Dubbing a body

**The fly fisher** · 05-07-2010, 06:30 PM

[quote author=afishinado link=topic=4356.msg34722#msg34722 date=1273232680]
FYI. Here is a link to an unbelievable amount of info on dubbing and techniques:

http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/i...ay&thread=4046
[/quote]

That there proves no one looks at my links!

???
I just put that up. ;D

**Loupe** · 05-07-2010, 11:41 PM

I dig the idea of blending cdc fibers in the dubbing... cdc+superfine could make a killer dry fly body.

And I love the look of that Law vice... I want one of those bad

**Silver Creek** · 05-08-2010, 01:14 AM

[quote author=Bowtech link=topic=4356.msg34277#msg34277 date=1271896153]
I'm a novice at fly tying and watch all of the videos on TPO and others and when they dub the fly body the come up with nice tight tapered body. When I do I never get that nice tight uniformed tapered body. It always seem I can see where ever I stopped and added dubbing to the thread to continue forward. Any suggestions on forming nice even uniformed dubbed bodies?
[/quote]

This seems to be a popular topic because I just answered a simlar question on this SEFF.

http://www.southeastflyfishingforum....ax-t35792.html

I also wrote wrote an tying "tip" that describes the dubbing technique I use. It was published in Fly Tyer Magazine in 2002. I suggest you try this technique before giving up on traditional dubbing.

Here is the article:

"Noted Wisconsin fly tyer Royce Dam taught me the single most helpful dubbing technique I have ever learned. It’s a technique for dubbing tight dry fly bodies without using dubbing wax. I’d like to pass it on. The directions are for a right-handed tyer. Lefties will need to make the reversal.

I am assuming that you wrap thread around the hook in the normal fashion by wrapping away from yourself over the top of the hook and then back underneath, and so on. Wrap the hook with thread, tie in a tail and take the tread back to the back of the hook so that you are ready to dub the body. Do not wax the thread.

For a right-hander, dub the fur clockwise on the thread as seen from the top of the hook. The clockwise direction is critical, as you will see later. Taper the dubbing noodle so that you have a fine dubbing tip at the top of the thread. Unwrap one or two wraps of thread from the tie in point and push the dubbing up the thread so that the fine point of dubbing is at the tie in point. If you wax the thread, the dubbing will stick to the thread, and it will be difficult to advance it up the thread to the tie in point.

Take one or two wraps of thread to fix the tip of dubbing at the tie in point. This wrap traps the end of the dubbing so that is cannot spin free. Grasp the bottom end of the dubbing noodle, and dub/twist it clockwise on the thread. It should spin around the thread getting tighter and tighter since the tip is fixed under the first wrap. Hold on to the bottom of the dubbing so that it cannot untwist and wrap your dubbing forward on the hook. With each wrap of the thread, the dubbing and thread will twist tighter and tighter so that you end up with a very tight, compact and tapered body.

The wax-less technique takes advantages of the fact that as you wind the dubbing around the hook shank, you introduce an additional twist into the dubbing. The dubbing twists one revolution for each wrap. The secret to forming a tightly dubbed body is to use this additional twisting to your advantage."

For nymphs allow the dubbing to untwist as you wrap to get just the amount of bugginess rather than a tight compact body.

You can precisely control the diameter of the dubbing as you wind. Without wax you can push the dubbing up the thread to widen the dubbing noodle or pull down to narrow the dubbing. Or you can twisting tighter if you used too much dubbing to narrow the body or allowing it to untwist to widen it. By using these two additional techniques you get exactly the tapered body you want."

**afishinado** · 05-08-2010, 07:26 AM

[quote author=xXFLYFISHXx link=topic=4356.msg34730#msg34730 date=1273271435]
[quote author=afishinado link=topic=4356.msg34722#msg34722 date=1273232680]
FYI. Here is a link to an unbelievable amount of info on dubbing and techniques:

http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/i...ay&thread=4046
[/quote]

That there proves no one looks at my links!

???
I just put that up. ;D
[/quote]

Sorry xX, I was in too much of a hurry. Carry on!

**Bowtech** · 05-10-2010, 07:11 PM

Thanks to all the posted replies. I see there are 2 schools of thought on wax on or wax off. I will try both but the general theme is LESS IS BEST and then that is probably TOO MUCH!