Feathers Dubbing Flies
What is Dubbing/ what can i use?
I forgot to buy dubbing for my flies. What exactly is dubbing and what can I use instead? ex: can I use the soft fur from my dog ( i just gave her a haircut) as dubbing or can i use the soft part of feathers?
The short answer:
Dubbing is any material that is twisted, rolled or otherwise secured to a length of tying thread which is then wrapped around the shank to form the body of a fly.
Okay, it wasn't such a short answer, but you should realize that many different materials can become "dubbing" with a bit of preparation.
For many years, the common choice of dubbing was natural fur. Sometimes this would include the chopped guard hairs (another term for you), while other times it would include only the soft underfur.
Natural fur is still a great choice (unless your vegan) and comes from a wide variety of sources: rabbit, beaver, muskrat, squirrel, mole, seal, etc. Your dog, with few exceptions, wouldn't be the best choice for dubbing; the hair/fur fibers of canines don't exhibit the qualities desired in most fishing flies. It's free, and it's available...so don't let me stop you from trying it. In fact, experimenting will help you realize the qualities that work for you.
Synthetic materials have become more common, either due to inavailability of traditional materials or better characteristics in modern synthetics. Many synthetic dubbings are made with Antron (a tri-lobal nylon) or a blend with such. The variety is almost endless today; there's little point in me trying to describe them. Just know that they are readily used, either alone or blended with other synthetics or natural materials, and the results are amazing.
Dubbings can also be made of chopped flosses, feathers (CDC) and even hollow hair (such as deer hair). While these are nontraditional dubbings, it shows that almost anything can be used as dubbing if it has the desired characteristics.
If you ask around, you'll find that many tyers enjoy the creative aspect of tying.
