it 7 years later in a room upstairs at Grampy's house...now it's gone...sneaky devil she is...

[ditz2]

I would like to try some of that stuff too. Do you know if it is available anywhere for sale? I like the fly. If I was a fish it looks like desert.

[Mickalo]

I found some nice Nutria(Coypu) pelts on Ebay a while back. I use it for mainly dubbing myself, but it does have some great guard hairs too. I've used it for tying nymph patterns, and make a nice dry dubbing.

http://www.ebay.com/...6.c0.m270.l1313

Mike

[ditz2]

thanks for the info.

[tidewaterfly]

There was a mouse pattern posted yesterday that is tied with zonker strips. My first though was that a strip of Nutria would likely work well with that mouse. Since the secrets out , Paulette Fur Co. is an excellent source for many types of tanned furs. They sell on Ebay & also have their own website. I've also bought Nutria from them as well as other things. I look for the listings that say "craft quality", which usually have some flaws, but are lesser priced as a result. I'm not making garments, so the "cheaper" fur works just fine for tying!

[Mickalo]

I've purchased from the Paulette Fur Co on Ebay many times, some tails and a few pelts. Excellent service. They had a great price on a Red Fox pelt that I just could pass up on! Very good quality.

Mike

[rfsup]

There's a place in Ishpeming, MI, that sells dyed Nutria.


http://www.hycreek.c...nutria body.htm

[Homer35805]

I just picked up an entire Nutria skin, tanned, on eBay from kyleather067 (store name),(Member id: kentuckyleatherandhide), with great dubbing underneath, and some outstanding guard hairs, cost was $30, and that included shipping. This pelt has so many different colors of guard hairs, some almost 3.5 inches long, that would make great tails, wings, etc. I used some on a crappie jig and caught my daily limit of crappie (30) with that same jig. So, if you haven't tried this yet, you should. The underfur is totally waterproof (like beaver, nutria spend most of their time in the water), easy to dye, and when blended with other dubbing, cannot go wrong on almost any nymph patterns. Just my 2 cents.

[michiganborn]

Dried Nutria pelts sell for 3-5 dollars at fur auctions so I can't imagine you'd have to pay more than $10 for a full size tanned one

[tidewaterfly]

Dried Nutria pelts sell for 3-5 dollars at fur auctions so I can't imagine you'd have to pay more than $10 for a full size tanned one

Because not everyone keeps up with the prices in the fur market & retail prices on tanned fur varies. As long as he's satisfied with what he paid, that's the only thing that matters!

[michiganborn]

Lol yeah. Well, being a fur trapper myself, I can say I'd be reeeeal happy selling a nutria for 30 dollars lol.
But we don't have them in Michigan though.

[petelangevin]

Jack gartside had some fly patterns that used coypu (nutria) as the primary component.

[Homer35805]

Well, since my full time job is as a Financial Analyst, I don't keep up with current fur prices, and since it was only 25 bucks for a nice, almost 20" long, fully tanned, still an entire 'tubed' skin, I thought it was a bargain at the price I paid. It will also last me a long time, so I think the value comes from the longevity of the product. But, I could be wrong....

Still, it is a beautiful product, much nicer than I imagined because after all, it is just a huge rat wearing an overcoat....I hear they are tasty though, but you must have to be a Cajun to appreciate that part of nature. I'd eat it if I had to, but if given the choice, would stick to rattlesnake meat myself....

[tidewaterfly]

I used to do a lot of trapping. I had about 1500 traps at one time & kept up with raw fur prices, but haven't done either in several years. Tanned fur is not cheap, even the craft grades,(as opposed to garment grades used for garments) which are what most tiers would buy, is not like they used to be. Fur is usually re-graded after they're tanned, so any that have defects, are still going thru the same tanning process, which is a fairly expensive process to begin with. Times have changed, nothing is cheap any more it seems!

To get the best prices you really have do a lot of searching, be patient & know what things are worth. However, worth is sometimes a matter of opinion. There's a difference between worth & price. You know, one mans trash is another mans treasure!

Nutria tastes a bit like Muskrat, and a bit like Beaver. Rattlesnake is OK, reminds me of eel. Alligator was OK too, but I think what I had was a bit over done & dried out.

I'll try anything to eat at least once, and have tried many things!