Mike G Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 Lately I have seem a lot of videos where fur is cut from a rabbit hide, spun in a loop to create a hackle and then wrapped and trimmed to shape. I think it was a Shank pattern. Why not just use a rabbit strip for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtroester Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 mike, some times it might not make a difference. i have found it to be less bulky and is poosible to be a lot less bulky. when the fly is wet the fur without the leather strip will shed water more readily and weigh less casting. a dubbing loop can be used on a smaller hook than a strip. why? because it is fun! when i started using the technique a lot fewer people were using it. now that it is being made so popular i will have to look for some other way to be different. timothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom L Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 I'm a big fan of Dubbing Loop also. Timothy hit on several good points (less bulk, less weight, fun to tie) of the Dubbing Loop. One other thing I would like to add to that is the flexibility to customize the loop and let your imagination rolls, for example: you can add flashes, mix up colors or materials and so on. For small flies (size 10 or smaller), I like to split the thread instead of looping the thread. The downside to the Dubbing Loop technique is that it is more time consuming to tie, it requires a little bit of practice, and it can be downright messy. One final note on this: WAX is your friend in this technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 TJ, I sees the point about bulk. And dubbing loops certainly have become popular. In one video I watched a guy use the bulldog clamp method to cut the fibers from a Puglisi brush, use those fibers to recreate the brush in a dubbing loop, and wrap that on the front hook of a tandem streamer. Since I see you make boo rods, I should not be surprised you like loops "doing things the hard way." (If God wanted us to make bamboo rods, he would not have created glass and graphite blanks.) Let me guess. I bet you like to spin deer hair bugs too. Tom, Thanks for bringing out more advantages of loops. General I have in mind making some super sized Schenk Minnows # 1/0 or 2 3xl. Since I want the hair of the bunny fur to be as long as possible, I think the strip is the way to go. In those sizes bulk is not such an issue. Thanks for comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich mc Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 mike just use the snuggle up yarn i gave you furl it for a long tail and wrap the body . same length of hair as rabbit without the hide, i have two dozen tied up for the tinley show and some also tied on jigheads . rich mc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtroester Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 mike, my introduction to using the dubbing loop was tying leisenring wet flys, then scot hair hackling techniques. it is just one more tool on the belt. lately dubbing loops seem to be a short cut for obtaining large flies that would cost you a sawbuck in a fly shop. i do not like spinning deer hair. i can do it, i have done it but aside for a muddler minnow or two i would just as soon not do it. i also avoid genetic hackle, hot spots, bobbers and the new nymphing techniques formally referred to as jigging. i make bamboo rods and have fished bamboo since i was a kid. "plastic" rods have their place. i do believe in "upping the odds" as a way to increase my enjoyment. then some people like reclining on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn in front of the boob tube. there is a definite learning curve with dubbing loops. i enjoy learning new things. there are things i did not enjoy learning. timothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 13 hours ago, rich mc said: mike just use the snuggle up yarn i gave you furl it for a long tail and wrap the body . same length of hair as rabbit without the hide, i have two dozen tied up for the tinley show and some also tied on jigheads . rich mc Got it Rich. Problem is true believers in the loop will cut the fibers off of the cord and spin them into a new cord reinventing the wheel. The yarn and the products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtroester Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 mike, like you, i would wonder why someone would do that. this isn't where i would employ a dubbing loop. timothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich mc Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 mike i think you only had snuggle up yarn on the bottom fly the others were wendy eider chunky yarn. i will try to do a demo at my tinley show booth let me know what time you could be there rich mc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 rich, Tinley? I won't be there. Are you doing the Rockford Show? The ISA NW will be glad to see you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich mc Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 no to rockford. but i am looking at the hawkeye show in bettendorf march 3rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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