The hardest thing to do

[sport]

After all these years I have to admit the hardest thing for me to do consistently is to dub the body of a dry fly. I have tried all of the popular synthetic materials. I have tried possum, beaver, rabbit, and everything else, and I can not get consistent results. I would rather construct a dry fly with biots or quill, because I know the results will be consistent. I have tried dubbing waxes, spit,different threads, you name it, and some flies look good, others get the single edge razor blade. I can not predict in advance what legnth of dubbing should be put on the thread to dub a body on a certain hook size. For instance, if you are dubbing a #14 Mustad hook, how long a length of thread should you apply dubbing to? Any way I am starting to ramble, am I the only person that can't master this basic step in the tieing process?

[Jim Cramer]

Hi Sport,

Yes, dubing can be daunting. There are several different methods of dubbing. I'll start with the easiest, touch dubbing. For touch dubbing you will need a tacky wax and some chopped dubbing. Apply one or two wipes of wax on the thread. If you can see an wax on the thread you have applied too much. Now pick up a bunch of the chopped dubbing. Pull it apart so you have a rough/fresh surface. Pat or wipe the dubbing against the wax. Don't worry about the amount of dubbing sticking to the thread at this point. Now if you want a spiky dubbed body simply wind the thread on the shank. Continue to wind until you have the desired bulk on the hook. If you want a smoother body, roll the dubbed thread between your thumb and finger before wrapping. Still having problems? Start with chopped marabou. My 5 year old granddaughter can dub with it.

Next is the noodle method. Roll the dubbing into a noodle between your palms, tie in one endof the noodle and wrap it around the thread clockwise (viewed fron the top}. Wrap the combination on the hook shank. Cut off any excess. Works best with natural furs such as muskrat.

The third method is to spin the dubbing around the thread and then wrap it on the hook. Most instructions call for twisting from the top down while holding the thread tight. I find it easier to dub from the bottom up. Grasp the thread and a wisp of the dubbing material together bewteen the thumb and finger. Now spin BOTH the thread and the dubbing together as you feed the dubbing up the thread, much as you see the ladies spinning yarn from a spinnng wheel. When you reach the hook take a couple of wraps to secure it and cut of the excess before wrapping. Works best with the long strand soft dubbing. Wax can help.

I often start the dubbing at the midpoint of the shank rather than at the tail as it is easier to achieve a tapered body. There are some other methods but these should help.

Good luck.

[ashbourn]

I have found dubbing very easy. I use a noodle 90% of the time because it gives me the most control with very fast results.
For a long time floss was a problem for me, till a week ago I never took the time to play with the material and learn how it reacts.
Right now I would say that double quill and feather tips wings are my weakest point.
Joe

[gnat]

I only dub about two inches of thread at a time. Size 18 and smaller hooks I dub about a inch of thread at a time. If I need more dubbing I add a little to the thread when there is a little less than half inch of dubbed thread remaining. I twist some dubbing on the thread and push it up so that it touches the original dubbing. twist both ends together a little and you're good to go.

If I have too long a dubbed thread I remove dubbing when the body is the right lenght.

I very little dubbing. My dubbed thread is about the thickness of the hook I'm using. I think this the most important aspect of using dubbing, especially for dry flies.

Good luck!
Charlie

[Betty Hiner]

One of the first things I learned about dubbing is when you select the amount of dubbing you're going to use, take off at least half of it, and put it away!

[SteelieD]

I second Betty's suggestion. Start with little, you can always add more. The thinner the dubbed thread, the easier it is to achieve a tapered body.

[Humber Brad]

the biggest problem I find with dubbing, is getting the material on the thread evenly. Without fail, I will always have one section of the body that shows way too much thread. Now, I could be too worried about the aesthetics, but I just can't be satisfied with the body when it is this way.

[Robert T]

Two dvd's that I have (AK Best and Don Bastion)both say that the dubbing wax belongs on you thumb and finger and just a little bit. Try that along with the small amount at time suggestions above and you should have no problem with dubbing.

Bob

[Arnie]

Sport,
You have received some good advice so far; I'll add 2 cents' worth.
You mentioned dry flies, so may I suggest poly dubbing like Wapsi super-fine for size 14 thru 18. For larger flies, I prefer antron blends because they are bulkier and it's easier to construct a smooth body faster. Natural dubbings are OK too, but the fibers are usually shorter, and this will slow things down a little. I guess I should mention here that my methods come from commercial tying, and the objectives are to tie quality flies fast, with every fly looking like the one before.
Others have already suggested applying wax to your thumb and index finger. I agree. My theory is that you need to have friction between your fingers and the dubbing. If your fingers just slide over the dubbing you won't get the dubbing tight on the thread. Most threads have plenty of wax already, so wax your fingers. My preference is Danville 6/0 for 14 thru 18, 3/0 for some size 14's and all size 12 and larger. Bigger thread has more surface area, so you can apply more dubbing for larger flies. Danville threads stretch alot. You can use this to your advantage. Stretching the thread as you wrap the dubbing on the hook makes the dubbing noodle tighter and smoother.
Tyers that have trouble dubbing most often set themselves up for headaches when they apply the dubbing to the thread. If the dubbing isn't even and tight on the thread, you won't like your results no matter how even you wrap the thread on the hook. To apply dubbing to thread, pull the bobbin towards you until you have 3 to 4 inches of thread between the bobbin tube and hook. (The thread should be horizontal.) Now place a good supply of dubbing in your bobbin hand while holding SOME tension on the thread. With your material hand, touch your wax with your thumb and index finger. Then pinch a small amount of dubbing from the supply in your thread hand, and pull it toward the hook while holding most of the dubbing in your thread hand. The idea here is to separate the individual dubbing fibers as much as possible and orient them parallel to the thread. The more fibers that come into contact with the thread, the easier it is to roll them on. (Dispensers that require you to pull dubbing through a hole don't make any sense to me because they tend to bunch up the fibers rather than separate them.) Now roll the dubbing onto the thread with your thumb and index finger; middle finger gets into the act a little bit too. Your index and middle finger should be under the thread; thumb on top. Your thumb should move from the tip of your index finger toward the second joint. In other words, the dubbing rolls on counterclockwise for a right handed tyer; clockwise for a southpaw. Keep some tension on the thread while you do this; if you don't, you are likely to end up with a noodle of dubbing along side the thread rather than surrounding it. The first rolling motion should secure the dubbing to the thread about 1/2 inch from the hook. Three or four more "rolls" working from the hook toward your bobbin should cover about 2 inches of thread. If you need more, get another "pinch" and repeat the procedure. Begin applying the second pinch over the end of the first one. When you wrap the body, keep at least as much tension on the thread as you had when you applied the dubbing; if you want a tighter body, use more tension.
Sorry this got a little longer than I intended; hope there is something in here you can use. I think that applying the dubbing this way makes it easier to actually see how much you are using so you can get all your flies alike.
Good fishing,
Arnie

[Jim Cramer]

I defy anyone to touch dub on mono thread without placing wax on it! BTW, Touch dubbing is the fastest of all dubbing methods.