well…i went to tie a muddler minnow today…and ran into extreme problems. i decided to practice the spinning technique w/ replenishable squirrel hair first, before breaking into my valuable (and scarce :shock: ) deer hair. well…IT DIDNT WORK. donno if this is cuz of the hair or my ways. so seeing how terrible that experiment went, i backed off, and gave it a lump of squirrel hair for a head.
any instructions/ tips on spinning deer hair would be GREATLY appreiciated.!!!
first…use deer hair.
You will need deer hair (not bucktail) or some other thicker, hollow hair. It is actually the compression of the hollow space in the hair that makes it flair as is desired in spinning and stacking. Start there, use heavier thread (at least 6/0, but 3/0 I think is better for learning), and pull hard enough to just avoid cutting the hair. Then pack away. Just don’t push hard enough or off line from the hook to bend it. A few wraps of thread in front of each clump and keep practicing.
Hi dsaavedra,
Spinning deer hair works, in part, because of how deer hair will “flair” when you put tension on it with the tying thread. Squirrel hair just doesn’t have the same response. I think you will find that when you tie on your bunch of deer hair, it’s rather easy to get it to flare simply by pulling down on the tying thread. In fact, it’s more difficult to get deer hair to lay flat for a tail, like with a Royal Wulfe, than it is to get it to explode into a shaving brush. I’ve not tied many spun hair patterns, but I’ve tied a couple. The trick is to make sure the hair flares around the whole hook, and not just the side you are looking at when tying! Check the “far side” too! Spin the hair, pack it back, tie on and spin more in front, etc. When you trim the hair back with your scissors is when you make the final head shape, so don’t worry what it looks like in that way, just make sure the hair is all the way around, and packed nice and tight.
thanks guys. i just tied a muddler. other than my wing splitting apart cuz it sucked, it turned out good. the head doesnt look TOO great…only because i used one clump instead of the normal 3. i didnt want to waste as my kit only came w/ like a 1"x1" patch of deer hair, and most is gone. then next one will be good, as i am using synthetic wings and tails, and im going to use 3 clumps.
Buy good hair in a shop where you can have “Hands On” experience with it…Look for hair that is resilient and Has good clean tips…no signs of broken tips…and Practice…A Lot!!!..It will become second nature faster than you think…!
Before you spin the hair it’s a good idea to get all the under fur out of the clump you selected. This will make spinning the hair a lot easier and make the finished fly look better. The under fur is that very fine fluff found in the deer hair. I use an old tooth brush to brush it out, but they do make combs for this purpose also, the tooth brush works well and cost a heck of a lot less.
I post on the NAFC also, I’m known as flyman there. I just saw your other post asking if there was any one else here from NAFC. Hope this helps you out a little in your hair spinning. Good luck,Dave
To get the underfur out I often just hold by the tips and use a needle or bodkin. I’ve seen people use a piece of velcro (the hook bits) glued to a popsicle stick for this, and to “brush up” dubbed thoraxes to give a good leggy look. Don’t forget to keep all that fine underfur though, as it can make great dubbing material!
Thanks Jeff,
Never thought of velcro before, I’ll have to give that a shot as well !
Tried the bodkin,sewing needle, toothpick approach before, just picked up the old tooth brush one day and gave it shot.Ever since that’s what I’ve been using. Thanks again for the velcro tip! Later, Dave
and all deer hair is not created equal :roll:
Dave for everything you might want to know about deer hair the man to contact is Chris Helms. www.globalflyfisher.com/staff/helm/selecting
You can purchase the correct hair for the fly and it will be the best and not that 1 x 1 piece that you have. Last time we were togrther he had 30 hides drying. All deer are not the same – and he selects the best.
When he spins he will comb the fine hair out, he spins and always makes a half hitch in front after adding each piece and then pack. 
why the :(??? illl prolly be able to get a whole hide from my cousin once deer season starts back up!!!
Yes Dave I hear that all the time–I have deer every year but as I said not all hides are worth treating for fly tying . Your Md deer may not have the winter coat that one from Michigan or Canada would have — read Helms article. You asked for advice and I thought I’d try to help BILL :lol:
k. ill read that.
but i tied another one w/ cloth wings instead of turkey (too hard to handle) and i used lots of hair on the head. it looks good, except my first clump didnt spin so its got a bald patch on da far side. TRIMMING IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT!!! HOW DO SOME PEOPLE USE RAZORS?
If the razor blade (one sided is best so as not to have an accident) is sharp, it helps to get rid of the bulk before using scissors for fine trimming. I have a question. I used to use the tip of an empty ink pen to pack the hair but this has not been very effective to get the spun or stacked bunches tight. I was wondering if I could make a packer rather than ordering one? Something like a set of tweezers with the ends bent inward and small half circle cuts in the center of the bent ends just like a real packer. Any ideas for a homemade hair packer? Thanks.
Get some help from someone–First use the corect material (proper deer hair), follow instructions,trim first with sissors,then use a double edge razor blade. And are you packing hard and tying a half hitch after adding each small clump of Deer Hair?
actually, i didnt pack at all. i forgot about that. and i dont add half hitches…should i?
First use the corect material (proper deer hair), follow instructions,trim first with sissors,then use a double edge razor blade.
Just goes to show, we all do things differently to get the same results. I could not get a proper shape with a razor blade like I can fine trimming with scissors. So I just use the razor blade to get rid of the bulk before trimming to shape.
Robert Chris Helms web site that I added would be a good place for deer hair info. He has a catalog also. We use the double edge razor split the long way for two trimmers–the blade will bend between two fingers forming a arc and if sharp(new) will trim to any dia spun head. Packing with a pen has too large of a dia hole going over the hook eye,it should be just large enought to fit over the hook shank. Any flat item with a notch the dia of the hook. Helms sell a “Brassie Hair Packer” for $4.50 but it is a simple formed brass with a notch that fits over the hook shank. They are shown in some tying catalogs.
Not sure about locations deer come from… but I will be taking several deer in South Dakota this winter.
As I am new to tying, if there are certain areas on a deer that should be saved for tyers, I would be happy to save them and share. 
I should also be able to lay hands on several other items this year, but I do not know if there is a need want for any of them.
Birds: Pheasent (I know to save these, think I am good on skinning the whole skin), Grouse, Dove, Turkey…
Animals: Deer, Gazelle, possibly Elk…