We have come into possession of a tanned beaver pelt that was too damaged to be used by a furrier. Of all the hairs and furs used in our craft I have rarely seen beaver called for. Considering how nice the material seems and the assumed availability of the material from old coats, why is it not called for more often?
Ray,
Because people don’t know how good it is, how easily it is to obtain, how inexpensive it is, how many colors it comes in, and how easy it is to use.
Allan
Because people don’t know how good it is, how easily it is to obtain, how inexpensive it is, how many colors it comes in, and how easy it is to use.
That’s why I don’t use it. It’s cheap and easy :0
Really though try it on some small jigs or mix some dubbing. But keep it a secret, we don’t want to create a need for the critters damming up our streams.
I have just received a baby beaver skin, and also a large piece of adult beaver from an american cousin…
I am looking forward to experimenting making dry fly wings with it. Also blending it to make a nice dubbing.
I will have plenty over to make a Davy Crocket hat!!
I use Beaver on 90 percent of my dry flies and have for many years. I believe it is much beter than the newer dubbings they have come out with. It is shorter in fiber length and will come of the thread if you get to much on. Can’t do that with synthetics. It will also do very small flies very easy. I bleach and dye it the colors I need and have a life time supply of it. Good Stuff for sure. Ron
Welcome back, Ron!!!
Another “experienced” post.
Ron, good to see you back. I was wondering where you went.
Jeremy.
Ditto on the beaver! I’ve used it for years as my go-to medium to light brown dubbing since I have a bunch, given to me by a furrier years ago.
Also on my short list of brown dubbing is raccoon.
You seem to be implying that your beaver is a short fur.
The skins I have have long (1" +) fur… is this a winter coat?
Thanks for the Hi you guy’s. Been a little under the weather with some medical problems but I am OK.
mickporter- I didn’t mean to say that Beaver fur was short it is so fine the it breaks easy or can be cut up without it showing.
On real small flies touch dubbing works great with Beaver fur. Just wax your thread and touch the fur to it and enough will stick to give you a good body. After touching the fur spin it on with your fingers and you will have the finest dubbed body you can get. Ron
[This message has been edited by RonMT (edited 07 April 2006).]
Mick, “fur” is always the winter coat. The summer coat is just “hair”. The difference is not in the length of the coat, but in the under fur. For our purposes the dubbing comes from furs while hairy skins are never made into coats in the first place. There is basically no market for “hair” in the world of fashion. That is why areas don’t open trapping seasons until the furs prime up. When your dog sheds his winter coat, he goes from being furry to being hairy.
Thanks for that Ed.
In the UK fur or even hair is not used as much as over there. We have no real resources like you have. Our native deer is not hunted. Some are culled but it is not naturally available. We have access to squirel tails, bucktails, moleskins and hare etc. But in general tying with fur and hair is not as common as over there.
Buying deerhair in the shops is expensive and provides tiny patches. Its not often that even the type of deer is revealed let alone where from the animal it comes.
I am on a mission to increase the use of fur and hair here, because it makes much more robust flies… so any information I can glean from here is useful.
Mickporter,
Have you ever seen W. H. Lawrie’s book “All Fur Flies and How to Dress Them”?
In this book the author seems to be on a similar mission even replacing feather hackles with fur hackles. Bill
No its a new book to me… But I am sure he is right. I am sure that most of our feather patterns here can have wings at least replaced by fur or hair.
My own flies take a real beating when mouthed and tugged by a toothy trout.
Davy Crocket wore a “Coon Skin” cap (made from Racoon Pelt), not Beaver. Stetson Hats are made from matted Beaver Hair.
~Parnelli
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, Greatest State, in the land of the Free.
Lived in the woods, so he knew every tree, killed him a bear when he was only three.
…Davy, Davy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier…
hehe I saw that film too… your giving away your age now!! I once had a Davy Crocket hat too. Didn’t know about fly tying then. Could have kept me going for a few seasons that hat!!