Synthetic materials

[dscapuano]

I am a beginner, so here goes.
What are some good synthetic materials that replace natural ones? For example, can anything replace bucktail? Rabbit fur? etc. With the price of gas its closer for me to go to a local craft store than to travel down to the only store in the county that actually carries the natural stuff. I mail order a lot, but I get tired of paying shipping when my sales tax is a lot less.
Thanks,
dc

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Many men go fishing all of their lives
without knowing that it is not fish they
are after.

Henry David Thoreau

[James Smith]

DC,

While some natural materials can be very successfully substituted, I don't think that you will find the best substitutes in a craft store. Synthetic fur (i.e. craft fur) can be found at most craft stores, but Polar fiber (made for tying flies) is a far superior product and will give you better results. I don't know of anything that really fits the bill for rabbit fur, but then you should be able to find tanned rabbit pelts at the craft store. In short, there are many items found in craft stores that are great for tying flies, however, I would not recommend that you limit yourself to only shopping there for your fly tying suppies as you will limit your tying and probably not enjoy yourself as much. Just one man's opinion.

Jim Smith

[Bamboozle]

dc:

IF you are lucky enough to know any hunters you MAY be able to secure lots of free stuff. I still have about 8 pair of goose wings and 3/4 of a whole deer hide given to me by hunters I approached in the gym a zillon years ago after overhearing their conversations about hunting. Old fur pieces can sometimes be found in flea markets for next to nothing.

Another treasure trove of free stuff are furriers IF you have any nearby. Their scraps are useless to them and priceless to you. A good trick here is to send a cute kid into the shop to ask. A lot of furriers are crotchety old Greeks like me .

Good luck.

[hikepat]

I have used Craft Fur cut into strips as a sub for Rabbit strips on a few of my steelhead flies such as the Pink worm and used the stips to make Spring creek specials and other leech rabbit patterns. I also use some craft fur instead of bucktail in some of my streamers. Some of the left over scrap fur from the craft fur makes a good but not great dubbing as long as you cut it up enough, though I have found little use for the Pink left overs yet. The main trouble I have found is finding good quality craft fur at a craft store. I get mine at my local fly shop for $2 or so for a 12"X12" which is large enough peice to last at least a few years. The craft fur that I have found in the craft stores in my area has to short of fur fibers for the flies I like to tie the most from it such as my saltwater and Steelhead flies.
You can get many good deals at craft stores such as stretch lace, colored wire, beads, floss, yarn, etc and Peacock feathers and Goose quills and once in a blue moon other usable feathers but for the most part like 99.999% the other feathers are total junk for tying flies with. Even with the Goose quills really look them over first before buying.
I feel it good to go both to the craft store and the fly shop to get tying supplies at. Each carries things that the other does not.

[kgilroy]

I'm not a big fan of shipping costs either, but most are less than two gallons of gas. kev

[Jgoding]

Is Craft Fur always synthetic? I think I read somewhere it is sometimes Icelandic sheep hair as well... In my opinion, most synthetics can't beat top quality real materials... Synthetics do make nice flashy flies though and you can get more colors etc...

Jeff

You can always check out the local taxidermist, too. I have gotten quite a variety of materials from them.


Mike

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There is no greater fan of flyfishing than the worm.


Patrick McManus

[MR.JML]

I agree,
Check out a local taxidermist, or even hunt yourself. You get good materials that way.
Also order online. Many times you get better prices then going into a local fly shop for materials (& it saves on the gas) !!! There is no good substitute for natural materials. Synthetics have their place in many patterns (especially mine). I have a real fondness for Swiss Straw for wing material !!!!! Glass Beads I get at Michaels, Organza at Jo Anns.....etc.

[xisintheend]

The closest fly shop I have available to me is about 100 miles away,but I have found a good solution to that. I just buy all of fly tying supplies at a local bait shop. The bait shop doesn't have any fly tying or fly fishing materials but the owner still orders the stuff for me and gives it to me at the price he pays for it which is alot less than the regular price minus alone not including the shipping! The only downside to that is that I can't walk into a fly shop and see everything that they have to offer but that is still fine with me since I have the internet and anything that I need to know about fly tying materials or tools is on the net!

Marko

[mickporter]

I have gone this route myself mate. I went to the craft shops to save money. I picked up lots of what I considered to be big bargains.

The problem was that most items you will buy there will not be waterproof. Having coloured dye pooling around your fishing flies may or may not attract fish, but will certainly not be popular with fishery managers!! When your fly is removed from water, instead of a beatiful red and yellow creation you will end up with a dirty grey mess.

I also had same problems with foam to a lesser extent. My problems with that was the amount of water it absorbed. It was like a sponge and a floating fly became a sinking monster.......