FLY TYING: Material

[John Pierce]

LISTED ALPHABETICALLY

BEADS
USES: Adding a head onto hook, adding weight to wet flies.

BRAID
DESCRIPTION: V thin thread woven reflective plastic.
USES:

CHENILLE
DESCRIPTION: Like pipe cleaner material but thread not wire, comes in Medium, Ultra etc thicknesses and in soft pipe cleaner type material or tinsel.
USES: Building fly body ie Wooly Bugger fly, making San Juan Worm flies.

CRYSTAL (KRYSTAL) FLASH
DESCRIPTION: V thin strands of reflective krinkly plastic.
USES: Making fly antenna, legs etc

DUBBING / DUBBIN
DESCRIPTION: Any sort of natural or synthetic fuzzy material.
USES: Spun or twisted around a thread to help make fly body.
BRANDS:

• Hareline: Ice series is most popular as ties on nicely and sparkles underwater as holographic and UV colours. Senyo's Fusion line is a blend of Trilobal and Ice Dub.

FEATHERS
DESCRIPTION: Bird feathers, commonly from roosters.
BIRD LOCATION: Cape = Feathers around neck, Saddle = Back of bird, Hackle.
CONTAINER: Loose, strung/sewn together in a strip, bird skin.
USES:

FLASH / FLASHABOU
DESCRIPTION: V thin strands of reflective flat plastic.
USES: Making fly antenna, legs etc

HAIR
DESCRIPTION: Natural Deer Hair.
USES: Building dry flies ad hair is hollow and thus provides buoyancy.

HOSE
DESCRIPTION: Thin rubber hollow hose, often called Squirmy Wormy.
USES: Making Squirmy Wormy Worm flies.

MARABOU
DESCRIPTION: Very fine, dense, downy and very fluffy/velvety short length feathers. Can buy loose or strung together.
USES:

THREAD
USES: Building body on hook and tying other materials onto hook.
SPOOLS: Plastic of standard height to fit in bobbin, often come with plastic cap on one end holding down front end of thread.
LENGTHS: Normally 50 or 100 yds or meters. Some thick spools can be 100 yds and thin 50 yds.
WEIGHTS: Measured in older Aught scale or newer Denier scale, examples:

• Super Heavy 1/0 ~= 600D
• Heavy 3/0 ~= 180D
• Medium 6/0 ~= 100D
• Light 8/0 ~= 70D
• Super Light 12/0 ~= 50D
• Ultra Light 18/0 ~= 30D

BRANDS:

• Superfly's Superthread Flat: 3/0, 6/0 (JP says good), 8/0.
• UNI's Thread (50 or 200 yds, polyester): 3/0 (heavy), 6/0 (medium), 8/0 (light).
• Wapsi's UTC's Ultra Thread (100 yds, stretchable nylon): 280 Denier (extra heavy, Saltwater flies), 210 Denier (heavy, large Streamers), 140 Denier (medium, size 2-16 hooks), 70 Denier (light, size 16 hooks).
• Veevus (100m, advertise 2X strength): 6/0 (extra extra heavy), 8/0, 10/0 (too light for JohnP), 12/0, 14/0, 16/0 (extra thin).

WIRE
USES: Add weight to sinking fly, add durability to fly vs fish bites.
BRANDS:

• Wapsi's UTC's Ultra Wire: Large (26 gauge) (0.0180"), Medium (28 gauge) (0.0126"), Brassie (32 gauge) (0.0080"), Small (34 gauge) (0.0063"), Extra-small (38 gauge) (0.0040")

YARN
DESCRIPTION: V fuzzy plastic string.
USES: