Body: wool

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

When I see a material list for a Salmon fly and it says for example Body: Green Wool, is it:

A. Ram's wool spun on a thread and dubbed on.

B. Wool yarn from a fabric store that is wrapped on the hook shank like chenille.

C. Both

D. None of the above.

 

Kirk

[rockworm 0]

Either would do. But I think most tyers would use yarn. It is more available andf a bit easier to handle. If you are going to use dubbing- I would suggest seal.

[utyer 0]

If wool is the only description of the material, then refer to a picture of the pattern if possible. Many salmon and steelhead flies have fairly shaggy bodies. That look would be most easily done with dubbing, which then can be easily brushed out as fuzzy as you want. Wool yarn would lend a tighter body, and yes, it would be easier to do.

 

It more depends on what you like. I prefer a looser fuzzier body on most of my patterns, you may like a neater looking fly.

 

When I tie I usually use dubbing, which is made from chopped wool often with ice fiber, and or fur mixed into it. My bodies are almost always well picked (brushed) out.

 

So either or both would be correct.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks, those replies make sense.

Utyer, when making your dubbed wool bodies, are you twisting the wool on the thread or creating a dubbing loop? I know, probably both, huh?

I saw the body material as wool on both tight and shaggy flies. I figured the tight one could be yarn although there rarely appears any segmentation that I would think would occur from the stranded yarn being wrapped adjacent to each other. Then I was wondering how one would get the yarn to be shaggy and figured that had to be dubbing.

Good to get the confirmation from an experienced tier.

 

Thanks,

Kirk

[Frank G. Swarner III 0]

Depends on the pattern.

 

For instance on spey flies most bodies are thin and I like to use wool yarn from the craft store. I typically split the yarn strands down to one main strand since there is usually 2-4 strands. I tie it in and unspin the strand so it will lay flat when wrapped, that way you don't the pronounced segments.

 

If i want a shaggy body the yarn can be cut into smaller pieces, mixed up, and put into a dubbing loop.

 

What fly do you have in mind?

[halcyon 0]

I agree with Frank that it depends on the pattern. It also depends on the effect and final look of the fly as well as your personal style preference. Thus whether you use the wool as a dubbing or as a floss, the type of wool is also important. For example, sweater wool tends to be either course short fiber typical of that used in outdoor sweaters, or brushed out rabbit angora in "fashion" sweaters. The former has individual strands that are larger and more tightly twisted than the angora yarns. Crewel wool yarns are generally made in one or two strands lightly twisted of Merino wool or Merino lambs wool which is a much longer staple wool of much finer denier. Therefore it is both easier to untwist to a floss and stronger than short staple wool. Another great wool is angora goat wool which is long staple, thin, and translucent (like seal fur and polar bear guard hair) and can be purchased as raw locks, carded locks, or chopped dubbing.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Frank, thanks for the tips on using the yarn. I don't have any particular pattern in mind, I just started noticing it on all of you guys' fly pattern submissions. Aslo, I've been reading Mary Orvis' book and in researching some of the patterns in the plates they look like wool bodies. Those are some I think I may be interested in tying starting with the oldest original hackled fly, The Red Hackle. It appears to have a red wool body with a rib and red hackle at the front aside from the full palmer and other versions of that fly.

Halcyon, great information. I'll have to make notes now, why does it not surprise me that all wools are not created equal and it takes a fly tier to know the difference.

 

Kirk