Dry Fly Tying
Tying question - dry dubbing and wet dubbing?
I am a beginner fly tier and I have a question about fly dubbing. Is there a difference between wet fly dubbing and dry fly dubbing, or is all dubbing the same? If I buy dubbing at a fly store that doesn't say its for nymphs or dry flies, can I use it for both nymphs and dry flies?
Dry fly dubbing is usually made from a water resistant fiber or natural hair. Beaver hair has natural water repelling properties. Synthetics such as antron also repel water. This characteristic aids in keeping the dry fly afloat. Having said that, a fly made from these materials wont just magically float, they must be tied correctly in order to sit on the water and not break the surface tension , thereby submerging it.
Wet fly dubbing is made from natural hair such as squirrel or rabbit. These types of hair absorb water and help to submerge the fly. Again though,sure the fly will sink to the bottom eventually but, sometimes you need it to sink at a faster rate. Beads help to get the fly down in fast water and circumstances where it might drift off a ledge and you want it to drop immediately.
If all you have at the moment is a box of generic dubbing then by all means, give it a try. Look for spiky little hairs (guard hairs) in there. If you find some then it's probably wet fly dubbing. If it's very fine with no guard hairs then its probably dry fly dubbing.
No matter what it is, the one thing you need to do is to try to get a nice conical taper from the back to the front of the fly. This might take some practice but eventually you will get the hang of it. Remember: tying flies is all about PROPORTIONS.
Good Luck and keep on tying!
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