Guide to Basic Dubbing Materials

The term “dubbing” is used for fly tying materials used to make artificial flies, which means thoroughly mixed blends of natural fur and synthetic hairs and materials of all kinds of colors and structures. Natural dubbings are most often used for naturally occurring bodies of artificial flies. With synthetic or brightly colored dubbings we can tie the highlighting elements of the flies that act as a trigger point for fish. Of course, dubbings can be combined and blended to achieve original blends, and thanks to these dubbings, we can tie very effective artificial fly patterns for all possible fly fishing disciplines.

NATURAL DUBBINGS

Hare Dubbing: The fur from the Hare is characterized by medium coarse, which makes this tying material great dubbing for bodies of river and still water nymphs, wet flies and dry flies. The color of this natural and well-available material is not clear and specific as other dubbing mixtures, but it is precisely why this tying material is interesting for fly tiers. The rough and dark fibers reliably imitate the legs and other parts of imitated insects. Dubbing from the Hare is obtained mainly from his body fur, which is not as harsh as we are used to in a mixture of the “Hare Mask” type or the very well known “Hare’s Ear.” Therefore, it is well applied on the tying thread and is a universal dubbing for all kinds of flies.

Rabbit Fur Dubbing: Rabbit Fur Dubbing is one of the finest materials that makes it work very well, which is its undisputed advantage. Another plus is its good availability, so it’s a very cheap dubbing material. Thanks to its easy dyeability, it comes in a wide variety of color shades. To increase the efficiency of flies from this material it is advisable to add a small amount of coarse or synthetic glossy material, such as Spectra Dubbing, Microflash Dubbing, Metallic Dubbing or Gleamy Dubbing.  The fine structure and good water absorption make it an excellent dubbing or nymphs, wet flies and small and medium sized trout streamers.

Muskrat Dubbing: Muskrat Dubbing is a unique, superfine dubbing material that makes it possible to build heavy leaded nymphs extremely thin. This dubbing material is highly suited for nymphs designed for shy and spooky fish or careful trout. Thin types of flies are great for low and extremely clear water, where each fly must act as naturally as possible. Another indisputable advantage is the origin of this material – Muskrat is an animal living in the water. It is generally known that the fly tying material and fur from aquatic animals are more natural in water – the refraction of light, the binding of air bubbles, etc.

Opossum Dubbing: A mixture of American Opossum is a medium-coarse type of natural dubbing that is particularly suited for tying bodies of river and lake nymphs and wet flies. Thanks to the medium coarse hair, it can also be used as an alternative seal fur for finer chironomids and buzzer flies, which are very useful when fishing still water trout. This material is fly tier friendly on the thread, because it is not so tough and unattractive as the already mentioned seal fur dubbing. The American Opossum mixture consists of fine undercoat fur fibers and coarser fibers. Flies with bodies from this type of material will have the correct and natural shape. It is an indispensable dubbing material that is very natural and attractive for fish in water.

Seals Fur Dubbing: The gloss and translucence of the coarse seals fur, resulting in literally the brightness of the flies, make this fly tying material exceptional and hard to overcome. Without seal dubbing, we can hardly imagine patterns of still-water flies, such as Chironomids, Buzzers, various types of natural nymphs, wet flies such as Bibio, Zulu, or dry flies like Hoppers and Emergers. Seal’s fur can be mixed with other natural or synthetic materials, making it a have very attractive effect for fish. With the coarse and hardly adaptable seals fur, it is more difficult to work because it does not hold tightly on the tying thread, but it defeats this handicap by features on our flies.

American Squirrel Dubbing: Excellent mixture of medium coarse natural dubbing from American Squirrels fur. Squirrel fur contains a coarser undercoat and tougher fur fibers, which creates a unique structure that is great for river nymphs, wet flies,  but also still water chironomids, emergers, and sub-surface fly patterns which are superb for residential rainbow and brown trout.

Deer Hair Dubbing: This dubbing is very special, and because of its high coarseness and poor adaptability of the individual fibers is used exclusively for dubbing with the loop This mixture is best suited for making credible body of Peeping Caddis patterns, bodies of larger dry flies and Goddard Sedge style caddis, or for heads of Muddler Minnows trout streamer. The dry flies tied with the body of this dubbing are unsinkable and excellent for the purpose of dry fly fishing for big trout or chub.

Czech Nymph Dubbing: Czech Nymph Dubbing is a great and very versatile natural dubbing material usable for all types of nymphs and wet flies, although its main use is to tying the original Czech Nymph patterns. This dubbing is unique in its extensive color range and its structure, which is achieved by using several natural fur mixtures that have been mixed in a blend of very fine undercoat and coarser fibers of individual furs. This makes it very easy to process this material when you are tying flies.

Blend Dubbing: Blend Dubbing is a combination of several natural furs that carry the main color shade and dense structure. These glossy fibers have a decisive influence on the effectiveness of flies tied with this material. This is a fine type of dubbing, therefore it is more suitable for flies such as Czech Nymphs, modern wet flies, pupas or dry fly caddis patterns. This material is also suitable for tying trout streamers.

Alpaca Dubbing: Fine Alpaca Dubbing is natural Alpaca. Alpacas fur length vary between 2 and 3 centimeters long, has circular a cross-section, is not transparent and does not reflect light. This dubbing is very universal and easy to work with. Mix it with a little CDC floatant to get super floating flies. The hair from Alpaca skin is used in many nymph, wet and dry fly patterns.

SYNTHETIC DUBBINGS

Antron Dubbing: Antron is a versatile synthetic dubbing material that is suited for the bodies of mayflies, pupae, nymphs, but is also a favorite material for tying fine and small trout or perch streamers. Antron can be used alone or even in dubbing mixtures with other synthetic or natural materials. In the water it works naturally due to its transparency.

Microflash Dubbing: This is the finest of dubbing of a similar type, i.e., dubbings with a high iridescent shine. Microflash Dubbing is therefore very suitable for the smallest and the finest species of flies. Microflash Dubbing is good to add to common, especially natural, dubbings or we can use it separately as distinctive trigger points in the form of “hearts” and the thorax of all kinds of nymphs and lake lures, or the colorful butts of caddis dry flies.

UV-ICE Dubbing: UV ICE Dubbing is another dubbing material with high ultraviolet iridescent shine and has a brilliant sparkle underwater and dubs beautifully. Special Ice Dub holographic and UV colors provide any fly with extra sparkle. Glossy fibers in this blend significantly influence the efficiency of flies, and even a small amount of this material that we add to common – especially natural – dubbings has a decisive impact on the attractiveness of flies. UV ICE Dubbing is therefore an ideal material for tying dries or nymphs and is a fantastic all around dub. Ice Dub can also be mixed with natural dubbing fibers for added translucence.

Superfine Dubbing: Very fine synthetic dubbing suitable for making bodies of all types of flies. Interesting effects will be achieved by mixing this synthetic material with natural dubbings. Super Fine is the dubbing to reach for when tying dry flies. Permanently waterproofed, Super Fine Dubbing is made specifically for dry fly tying. Its “super fine” synthetic filaments allow the tier to create tightly packed dubbing bodies which resist soaking up water. Even in tiny BWO or Trico patterns, Super Fine creates small bodies with ease. Because the dubbing filaments are so fine, it’s also super easy to dub with.