Choosing the Right Dubbing - Synthetics vs Naturals

So you are looking at this awesome new pattern that you bought from Big Y Fly Co and you want to duplicate it.  Most of the other materia...

So you are looking at this awesome new pattern that you bought from Big Y Fly Co and you want to duplicate it.  Most of the other materials are easy to figure out, but how do you decide which type of dubbing to use?  The right dubbing can make all the difference, and knowing what dubbing to choose can put you at the top of the game when designing those perfect replicas.

There are dozens of types of dubbing, but in a broad sense, there are really two types; natural and synthetic.  They both have their advantages and both should be included in the arsenal.  Let's take a look:

Natural Dubbing:

The top fly has guard hairs.
The bottom has been picked clean

Natural dubbing can come from any number of natural sources, but it is typically animal fur.  Hare/rabbit is the most popular, while possum, goat and squirrel also provide great dubbing from their fur.  Seal fur was very popular for decades,but is no longer an option.

Rabbit or Hare dubbing has really soft "underfur" that makes for great dubbing.  It also has longer, stiff hairs in it called guard hairs.  Those guard hairs can give nymphs a really "buggy" look, as it creates bulk and those little hairs sticking out can give a fly some lifelike movement, but it comes down to preference and we have tiers that like each like to tie their patterns differently with the same hare's dub.

Whether you buy a Hare's mask (the face of a hare), or you buy a package of hare dubbing, it is going to have guard hairs in it.  Some tiers pick those hairs out with a dubbing brush or tweezers.  Others run their hare's ear dubbing though a little blender to make it more fine (an old, clean coffee grinder works great).  That makes it great for little dry flies.  Hare dubbing does soak up water more than antron or goat, so it should be treated with a product like Watershed or Mucilin if it is used in dry flies.  Hare dubbing is fairly easy to work with, but those guard hairs can get bunched up sometimes.  It spreads out evenly and sticks to waxed thread well.

Hare fur is the standard for natural dubbing

Angora goat is another popular natural dubbing.  It has longer hairs that like to curl, move and stick out a bit.  For that reason, it is used a lot for flies that have bulky bodies or big thoraxes.  Kauffman's Stonefly nymph is a fly that is often tied with Angora goat, especially when it is used in that big thorax.  It doesn't do well when used on sleek flies that have a narrow body.  It is also very popular to put it in a dubbing loop to make little mini leeches.

Possum makes great nymphs, really buggy.

Angora goat is great at repelling water.  It can be used for dry flies that will look good with a bushy body.  Chubby Chernobyls look great with Angora goat as well as big stimulators.  Mohair is a yarn made from Angora goat fur, and is used like a chenille, but retains the bushy qualities of goat. It is great for making leeches, but the dubbing can be used in leeches as well.

One big drawback to Angora goat is that it is very slick. It doesn't stick to much, including the hook, the thread, other materials or anything else.  It tends to shift around and is not easy to control.

Possum dubbing is sort of in the middle between goat and hare.  It has a good number of guard hairs, and it tends to remain bushy and buggy in most situations.  It soaks up water, so it does not make for good dry flies either.  It is really easy to work with and is most typically used for a wide variety of nymphs, especially small to medium sized nymphs that need a buggy look.  I like it for callibaetis nymphs in lake flies and small stonefly nymphs in the winter.

Top is a synthetic Simi Seal.
The bottom is natural Angora Goat.

Muskrat is another widely used fur for dubbing.  Although the pelt will look brown, the "underfur" that we use for dubbing is grey.  Natural muskrat underfur is the traditional color and material for an Adams, but there are many patterns that call for muskrat.  It repels water well, and is very easy to work with.  Most of the muskrat used in fly tying is a natural color straight from a patch of fur on the hide.  There are some big guard hairs that are easily picked out, or they can be left in for buggy nymphs.  The first fly I ever tied and the caught a fish with was basically muskrat dubbing with a gold wire rib.  Simple and deadly.

Synthetic Dubbing

Superfine is fantastic dry fly dubbing

There are more synthetic dubbing styles out there than anyone could ever use.  Synthetics are more popular than natural materials, and they are more versatile.

Most synthetic dubbing is made from Antron.  Antron is the same material that carpet is made from.  There are hundreds of styles of antron fibers.  Different lengths, thicknesses, colors, angles, curls, splits, and blends that can be matched to make a dubbing for exactly what you need.

The most basic and widely used synthetic dubbing is Super Fine Dry Fly Dubbing.  It has very small, uniform fibers that are all dyed a single color.  Antron does not soak up water, so it makes great dry fly dubbing.  It is easy to work with, goes on smoothly and evenly, and holds color well.

Antron dubbing is very versatile

Standard Antron dubbing is the way to go for basic nymphs and some dry flies.  It is a very versatile product and should be the go-to for most trout fly tiers.  It has the right fibers to create bulk when needed without a lot of weight.  It can also be used really sparsely on dry flies and small nymphs if you don't have the Super Fine.  If I could only use one type of dubbing for everything, this would be it.

STS has longer fibers and good color

Longer strands of Antron make for even buggier looking flies.  STS Trilobal Antron dubbing has longer fibers, and will create a little more bulk to your flies, but those longer fibers are more easily "tamed" than natural guard hairs.  STS dubbing is the go-to synthetic dubbing for stimulators, stonefly nymphs and steelhead flies.  It has a bit of shimmer to it, but it is not as flashy as some of the other stuff out there.

Some dubbing includes mylar, which is a flashy material.  It is what flashabou is made from.  Ice Dub is a very popular dubbing that gives flies a nice, flashy look. Ice Dub has some really unique properties as far as light reflection and refraction go.  The UV Brown color looks purple until you hold it up to the light, then it is a very obvious brown.   While I can't tell you how fish really react to the science behind that, I can tell you that the flies look great and that fish do eat Ice Dub...

Ice dub adds color depth and flash

Simi seal (either Super Fly Imi Seal, or Cascade Crest Euro Seal) is a synthetic that is similar to Angora goat, which is the closest we can get to real seal fur.  Simi seal has longer, skinnier strands of antron that can be twisted up and laid on to make a nice looking leech pattern.  The advantage over goat is that simi seal can contain varying colors and bits of flash while maintaining perfect consistency with fiber length and size.  The variations in color can add some depth to the pattern (not deeper in the water, just a more complex color palette), while the consistency in fibers makes it really easy to work with.

Mixed Dubbing

Hare'e Ice is a blend of hare and ICE dub

Another thing to consider is making dubbing blends yourself.  Want that hare's ear nymph to have some flash in the body?  Blend in a little bit of Ice Dub with the natural hare, or use some STS trilobal dub for the thorax instead.  It's really easy to take a pinch of a couple of types of dubbing and mix them together.  Flies sometimes look great when they aren't mixed very thoroughly. 

Hare'e Ice Dub is a pre-blended mix of Ice Dub with Hare's Ear and it often does the trick when those fish need a little extra.  Mohair Plus is Angora goat mixed with some mylar flash.  It does the trick really well.  Then there are mixes of synthetic dubbing of different colors.  Senyo's Fusion Dub is a great dubbing that mixes several colors and shades together along with some flash, while Hareline's Rainbow Scud Dub has 4 colors of synthetics mixed together in a perfect blend that can't be beat for making scuds.

No matter what you are tying, we should have a couple of types of dubbing that will work for what you are doing and give it that perfect look.  As always, give us a call, email or live chat if you have any questions.

Andrew Perrault
-Fishing, usually not catching