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Dubbing coarse natural and
synthetic materials
Wayne Luallen

 

 

When tying bodies for flies such as Atlantic Salmon flies that call for a coarse dubbing such as seal or a seal substitute, my preference in most cases is to have a body with a loose, stringy appearance. To achieve this I have found that the combination of a specific type of dubbing teaser (described below) and some specific dubbing techniques achieve my desired result.

Though much of the discussion has been in regard to salmon and steelhead flies, the principles are not exclusive to them. Smaller flies can be dubbed with coarse dubbing following the previously described techniques. Pictured below are a few examples of different styles and sizes of coarsely dubbed trout flies. It can be useful to represent legs and gills, movement, highlights of different colors, as well as a provide a halo effect surrounding a body.

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