Non-typical materials

[retrocarp 0]

[Bimini15 0]

Sure, but is there no other casing material?

[Philly 0]

If you have and old pair of ear phones/buds from an Ipod, you can strip them for really fine wire for small nymphs. Usually you get silver, red and green wire.

[Dave G. 0]

I have cat under fur as dubbing, my wife brushed out a whole bag full of it for me from one of our big adult cats last year ( that cat is one of three who since died but this bag of dubbing is enough for teh rest of my life, never mind theirs ). It's a smoke to dark grey, almost black but not really. Good for mixing with some antron or other fibers.

 

It's been mentioned, but Christmas tinsel can be good. One we have looks silver but if you move it around in changing light it's actually iridescent and almost translucent, giving off many colors. Makes a good emerger skin.

 

I have several colors of sewing thread in my case, it's good for ribbing when you don't want wire but tying thread would be too thin. Heck my first few flies were tied with sewing thread. Weren't the prettiest but they caught fish.

 

Zip Lock baggies for scud or other bug backs.

 

Acrylic yarn, my wife is a knitter, she has all sorts of yarns, though mostly various wools and acrylic. She sews, so has a wall full of threads and spools of metallic trim ( good for the silver or gold trim in rod building ).

 

Shoe Goo for gluing eyes on EP or hair streamers, not to mention repairing leaky waders..

[Guest rich mc]

this past year i have been stripping fibers from a patch of satin material. great material for streamers rich mc

[Bruce Norikane 0]

Packing foam. The sheets of foam that cover electronic gizmos. There are several different thicknesses and variations in translucency. The really thin stuff makes great emerger wings and looks even better wet. Gary LaFontaine used it on one of his more bizarre designs, the Airhead:

 

 

and one of his subtle ones, the Halo Emerger (this is the mayfly version)

 

[Mike West 0]

Semi related....

I haven't bought head cement in years.

Shoe Goo or Goop mixed with Toluene is Dave's Flex cement. There is also a Marine Grade Goop made that is a little hard to find but better. Won't find it in stores other than Marine boat stores but you can Google it and find it.

 

I thin it like thick water when spinning deer hair and apply it at the thread base wraps at every clump and paint the face and bottom of the Bug with it and then mix it thicker for head cement and shell backs ect. Makes a good coating for knots/line connections also. Standard tube will make a ton. Only issue is it's hard to find now days. Local home improvement stores quit carrying it cause kids huff it. Auto paint stores will have it but in gallons which is life time supply. Last time I had to have them order me a a quart of it.

[flytire 0]

anti static bags

 

cassette/vhs/beta tapes

 

plastic grocery bags

 

dryer sheets (wings)

 

organza ribbon

 

embroidery thread

 

tyvek

 

fly line backing

 

hot melt glue

 

pet hair

 

zip lock bags (shell backs)

 

burlap

 

condoms (preferably unused)

 

latex gloves

 

paint brush bristles

 

beard hair (and other hair. use YOUR imagination)

 

potato chip/snack bags (makes great tinsel)

 

mylar balloons

 

coffee beans

 

artificial finger nails (spoon flies)

 

dura-lar film (dragon fly wings)

 

craft stamens (shrimp eyes)

 

hair brush bristles (shrimp eyes)

 

balsa wood/cork (poppers)

 

flip flops (more poppers)

 

monofilament

 

doll eyes

 

doll hair

 

craft pom poms (instant egg flies)

[caloosa bug 0]

 

 

artificial finger nails (spoon flies)

 

 

That's a new one I've never heard of..

[flytire 0]

 

http://www.noreast.com/fly/patterns/nail.cfm

 

even more

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=fingernail+spoon+flies&biw=1600&bih=775&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTrM-o4eTNAhWKLSYKHYXiB1QQ_AUIBygC&dpr=1

[DrVette 0]

I was in a swap were I tied nymphs with cat hair and shed snake skin...I never used the snake skin again. it is too fragile and water logs easy.

[NohackleHS 0]

A couple of years ago I noticed my wife's makeup brush in the bathroom. I realized that I could use the bristles in the brush as legs and tails on some of my bigger nymphs. The good thing is that you don't have to stack the bristles since they are pretty even on the makeup brush. I've found other useable makeup brushes at local drug stores but I must admit to being a little self-conscious shopping in the women's makeup section.

[zip 0]

Pretty much anything from the craft store is great!Lots of yarns,tinsel,threads,foams,furs (real and fake),beads,thread spool holders (my fav),glue for head cement,cork and all the feathers you could want!

[ggmiller 0]

My wife is a quilter and I go to the quilt stores and shows with her and look at the tools and various materials. Found some great thread, etc. there.

 

[TheCream 0]

Baby yarn is what I use to make the body on this little streamer.