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KAPOK REDISCOVERED!
Kapok is not strange to fly tyers. It was used England in the late 1890s and in this country since the early 1900s. It was and is used in fly tying because of its extreme buoyancy. Let's take a closer look at this old material that is still available.
I have acquired a pod of kapok that looks identical to your photo. The flies that I have tied with it sink. Do you have any suggestions?
Don't know if it is just my browser, but the screen is funny on my end.
Attachment 11456
Be sure you are using a dry fly hook, preferrably light wire. Use a little more dubbing then you usually would and be sure that you do not have a lot of tension on the thread. If you still find that you are having trouble then contact me through my website.
Tom
Well, I just learned something. I thought kapok came from bull rushes.
I started in the upholstery trade in the early 60's and used to encounter vast amounts of kapok. It was used as pillow and cushion stuffing and fill in padding on furniture. It has mostly been replaced with foam, dacron and polyester over the years. Often the kapok was mixed with down as a less expensive filler material. What I remember most about working with this substance was how it would float around the room and get in my nose, hair and eyes. It is a messy material to work with. I can imagine it would be a good dubbing material if one could control it and keep it from floating away. Also a little would go a long way. I would imagine a couple of pounds would last a lifetime. Jim
instead of Kapok try Milkweed for drys..get the pods before they start to open but not to early.
I was given a baby food jar filled with kapok long ago by a friend who owned cabins on Pine Creek. Frequently I have used dubbed hopper bodies with the material with good results.