Snowshoe Hare Question
I have read several different opinions using snowshoe hare's feet for wings. Some say to use the hair between the toes, others say to use the hair on the heel. Some say to use the coarse guard hair and others say to use the fine, "light and fuzzy" underfur. Which do you use for wings?
Joe
You need to split the toes and use the hair between them. That is the water resistant hair. The whole bottom of the foot is good to use not the top.
An article on tying tips in American Angler - that had a couple of editing mistakes (stated one thing in the text a couple of times and the opposite under the pictures) - got me thinking about what I had always done when using snowshoe hare's fur for wings and if others used it the same way I have or the way the article says to use it. I guess I have two questions:
1.) Do you think the best part of the foot to use is between the toes, or the heel, or are both are equally good?
2.) Do you use the coarse guard hairs or the "light and fuzzy" underfur?
In their book:
http://www.amazon.com/Tying-Emergers.../dp/1571883061
Schollmeyer and Leeson break down the foot into three regions (ppgs. 28 -29). Region 3 - "...from the middle of the foot to the heel is the prime stuff. It is fine, soft crinkly, densely packed on the skin and nicely translucent. Ordinarily, contains few, if any,'underfur' type hairs and most of the fur here grows to quite nearly a uniform length..."
Split the foot for better access.
PT/TB
Daughter to Father, "How many arms do you have, how many fly rods do you need?"
http://planettrout.wordpress.com/
IIRC Dave Hughes, in his huge trout fly book, says the fur between the toes is best... I will have to check that out...
I think I like the stuff between the toes better.
There is also the very real possibility hares from different areas have different fur and all have different fur at different times of the year...
What do you mean "fur between the toes"? I don't understand. I tie midges down to size 30 and I use the soft underfur for the wing. I use the fur from the middle of the foot to the heel. I never knew there was fur between the toes. You won't get many flies tied if you only used the stuff between the toes. For larger flies I used the fur with some of the finer guard hairs or whatever they're called. There's something I'm not understanding. Please enlighten me. Thanks, All.Originally Posted by hap
I think this is what he is talking about...
http://www.pwtu.org/usual.html
PT/TB
Daughter to Father, "How many arms do you have, how many fly rods do you need?"
http://planettrout.wordpress.com/
I guess the question is whether you are using the hair for Catskill style split wings or for Usual (Comparadun) wings. In my experience, the hair closer or at the toes is longer and straighter and the hair at the heel is worn down, so shorter yet curlier.
The optimum hair IMO is from the 'instep' - long enough and curly enough for good floatation. I think, as with feather hackle, you have to look at the material and choose what looks best for the purpose. Whichever you choose, hold your cut selection by the tip (quite firmly) and brush out the underfur - this makes excellent dubbing.
Regardless of what part you choose, you will find the foot MUCH more usable if you first take a sharp knife (careful, don't cut yourself, the foot is tough), and slice the foot down from the top between the two main front toes. Then split the foot length wise. (Maybe use some work gloves - the bones splinter like chicken and can be sharp.) You will see the fur is much longer and easier to snip once you are looking at the 1/2 foot, and it is easier to determine what part is best for your needs.
Last edited by Greg H; 11-18-2013 at 01:08 PM.
Thanks. I see now that it's the fur near the toes. That stuff is very coarse and slippery.
Pardon the pseudo-thread hijack, but what is the most efficient way to split a foot? Hadn't thought of this before, but the advantages are obvious.
Thanks!
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