What a mess deer hair is

[Guest Big E]

Well I cut off a bit of the deer hair tonight from the hide I had tanned about 15 year ago and what a mess. I really like the looks of some of the patterns you guys do with deer hair and different colors and such but I want to try something that was easier for my first time...or so I thought.

 

I decided to tie up a Rat-Faced McDougal. Below is how it turned out.

 

 

Yep...go ahead and snicker. The hook is too long and the hackle is too small but that's not why I am here. I would like some opinions on the deer hair.

 

I put 4 bunches of hair on this, ran the thread thru the spun hair, packed it, and tied each one down but it still looks "wrong". Did I choose hair that wasn't course enough? Did I not pack it tight enough? Did I do something wrong? How come the deer hair doesn't look like this:

 

 

And talk about a mess. Underfur all up my nose, on my shirt; clippings all over my desk, on the floor. Between that and the calves tail I have this extreme urge to scratch the skin off my arms and take a shower. :baby:

 

 

[Twofingerz 0]

i get that same effect from rabbit. my nose tickles whenever i use it. and it just floats all over the apartment. i can be vacuuming three rooms away and still get to watch all the pretty colors swirl around the vacuum canister.

[kodiaksalmon 0]

When you think you've packed enough hair on the fly to fill it out and make it dense, pack more. When you think four clumps will fit on a hook, pack eight. Pack a clump, and then put the next clump as close to it as you physically can.

 

And I think that fly looks fine. I think it do good for summer steelhead.

 

Jeff

[netabrookie 0]

Big E, I agree with kodiaksalmon. when you think that you have packed enough, pack some more. I am no expert (actually, far from it) but I have practiced with a lot or deer hair so far. When you trim it a little closer (with an old fashioned double edge razor blade) you will find that it looks a lot denser. Its amazing that after only a few spun flies, you can dust the furniture and vacuum and that stuff still shows up everywhere. I am afraid to mess with any at my little body shop because I know that I will have pieces of deer hair showing up in every paint job I do think its a fine looking fly, but I don't know about it ability with the steelhead, because thats just a dream for me right now

 

 

Take Care,

[cbinwindsor 0]

Good advice above. I use Gudebrod GX2 thread and it's great becasue you can pack it with the hair. I've tried all types of packers and the ones that pack the thread along the hook, I've found, are most effective.

 

When you've got everything packed, trim it with Gillette flexible razors. Use a slicing motion when trimming and make sure the blades are new.

 

I've got the vaccuum parked beside me when spinning hair. Keeps the mess at bay.

 

CB

[snboggs 0]

Go outside before you trim the hair, then you don't have to worry where the trimmings go. Good looking fly though! I like it!

[tyrite 0]

Big E, I would Suggest trying to pack the hair on the hook tight First. Start by adding some thread ne'er the end of the hook to stop the hair from going back to far. then select a good amount of deer hair about a 1/4" worth round. then tack a come and remove all the underfur. Now you can start it on the hook.

There are a couple of ways to do this I think the Best one would be to stack.

 

Start by Cutting of the tips of the hair so you should be left with the hair no shorter then 1/2" long.

then put the hair in the middle at the spot where you did your thread.

Now you can angel the hair so it is on both sides of the hook a little bit.

now this step is very important do three raps with the thread around the hair.

on the thread rap poll the thread tight.

when you are doing that put your finder on the top of the hair so all that bunch is on the bottom.

Now do one rap right over that in the same spot the other thread is and pull tight and keep your finger on top.

now get the same amount of hair and do the some for getting it redy.

now back your thread of and hold it up so you can put the hair on the top of the hook.

now with that thread you have in the air you put it over the hair and pull it one rap around and pull tight.

now do two rapes in that same spot and pull tight as you go.

after you have that dun you can pull the hair back and slide your thread in front and pull tight pith three terns.

here is the step where you pack the hair back real tight.

the thread that you put in front now will hold the hair in it place it should not go forward.

so now you can do all these steps over up to the point you want to add other material.

 

I hop that this helps you? I do all my hair this way! :yahoo: :headbang:

 

tyrite (Glen Dayton)

[Guest Big E]

So the consensus is that my hair isn't packed tight enough?

[Hairstacker 0]

So the consensus is that my hair isn't packed tight enough?

 

Perhaps. That may be part of the reason but, judging by the picture, I strongly suspect you're also not using big enough clumps of hair. Also, you can really make the fly much more dense by stacking additional clumps of hair on top of hair you've spun/stacked.

 

In any case, packing tightly is only half the battle for crafting tight deer hair bugs -- the other half is making sure you're using sufficient hair.

 

-- Mike

[Bruce Derington 0]

Yes deer hair can be a big problem. I use a couple of things to settle the errant hair and the static. You can get a can of static guard and spray a light amt. on the hair your tying with. I also purchased a yard of felt at the craft store and lay it on my lap while tying, it acts like a magnet with the deer hair and cuts down on the mess.

 

Hey, tyrite, where have I seen your avatar :ripped: :hyst:

[mtbbrian 0]

Not to hijack things here, but...

How do you "pack" deer hair exactly?

Brian

 

[tyrite 0]

ooooow Man most of my Really good Flies I Us I have seen on Hatches TV!!!

Hop fully I Don't offend any one with my woven ones? :wallbash: :wallbash:

 

opps tyrite (Glen Dayton)

[Hairstacker 0]

How do you "pack" deer hair exactly?

 

Brian, after you spin/stack a bunch of hair on the hook and have secured it with several wraps and half-hitches, you then want to "pack" it together. This is accomplished by holding the rear of the fly securely with the fingertips of your left hand (assuming you're right-handed) and pushing back the hair you just spun/stacked (and threadwraps) as hard as possible toward the bend of the hook with the fingertips of your right hand in order to compress it and leave as much room as possible on the shank for future hair bunches. Many, including myself, like to use some type of hair packer tool in lieu of using the fingertips of their right hand for this task.

 

-- Mike

[Guest Big E]

Many, including myself, like to use some type of hair packer tool in lieu of using the fingertips of their right hand for this task.

 

-- Mike

For those of us with big meat hooks, what type of packer tool do you recommend?

[tyrite 0]

I nave a couple! I have Found that the (Dubbing Spinner set W/ Hair Packer) is the best.

I got it From Hareline Dubbin, inc and Terra makes it!!! :headbang:

 

tyrite (Glen Dayton)