Scud Back Tips?

[Jeff Clough]

Does anyone have any tips for working with this stuff? Just got my first batch of this stuff (1/8 inch) and I'm worried about wasting a lot of it and getting it to lay properly on the back of the fly.

I've heard folks talking about "tapering" the end you tie in and such, but the illustrations I've seen have been less than helpful, and what I've been able to discern, this method has you basically throwing two flies worth of the stuff away for every fly you tie.

As always, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Big Bad Wulff]

I just cut about enough I need, tie one end, stretch it, and tie it off.

I've gotten it down to little waste.

First few times I wasted a lot.

But then again I've only tied about 20 total flies with it...

[Ray Kunz]

Just one suggestion. Don't cut a length for one fly, tie the fly and waste the surplus.
Instead, cut a longer length, and tie a fly and you'll have a longer piece for several more flies with no waste for each until you get to the last fly.

[Diane]

Ray's advice is excellent. Also, regarding tapering, just snip one end to look like the head of an arrow/point of a pencil/etc. instead of straight across. When you tie it in it will create less bulk that way and the back will look better.

[MNFisher]

I tie mine like Diane mentioned - with a taper like this - ">" .

I generally don't cut a predetermined length, but rather, cut it off the original piece after it has been tied off on the fly - no waste at all!

[NJTroutbum]

I leave it all in the package. I pull the running end out a couple of inches, and then ziplock the package as tight around it as I can to work as a keeper. You can let the package hang out of the way like a bobbin. I tie the fly, and clip off at the head. No waste.

[Normand]

its a stretchy rubber material. needs no taper to tie in. molds itself to the body as you pull it forward. dont over think about using it.

[hap]

Look around for heavy colored plastic bags. Sand strips cut from them on one side and tie the dull, sanded side out. For nothing you are recycling and getting great tying material for nothing. I literally tie at least 200 scuds each year for my own use...

[luckie88]

All great advice. When you go to rib over it make sure it's pretty centered but don't wind all tight, be a little loose when going over then tighten once over the scud back securing it in the center.

[Steven McGarthwaite]

I use a whole length of the scub back stip, cutting the the tip to an arrow head shape. I use tippet material for the ribbing, as I want the tippit to be not so obviously standing out against the background of the body material coloration.

Before ribbing I use permanent ink markers (sharpies) on the bottom side of the strip for shading, specially for thorax/head region.

I am still looking for a supplier of the basic material, as I already have my single-edge razor blade tool for cutting rabbit strips. I was told that if you put the scud back material in the freezer, that it is easy to cut your own.

If anyone knows a source of sheets of the material for scub back, let me know either by personnel message on FAOL, or by email at parnelli@comcast.net. The only place I found clear latex strips was at JoAnn Fabric and it was in 1/2" strips which was difficult to work with.

~Parnelli