Polar bear hair patterns?

[Fishnfool]

I noticed an earlier post regarding sources for polar bear hair. I have never seen it but assume it is hollow and would float very well...Just curious what patterns are out there that would use polar bear hair?




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John G.
Albuquerque, NM

[Jayatwork]

It's the wing material of choice for many traditional steelhead wet flies. Calf tail or kid goat are often substituted but aren't quite the same as poar bear. It's not opaque white but rather translucent.

Jay

[William Fitzgerald]

A well known years ago for landlock salmon was "Polar Bear"

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Bill

[yung_canuck3]

dear fishnfool:
I like substituting polar bear for bucktail. I have made polar mickey finns, clouser minnows and decievers. They outfished bucktail 2-1.
regards, yung_canuck

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tight lines, and taught thread

[LadyFisher]

You can substitute the Polar Bear as wing in most saltwater patterns - again, it's the translucent effect which is so deadly.

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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL

[Ronn Lucas]

"...polar bear hair... I have never seen it but assume it is hollow and would float very well..." You know what they say about assuming. [8^)

Polar bear hair is not hollow and it sinks like a rock......well, like Polar Bear hair.

Happy Trails!
Ronn

John,

Polar Bear guard hair does in fact have a hollow core, although I'm not sure how its buoyancy relates to other hollow hairs, but something tells me it is less buoyant since I've only seen subsurface flies using it.

It is also colorless. It was once thought to have fibre optic qualities, but it's since been proven to be light 'scattering/reflecting' (the walls of the core are rough) rather than light 'conducting'. Similar to how snow appears white, although it's made of water.

BTW, one of my favorite flies is the Black Ghost tied with a polar bear wing.

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CD
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Chris Del Plato
Long Valley, NJ

Also -- Art Flick's original Blacknose Dace used polar bear. for the 'white'.



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CD
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Chris Del Plato
Long Valley, NJ

[ducksterman]

As a point of info....for the "Frog-Water" folks ....Denny Richards is now switching to a polar bear pattern for his streamers.

[Fishnfool]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I ordered some from the vendor LF recommended in the other post. Just a note to everyone it is expensive. $6 a sq. inch. 2"X2" square =$24.

The Serious Fisherman
(Legal Polar Bear) USF&W Permit #764657
East 1074 19th Ave.
Spokane, WA 99206
(800) 347-4654

Have a nice day,


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John G.
Albuquerque, NM