DIY Fly Tying Dubbing - Fox, Squirrel, Raccoon, Synthetic - BIG money saver!
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- Опубликовано: 5 дек 2020
- Not only can you save a LOT of money by making your own fly tying dubbing, you can make custom blends that work for any fishing application you can think of.
This easy method can be used to make all sorts of synthetic or any fur dubbing such as squirrel, raccoon, fox, opossum, mink, muskrat... or any fur you want to try.
Some of the items mentioned in the video:
Krups dubbing mixer: amzn.to/39KPg3Z
Large dubbing container: amzn.to/3mSEeO6
Small plastic bags: amzn.to/3lQCcMZ
Acrylic yarn: amzn.to/3mPglqA
Angelina fibers: amzn.to/3gtO1rz
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading at least three new videos a week (usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday).
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here. 
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A used dryer sheet wiped around inside the grinder an work area as needed really helps with the static. Unless you live alone an like it. Get a grinder an clearly mark it for FUR!
Outstanding tip! I'm going to pin this comment so others will see it too. (Added bonus- your dubbing will smell nice and fresh.)
And use a dryer sheet on hair stacker!!
@@huntingmissouri5420 -Another great idea! I've never even thought about that, but sometimes hair does stick a bit in the stacker. Genius!
somebody did this and caught fish? i fear chemicals will remain on the hairs.
@@SavageFlieshi 👋 from 🇨🇦 #YSW where I follow you 💯 from
I can picture my neighbors having a shit when they see me tossing a shaved squirrel over the fence. 😃
My wife has plenty of yarn and we haven’t used the coffee grinder in a long time. She offered to run with your ideas! We have a long haired orange tabby and I have made flies and dubbing with his fur. Thanks for the ideas Matt
Thanks Edward! Judith must be a very understanding wife. :-) I've got a gray and orange cat but haven't resorted to giving either of them a hair cut to replenish my fly tying materials!
I was going to post a question about using pet fur, but I guess that you have answered that before I asked it. I will have to get my sister, the crazy cat lady of the family, to send me some orange tabby fur.
I have been making my own dubbing like this for a while now but your vid is the best i have seen on making your own , well done and thank you , all the best , David.
Well thank you David! I appreciate the kind words my friend. :-)
I like how you mix the natural animal furs with the different color yarns to customize what you want. Coffee grinder in a great idea.
Thanks Tanner! I just bought a bunch of furs from your recommendation. Haven't received them yet, but hopefully soon. I plan on doing a video on dyeing soon so stay tuned for that. :-)
Hello! I'm 14 years old from Sweden with a great passion for fly tying! Your videos are inspirational, good work! Thanks for all the help 😊💯
Well thank you my friend! I appreciate the kind words. Good luck in your tying and let me know if you ever have any Swedish flies you'd like me to try for the channel. :-)
@@SavageFlies Thanks! 🤗 Thats a hard question. I would probably say the Swedish made "ms supperpuppa". Cant the name in English but its basically a emerging dragonfly 👍
Maybe one of your best videos
Your videos are pure fly tying GOLD!!!
Wow, that's a cool compliment to hear my friend. Thanks for watching!
Matt, I can't thank you enough for making this video. This was one of the best videos I have seen and something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I will be getting a coffee grinder now.
You are most welcome! I tell you, I love mixing my own dubbing blends. I have my grinder always plugged in under my bench and I don't hesitate to grab it when I think a mix I'm about to use could use a little flash or sparkle thrown in. So I don't always mix up a bunch at a time. Sometimes I'll make just enough for the handful of flies I'm tying at the moment. But one word of caution if you do that... you might make a cool blend, take it out and it looks great in the water and catches a few fish, then you go back and totally forgot how you made it. If I'm smart, I'll put the blend in a little Ziploc bag and write what's in it "just in case" I ever want to make it again. :-)
@@SavageFlies Matt, I went to Dollar Tree and bought acrylic yarn in multiple colors. I wound up making my version of a hare's ear that was as good as store bought dubbing and made some cressbug flies. I do have one last question though. You mentioned some flash. I read online that people either use some antron yarn or angelina fibers mixed in. What have you had success with? Again, thanks so much...
Fantastic video, thank you
This is great! Thanks for sharing how to make your own dubbing.
Thank you for your hard work
Great help here Matt!
Thanks Matt 👍
Very nice explanation and demonstration! Very thorough in covering all of the bases.
Thanks Matt, great instruction with the demos.
Thanks Lee. I'm going to make a batch of mink dubbing in the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know and send you some. (I still haven't dyed the feathers yet, but will soon. This DIY dubbing was ahead in my to-do list!)
Very useful and practical instruction as always. Thanks for the tips, keep ‘em coming! Keith
Thanks Keith! Appreciate you watching my friend. 😁
An amazing DIY video. Many, many thanks Matt.
Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
That's is super quick and easy.nice tips thanks bud for sharing.
You got it Mike, thanks for watching my friend!
great vid Matt
I have always thought about making my own dubbing mixes for a long time gonna give it a go.thanks for the info matt.👍
Hughie, you absolutely should. You can make a whole lot for really cheap!
This was a really cool and helpful vid! Thank you!
(I have TONS of acrylic yarn! I loom hats, scarfs, gloves socks, blankets etc... so this is really cool to know!)
Thanks for doing this video. It was a real help. As always great job
You bet, thanks Chip!
Thanks for all this great info, especially on how easy it is to blend natural furs and synthetics. Looks like I'll have to get a coffee grinder now... :)
Absolutely worth it! I'm doing some dyeing today and if that turns out well, will be able to use actual dyed fur for some dubbing and not have to cut in as much synthetic to get the color.
Thank you again for the awesome content and videos!
You got it Alexander! I appreciate you watching my friend. Cheers. -Matt
Excellent video Matt, tons of great information
Love it
Thanks Dave-- always appreciate you watching my friend!
Thanks Matt!
You bet! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)
Can’t wait to try making my own!!
It's really fun!
Perfect! Thanks Matt.
You bet Wes; hope it helped!
Never would have imagined that this is a use for acrylic yarn. Nice to see your process, Matt.
Thanks Debora! Experimenting with all this is one of the more fun aspects of tying. :-)
WOW! I MEAN WOW! Thanks sooo much for this. I’m new to tying don’t have a lot of material yet but I know where to get some without breaking the bank and make it just what I want it to be. Thank you so much.
Thanks Steven! Making your own dubbing can be pretty fun. I'm thinking of making a few batches of opossum this weekend. Not that I need any more, but it's just fun to experiment and play around with different combinations. :-)
Brilliant
EDIT: Side note. I would have never dreamed it, but an old trapper told me about how nice a good healthy opossum pelt was. Now i have a reason to thin out a few that are eyeing our laying hens 😅
Great video very informative for making your own dubbing
Thanks Martin! I appreciate you watching my friend. 👍
This is a great help. Thank you
You bet my friend; appreciate you watching!
Thanks Matt, I've tried a bit in the past with rabbit, you take it up a notch. Great video, will try some colors soon. Ron
You bet Ron. I'm going to try my hand at creating some mixes with furs that have been dyed first. Starting with some of that you sent. And by the way, I got one of the Meck books from your list today. At first glance it looks good.
Thanks so much! Definetly earned yourself a follow!
I appreciate that Josh! And welcome to the channel my friend. :-)
Hi from Kansas City 🎣🤠 Dave Hughes. I also use a coffee grinder but on the static problem I use unsented or just a damp cotton rag and then a dried cotton rag.. a 🐠 can smell like 200 times better than us so I even wash-up before using distilled water because City water contains fluoride and a bunch of other junk in it even clorine and ammonia too. You have a great 👍 brunch of videos keep-up the good work and thanks always 🎣🤠 Dave Hughes
thanks for the ideas already bought my coffee bean grinder!
Outstanding! Creating new dubbing blends in various colors can be a fun thing to do in and of itself. :-)
Very interesting I think I can do that Sir Matt. I appreciate this cool video. it's nice to always have a little go to, to save a little money. our hobby can get expensive but it's also worth it. And techniques like this help save money. Your awesome Sir Matt thanks.
Thanks Edward! Appreciate the nice comment. Hope you're having a great weekend. :-)
So badass! Love it!
Thank you my friend! I appreciate it. :-)
Just caught this video. Good job!
Thanks Jason! Appreciate it my friend. :-)
Thanks
Very cool. Thanks a bunch Matt. I certainly see how quickly you will get more than a lifetime of dubbing 😀
Absolutely Clyde. Maybe I should start giving some of this away as I've got enough for three lifetimes. :-)
@@SavageFlies I bet! Was just telling wife about it. We have loads of furs. Guess I’ll be making some too. 😁
@@bigdaddy99929 Lucky you! Ron sent me a box of various furs this week so I've got lots of crazy blends I can be dreaming up. :-)
Great video, Matt, thanks 😊
Appreciate it Duncan; thanks for watching my friend!
Fantastic Video, thanks a lot.
Appreciate it my friend!
Thanks for the recommendation to experiment. That's really one of the benefits of making your own blends, as well as its repeatable, cheaper, and gives the ability to create your own secret dubbing mixes which are "all you". That is often much of the fun in creating flies that you designed. Also, water animals fur is what I like when tying floating flies because of the oils contained in natural fur (without a lot of processing). One key feature I like to put into my nymphs is a flat body shape, and having squirrel, muskrat, or a blended mixture lets me inexpensively change colors, plus these soft fine dubbings "dub" well so getting a nice thin dubbed thread allows wrapping the body over a flattened form easier than thicker body wrapping materials.
Great point Paul. I forget which pattern it was, but there is one nymph where the originator would dub a big body, coat the fur with varnish, let it sit for a couple of hours to get semi-hard, then smash it flat with pliers. And I'm 100% with you on aquatic mammals making great dry fly dubbing as their underfur is usually waxy as they depend on it being water repellent to keep dry.
I literally was playing with this all day. Made a blend with white acrylic and a hare mask. Made some very buggy looking nymphs.
Outstanding Jonathan! I think coming up with some new and unique dubbing blends is one of the most fun things we as tiers can do. It's much more enjoyable than dyeing materials. That can be a chore (and a mess). Thanks for the note. :-)
Great show, really liked the different ideas. When I'm up at the carpet store I get little patches of samples. Take a pair of needle nose pliers and pull out single threads and put them in my coffee grinder.🎣🤠 good luck always Dave Hughes
That's a great idea David! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Thanks Matt
You bet James; thanks for watching my friend!
I laughed about getting road kill, I haven't thought about why I check out the condition of road kill but now I remember. Making dubbing using a coffee grinder was priceless. I'm a long ways from a fly tying supply place and I have been disappointed from ordering on line. Making my own and in the shade I want is going to be perfect. The video is in the top five of my favorites on fly tying. Thanks.
Wow, thanks Doug. I appreciate this comment. And yes, I agree... making our own dubbing mixes is one of the coolest things we can do as fly tiers. I love playing around with dyeing and mixing possum. And you never know when you'll come up with something that's is almost magical. :-)
I appreciate the tutorial. I’ve been making my own dubbing for years. I even try to get my own bird pelts from chickens, roosters, pheasants and other birds. Fresh road kill is an excellent resource. Skinning a pelt that’s fresh is a quick process with a little practice. I shoot my own squirrels and other critters like rabbit , Fox, coyote, and others. Be sure to wear rubber gloves to prevent getting any diseases. I also collect deer tails when fresh as roadkill. Carry a sharp knife. I love this kind of stuff because it’s natural and saves money on expensive fly tying materials.
Thanks Ed, and you're 100% right. You can save a ton of money making your own dubbing from furs you pick up however you can get them. I appreciate the note my friend. :-)
A great video Matt.I have made my own dubbing for years,and tell you what,fly tying to me is fun and making dubbing is too..Sure this video will help a lot of people.
Thanks Kenneth! You're a true veteran of the sport and I appreciate you watching and commenting to help others, particularly the new folks who will carry on the tradition after us. Cheers. -Matt
@@SavageFlies Let me add that there are a lot of thing to add or make dubbing,add a little steel wool to make a quick desent dubbing.Too many to mention, let the be the sky be the limint.
Thank u so much for tips on craft materials I went to Hobby Lobby and got good sales on most of stuff u been speaking about 50 percent off I saved lot of money and love these materials thank u again
You're welcome Jimmy! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
I do not know if you wil still get this message. I just found your channel and love what you do.
I have a penny saver for you regarding Tube Flies. I have been using coffee stir sticks and old medical oxygen lines. Or my daughter's Caprisun straws and old oxygen line. They tie rather nicely. Especially for larger tube flies. The Caprisun straws are thicker and more durable. If you do purchase coffee straws, get one box of colored and one of black. The black is smaller and slides inside the color coffee straws making the coffee straw firm and thicker. It is a tight fit.
Regards,
Johnny
I got it Johnny. I still try to check comments every couple of days. And I appreciate the tips! I've never even thought about using coffee stirring sticks or Caprisun straws. I'll definitely keep this in mind if I ever learn to tie tube flies. :-)
Great video. I've been hitting the craft stores too. A couple things I use are the holographic bows & ribbons and the little craft pom-poms. If you cut the pom-poms in the middle they expand to a nice fine material that dubbs well. Dollar stores seem to have limited colors, only black and white.
The holographic ribbon is great to cut up for nymphs.
That's a great idea! Which pom-poms are you talking about? I think I can envision seeing some in craft stores, but are they the small ones you might find in the sewing section? The ones about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter? Or are you talking about something bigger? I'd like to give this a try!
@@SavageFliesI use the small ones, 1/2 to an inch in size. They're kind of like a doughnut so I just poke a thin scissors into the middle and cut the small thread loop that holds them together. Bright yellow and green are fantastic.
Your coffee grinder & yarn method works with a blender if you put a smaller lid inside to keep everything close to the blades. Now I'm going to experiment with adding some cut up holographic ribbon slivers to the yarn to make a version of ice dub.
You should do more DIY videos like this. I have long advocated that fly tying material is often far too commercialized and expensive these days. I think it drives potential tyers away because of budget concerns.
Thanks Ryan, and I agree 100%. I mean, I advocate supporting your local fly shop whenever possible, but the price of some tying materials can certainly be frustrating. I did do some shopping at a Hobby Lobby recently and I'm thinking of doing another craft store materials video soon. Thanks for the note!
I have family and friends looking in thrift shops and such for cheap old fur coats, wigs, etc for fur and hair. I cut my own hair, and it's short, grey, and curly, so I saved some for dubbing, as well. I've used yarn and a dog brush for dubbing, too. I probably should check thrift shops for an old coffee grinder, too. Yeah...I'm a broke fly tyer...LoL
Ha! It's been a long time since I've had enough hair to even consider using my own. :-) But I did buy some kind of fur stole from a thrift shop back in the fall. I can't quite tell if it's rabbit or fox, but it was a pretty big piece for two bucks so whatever it is, it's good cheap dubbing. :-)
Thanks for sharing matt as always a cracking video !!
Appreciate it Justin. Are squirrels as common in the UK as they are over here? I mean, I could walk into the woods behind my house and probably get six tonight!
@@SavageFlies yeah pretty much at my local golf course is full of squirrels . Anywhere were there is plenty of big trees you'll usually find a few squirrels.
Good to hear, though I imagine the golf club wouldn't want anyone out there trapping their little furry friends. 😁
@@SavageFlies lol definitely really enjoying the videos do you realise you use your hands a lot when your talking on your videos lol I do the same talk with my hands so I've been told lol
@@justinmcquaide4862 YES... I know it! But I don't always notice until I'm editing how much I was waving my hands around. Ugh! I try, but it's hard not to sometimes. :-)
Matt,
If I didn't know better, I'd have thought your were peeping into my fly tying room! My wife just shakes her head when I see something new for fly tying. Skeins of yarn, craft foam, pelts, onion bags, kool aid...you name it.
Wiping the inside with a dryer sheet can help cut the static in the grinder, similar to using it in a hair stacker.
Ha! Kook Aid? That's a new one. For dyeing fur I suppose? Probably a cleaner process than the acid dye I'm about to give a try. :-)
Hi from Kansas City 🎣🤠.
I've found that you can take a piece of the sheet plastic for green houses that is segmented in1/2 in sections they come in long pieces and you can cut them with a sawsall any sizes you need. Then pack your dubbing into the little squares with a chopstick, works well 🎣🤠. I like about 4in by6in pieces to fit in my bag. Thanks for all your support and hope all's good with you and your's.
HEY MATT THAT WAS AMAZINGLY COOL....VERY RESOURCEFUL...ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS...THANKS MATT ....HAVE A AWESOME DAY....SEE YA JOE
Thanks Joe! I'll do another DIY dubbing after the DIY dyeing materials is done. Lots of stuff on my to-do list. :-)
@@SavageFlies AWESOME CANT WAIT
Thanks again Matt one fir I use a lot of thanks to a trapper is muskrat also use a used dryer sheet to wipe the grinder
Oh yeah Daniel, muskrat is one of the all-time great furs for fly tying. :-)
It may be slower, but a few companies make what they call a dubbing rake.It’s good because it doesn’t pick up the guard hair only the softer fur. I do it with the rake,with the scissors and with a clipper,depends on my mood more than anything.Very good tutorial,Matt.
Thanks Michael-- I've actually seen Barry Ord Clark using a dubbing rake but have never tried it myself. I'll have to check one out. Cheers. -Matt
the little coffee blender trick looks to work amazing. cant wait for my next trip to the dollar store (with the current gas price it cost me 20$ of gas just to drive there do i am doing only a single trip a month to the city).
Yikes! That's an expensive trip to town. I probably wouldn't go too often either. Thanks for the note Francois!
I went and did this before you posted because you posted it on my comment that you were going to do this so I figured I should probably do that
Awesome Josh! How did yours turn out?
Great I don’t have a grinder so I blended by hand at it took a couple hours but j didn’t have anything else to do but it was worthnit
Freaking awesome video!
Appreciate it Nathan!
I'm new to your channel love it so much 💖 nice information.. thank you for sharing
Thank you my friend, I'm glad to have you here! Let me know if you ever have any questions or requests. Cheers. -Matt
I forgot one thing,spray your grinder with “Static Guard”,a light spray makes it easier to clean it for the next mix.
Yep, and one other commenter mentions using dryer sheets as well. I'm definitely going to try that next time. :-)
Bonjour et merci pour ces idees je ke fait avec du cdc deja mais pas pensé à a la laine
Dog fur grows back, right? Asking for a friend.
😂
Ha! My cat’s has. 🤣
@@SavageFlies ha ha
Great pattern, sure to tie and try! 500
This is an amazing tip. I have made dry fly dubbing to a lazer dub with angel hair for streamers. And you can make it to your desired length.but when making it long the yarn gets tangled in the coffee grinder.
Thanks Brian. Appreciate you watching my friend!
Thanks Brian. Appreciate you watching my friend!
Thanks Matt. Great topic & timing.
The Red Heart brand acrylic is what Gary LaFontaine used for his Sparkle Pupa & related flies(in 1 - 2” lengths) for the pupa or as a trailing shuck. He said it created the right sparkle because it’s tri-lobal, I.e. 3 sided for reflective quality.
I’ve never made bulk dubbing, only small amounts by hand using scissors & a lot of labor.
Your methods are a lot faster & easier. Hmm ... the hair clippers & dog brush I have ... but can I convince my wife that we really don’t need the coffee grinder for coffee anymore? Gonna be a hard sell. I’ve already tried on roadkill. Sadly that was a total no-go with threats of leaving me by the side of the road along with the body. At least yarn is safe.
Thanks Bob-- I did not know that but it makes me feel even better about my choice of yarn. If a master like Gary LaFontaine uses it, there has to be some merit to it. :-)
Idle coffee grinder (hidding in kitchen cabinet on top shelf, behind several cups) is going to used again!
Ha! Well if it's not making coffee, you can give it a second life. :-)
Great job Matt! I now have a case of fur envy ;o) The comments are always great too! (and Kerry Pitt has the best jokes on YT) Dryer lint from your clothes dryer lint filter. After washing our Labs bedding I noticed the filtered lint looked like spiky dubbing, guard hair, under fur and whatever synthetic (tri-lobal) material the bedding was made from - looks like a shearling. I've washed old wool blend sweaters to get some great looking dubbing of a finer staple.
Kool Aid! Drew Chicone has a chapter on Kool Aid dying in his book Feather Brain. I always go to the Wool Pavilion during our state fair to look at the wool they sell and get samples of the Kool Aid dyed wool. There's usually a fly tier there doing demos with the wool yarn the people have spun. The tiers are part of Project Healing Waters.
Yes I agree, fresh is best when it comes to road kill. If I see flies on it they probably already laid eggs. If I manage to do some skinning or get a tail I soak it for a short while in warm water with Dawn and and a few spritzes of liquid Oxi Clean. A good rinse then dry on paper. Then I pin it to a board and salt or 20 Mule Team Borax it . ( I spied the map pin on one of your pelts Matt :o) I do that with deer tails after a good brushing - to get the crud off - after it's washed the hair glows nice and bright from the Oxi Clean. I was excited to get the book From Field To Fly by Scott Seymour but I'm not one to use the noxious stuff he suggests.
One thing I worry about picking up road kill is getting killed myself by a vehicle. And I wear gloves or use plastic bags to handle the critter. Thanks Matt. I guess I gave you more than my 2 cents worth.
Joe- great comments my friend! Yes, Kerry is pretty funny. And yep, I've heard after posting this video of lots of folks who use their dog and cat fur for dubbing! Now for Kool Aid dye... I've heard of people doing that too but have never tried it myself. I'd never heard of Drew Chicone but just checked out the book. Looks pretty interesting and I might have to consider it if I ever get into tying saltwater flies.
I'm actually thinking of dyeing a few opossum pelts this weekend and making several batches of my favorite 'possum dub. I usually only do a small batch at a time, or one color but I'm thinking of getting crazy this time. Greens, reds, yellows, brown, purple, etc. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the note. Cheers. -Matt
@@SavageFlies I met Kerry thru Piscator, he was friends with Darren - who is an awesome man himself!
Drew Chicone is featured in Fly Tyer a lot, that's where I learned of him and was very impressed. I believe he's written 3 books on fresh water Bass too. I just love his concepts on fly design. Check out the Straw Boss pattern.
American opossum is an awesome animal. Their fur is like looking into a cloud, so much depth. Good luck with the dying - Cheers :o)
Yard sale yarn works good.😇
I just bought this 1 pound bag of scrap fur pieces from a leather guy on ebay. stuffed with beaver, rabbit, raccoon, fox, coyote, sheep and some others I'm not sure about😂 I'm quite happy though. Cheap too.
Outstanding Joe! You're going to have some fun with all that. :-)
Tic tac style organizers work great. They will hold two packs of the commercial dubbing. The organizers are small and compact. Be careful about picking up roadkill. In some states it is illegal. If the animal is endangered you could face hefty fines. Also the roadkill could carry bugs and diseases that could spread to people or pets. I brought home some geese and stuck them in a freezer. Even after a month in the freezer the were still mites. Process the pelts, hides, capes etc to kill any unwanted pests. Making custom dubbing is fun. Sometimes those picky fish will take the slightly different color than every one else is using.
Great tips on how to make awesome dubbing. Not sure what the wife would say if I stopped on the side of the r I ad to give a quick hair cut to an Animal, but I'll try it. lol
Ha! I've never actually given a critter a hair cut on the side of the road. You might get some pretty strange looks! (I'll throw something in the back of the truck and take home go get the fur later. :-) )
Supernice tips. Already using the coffeygrinder making my own dubbings. Too bad I'm allergic and getting awful reactions from natural furs. Not that it's stopping me from making all the nice dubbings, but it's a pain :)
Молодец спасибо огромное.
Пожалуйста. Спасибо за просмотр!
Recommendation
* Use polypropylene yarns for Dry Fly Dubbing and parachute posts, lower density than water floats like a cork. Bonnie Braid 2mm macramé yarn is polypropylene, comes in various colors
* Use Angel Hair to add sparkle/flash to dubbing. Actually purchase at fly shop, fairly inexpensive.
Thanks Steven! I've never tried polypropylene yarn but I do add the Angel Hair to get the sparkle. I appreciate the note. :-)
If you reach into the center of the yarn skein and pull the center clump out you can find the center end of the yarn. Then you can pull from that and it won't roll all over the place.
Love the content! Thank you for sharing ! KANSAS
Thanks Jack! Appreciate you watching my friend. :-)
👍👍
Thanks for the great video. I’ve been looking forward to this and you definitely delivered a keeper!
A few questions popped up
1.) Are wool yarns an option as well or would you steer clear of them for making dubbing? What would the properties be of the finished product when using acrylic vs. wool?
2.) For animals with tail fur (e.g. fox, squirrel, etc...), do you use it the same way or do you only make the dubbing from body fur?
3.). Lastly, other that the natural colors of the fur, are there significant differences in the characteristics of different animals that guide you to choose one animal fur over another?
Thanks Nathan-- I appreciate the kind words! I'll answer the best I can...
1. Wool yarn will definitely work. It can be a bit more expensive though. I will also make a wool blend (without any fur added) as lots of recipes call for a wool dubbing.
2. I mostly only make dubbing from the body fur, but some animals' tails actually have enough underfur in them that you can make a decent dubbing. I've made some with a coyote tail before (very buggy, and only used on big nymphs), and raccoon tail as well. But for the most part, I couldn't tell the difference between dubbing made from a raccoon's tail and its body. A fox tail might be akin to a coyote, but I wouldn't try dubbing from a squirrel tail. I just don't think it would work well at all. Squirrel tails make great hair wings, but that's about it.
3. Yes, furs definitely have different characteristics worth noting. The rodents that live in or near water (beaver, muskrats, nutria) have a more waxy underfur which can actually make them more water repellent. And if they're used in wets or nymphs, they'll hold small air bubbles that can give the bug a translucent quality. The more land-based varmints like raccoons or opossums have a less waxy underfur, and it can be finer, almost a wool-like quality. So what is best to use and when? That's a million dollar question! I mostly listen to the pattern's creator, or just go by the recipe. Unless I'm experimenting and then I just wing it. I think really serious and innovative tiers will try different mixes and check them out in tanks, with different currents and light conditions. Not something I really do, but maybe someday. :-)
Great questions Nathan, and thanks for asking!
Cheers. -Matt
How many naked animals are running around near his house that he caught and shaved them. lol That's all I could picture after this stuffed animal squirrel demo.
When you pick up roadkill, how do you "process?" it for use?
Love your videos. I've learned a lot from watching you and I greatly appreciate it.
I don't go through all the trouble of tanning anything. For a hide like raccoon, oppossum or fox, I just skin it, maybe tack the pelt to a piece of plywood (fur side toward the board) and cover it with salt for a day or two to dry it out. It'll be all stiff after it's dried, but that's fine. As long as you scrape the underside pretty clean it won't attract bugs or start stinking.
Just so you know, knitters and others in the know take the yarn from the centre of the skein. This way the ball doesn't spin around so much and it reduces tangles. Dig in to the very centre at one end or the other to find this and make your life a little easier... Mom was a big knitter, that's how I know.
Great tip; thank you! And this note came just in time… I found four skeins of wool yarn on clearance at JoAnne’s this weekend. 😀
Excellent discussion! What is your favourite/go to wet fly dubbing material? Thanks
Sam- thanks for the note. I would say my favorite for wet flies, at least what I use the most, is probably rabbit with squirrel being a close second. Or opossum. That's a great look too! I think any varmint that doesn't live in or around water makes good wet fly and nymph dubbing.
I have to strip my dogs coat a couple times a year and it's incredibly fine black fur that coat floats on the wind. Now you've got me wondering.🤔
I get a lot of dubbing from a hare's mask. (Use fingers for picking) Shaver for larger amounts in the coffee grinder.
Yep, same here! Hare's masks are generally pretty cheap and you can get them already dyed in a few convenient colors. Probably why it's so popular!
Great information, I'm not at all shy about animal pelts or where they come from particularly but do you need to clean them or cure them in some way?
Thanks for the note Kort. I don't do too much for any I harvest. I may tack them to a board, with the fur side down, and just coat the skin side with salt for a couple of days. That usually dries them pretty good. It does make them stiff but I'm not making hats so it works fine. And if I'm afraid the animal could have had some kind of bugs or mites, I'll cut the pelt into smaller pieces, put them in Ziploc freezer bags and throw in the freezer for a couple of days.
I see a coffee grinder in my future and I know where there is a great supply of yarn. Living where I am fur wont be much of a problem.
Let me know how it goes man, especially if you mix up anything exotic! I just bought a package of camel dubbing. I have no idea what it's for and have never seen it in a recipe. But it looked cool. (I waste to much money on this hobby...)
@@SavageFlies We have a local fur buyer who has a wide variety of different fur bearer hides. Big game hides are easy to get as well. Should be fun to play with.
Such an awesome idea!! I've been worried about having a good mix of dubbing, but this solves that issue.
How important is having true as opposed to synthetic for tying?
Pelts and the like are pretty pricey and I want a nice selection.
Kyle- synthetic definitely has it's place. You can mix it by hand to get the perfect color you want, and it can make some excellent dry fly dubbing. Synthetics usually shed water easily, so your dry fly bodies dry off with just one back cast. Some naturals are water repellent too-- furs like muskrat, woodchuck and otter. Usually the water type varmints that have a naturally waxy fur. Animals like rabbits, fox, raccoons and squirrels have fur that is not as water repellent and they make better nymph and wet fly bodies. (Because after they get wet, they generally stay wet.) Also, you can get some great deals on fur scraps or pelts. Check out Glacier Wear. A pound of scrap remnants will make a LOT of dubbing and is quite inexpensive. Good luck!
you can use lining from old gloves/boots from used CLOTHING STORES...also stuffing from pillows, quilts, blankets, ... old jackets. There are endless sources that you haven't even explored! Do some more thinking and you will get ideas that will keep you busy till you get to be 100 years old.. BE CREATIVE. Try old pom poms from H.S. cheerleaders.
HI, Matt. What about using WOOL ROVER to make dubbing using the coffee grinder method? How good would it be compared to synthetics, and would you recommend using it? Thanks.
Wow! Thank you for the sound advices on dubbing materials! Do you have any suggestions on what to use as a substitute for dubbing wax? Would Vaseline, chap lips or white grease do?
Marc, you're welcome and thanks for the note! Vaseline or white grease would certainly be better than no wax, but it won't be too tacky which you need for some of the hardest materials to dub. Like seal or camel. I've used Chapstick in a pinch and that actually works fine. It just might make your flies smell like cherry. :-)
@@SavageFlies thank you for the quick reply! I have a small tube of dubbing wax with just a little dubbing wax left in it. The use of the substitute is an interim solution until I receive my order of the dubbing wax. With the pandémie still going on we cannot be sur of anything. These days I am having so much fun tying flies for bluegills. I like colorful flies so it is surely a lot of fun. Yours advices on dubbing material opened a new world of possibilities on color selection. I am now looking for a coffee beans grinders. What is the grinder model you use in your video? It seems perfect for the job. I wanted to use the one we have a home but my wife is totally against it! 🤣🤣🤣
What could be added to make “ice dubbing”? From the craft store?? Great vids!! Keep them coming
That's a good question Chris, and one I haven't figured out yet. The "angel hair" stuff I mention will certainly add some sparkle to any fur dubbing, but it's not going to look at all like an ice dub. I'm going to have to think more about this and the next time I'm in Michael's or AC Moore, look around for anything that looks like we could make an ice dubbing out of. Thanks for the note. :-)
You can also use paracord casing for dubbing
I've never heard that Christopher but thanks for the tip!
No problem