Without a doubt, dubbing is one of the most versatile tying materials of all time. In fact, we’d go so far as to say there isn’t a material out there that can be incorporated into a fly in more ways than dubbing can.
However, regardless of its versatility, working with dubbing is not overly straight forward, particularly those new to tying flies. That’s why we thought it might be a good idea to put together a post on three different methods of managing dubbing for better looking flies. Deneki staffer, Jason Whiting, dishes out the details.
Enjoy!
Dubbing Management – 3 Methods
For all you fly tyers out there, one material you’ve likely seen more than ever of in recent years, whether in fly shops, magazines, or fly tying videos, is dubbing.
Nowadays, these little bags of fuzz are available in more combinations of flash, color, and texture than ever before. This is for one simple reason – Dubbing is super cool, and can be used in a ton of different ways, for a ton of different flies!
But what happens once you buy this messy ball of fibers? How do you turn it into a manageable tying material? Here are 3 ways to handle dubbing fresh out of the package.
1. Twist It
2. Stack It
3. Re-Stack It
When it comes down to it, dubbing is an extremely versatile material that can be used in all types of fly patterns. And, even though it seems like a messy material all clumped up in its packaging, its actually very simple to clean up and handle once you get the hang of it.
Is it not true that when you twist dubbing onto the thread that if you twist the dubbing clockwise onto the thread it tightens the dubbing as you wrap, and visa-versa…..counter-clockwise loosens the dubbing when wrapped.