Seals fur

[silverbutcher]

I,ve recently started fly tying, and today I was tying up bibios. The seals fur I was using seemed very long and was hard to dub on the thread. Once I had managed to get it on the hook it still looked long and untidy.

Is this how it is meant to be, or should I try and cut it smaller with my scissors?

Billy

[Clan Ford]

I think long and straggly is pretty much how its meant to be   Its all about personal preference though, others prefer a tighter neater look.  Quality of seals fur comes into as well - the baby seals fur is probably a little neater and has the same translucent properties.

Norm

[Fishtales]

I have some of the long fur too. I usually just pull it between fingers and thumbs and break it up onto shorter strands before dubbing it. Also, try to get the long strands running down the thread before you start to twist them round the thread, that way they form a rope with the thread and it winds on easier. If you find the rope untwists as you wrap the thread then, when dubbing it on, twist in the opposite direction you were originally twisting to dub it. If you spin it right and it untwists when winding on then spin it left.

[nant_fisher]

If its bibios your tying up the straggly look can be very effective.

[silverbutcher]

Thanks guys, I'll have another go and I'll let you know how I get on. I know the dubbing is meant to be quite straggly but it just didn't look right. I think the problem was the badly dubbed rope unwinding as you suggested it might be Sandy. I'll try pulling the strands apart and twisting the other way.

All the best

Billy

[just_steven]

Hi Billy,

When you put your dubbing on the thread, make your 1st couple of turns on the hook so that it traps a few of the fibres. If you give the dubbing a twist now you'll get a tighter dubbing rope, which should cancel some of the stragglyness. If it's too fat just pull the dubbing down the thread a bit until you get the thickness you want. A rib or hackle on top of this will bind it down even more.
If it's not straggly enough then a quick scrub up with some velcro should do the trick!

Happy tying!

Steve

[silverbutcher]

Thanks for that Steve.

All the best

Billy

[HUMUNGUS]

Hi Billy
Go to Youtube and type in Davie McPhail's name.
There are videos of Davie tying up flies. Go to the video where he is tying the snatcher and he shows you exactly what you are looking for. Once you have a nice dubbed body you can use velcro to mess it up to your liking.
All the best.
Craig.