Dubbing

 

Dubbing is material that is wrapped around the thread and usually applied to the fly pattern as a body material. Dry flies generally require a fine textured dubbing while nymph patterns usually utilize a coarser dubbing with guard hairs present. Dubbing materials can be either natural or synthetic. A generalism exists that fur from land animals such as squirrel, rabbit, fox, etc. will sink more readily than water-based animals such as Muskrat, Beaver, Seal, etc. so that land animal fur should be used for nymphs and water-based animals for dry fly dubbing. This statement often does not hold true, particularly since most of the commercial furs have gone through a tanning procedure which has removed most of the natural oils. Some of your best nymphal and dry fly dubbings can come from either source. Pay more attention to the texture and color of the dubbing to suit your purpose. Many vendors supply blended materials with a mutitude of color shades. Natural fine dubbings especially good for dry flies are beaver and muskrat since they have a very fine structure. Hare's Ear and Squirrel make superb nymphal dubbings with their guard hairs present. Rabbit and Angora Goat make excellent leech-type flies since they absorb water and have long undulating fibers.

Hareline Dubbin

A small family-owned company in Monroe, Oregon providing fly tying materials since 1981. Under the leadership of Bob and Nelda Border, Hareline became one of the largest providers of fly tying materials in the United States. Bill Keough, Keough's Hackles, of Mendon, Michigan bought the firm in 2016 and the firm has continued to prosper with the management intact. During that year of 2016, Hareline also purchased Spirit River Fly Tying Materials from Bill Black, the founder.

Hareline Superfine Dubbing

Fine, long synthetic fibers. Dubs easily for fine dry fly bodies. Permanently waterproof. 24 colors: Color Chart

Hareline Dubbing
Colors: Adams Gray, Amber, Black, Blue Dun, Blue Wing Olive, Brown, Caddis Green, Callibaetis, Cinnamon Caddis, Dark Tan, Golden Olive, Gray Olive, Henkrickson Pink, Light Cahill, Mahogany Brown, Olive, Olive Brown, Pale Evening Dun, Pale Morning Dun, Pale Yellow, Rusty Brown, Sulphur Orange, Tan, White

Hareline Dubbing

All-natural rabbit fur dubbing blend with some guard hairs. Can be used on a wide range of flies, paticularly nymphs. Color Chart

Hareline Dubbing
Colors: Black, Yellow, Red, Brown, Green Damsel, Purple, Sand, Orange, Hendrickson Pink, Light Gray, Hot Orange, Chocolate, Olive, Peacock, Insect Green, Stonefly, Rust, Adams Gray, Light Cahill, Ginger, Hendrickson Nymph, Cream, Pale Yellow, Dark Olive, Hares Ear, Dark Hares Ear, Golden Brown, Amber, Olive Brown, Cinnamon Caddis, Rusty Orange, Light Olive, Caddis Green, March Brown, Dark Dun, Olive Dun, Olive Hares Ear.

Hare-Tron

A blend of Hare's Ear dubbing and Antron. The Antron gives the dubbing a sparkle and translucency. 25 colors available. Excellent for caddis pupa imitations and many nymphs. Color Chart

Hare-Tron Dubbing
Colors: Cinnamon Caddis, Lt Olive Brown, Burnt Orange, Light Cahill, Golden Brown, Light Grey, Golden Stone, Caddis Green, Creamy Grey, Seal Brown, Olive Brown, Pale Yellow, Olive, Mck Caddis Green, Ginger, Grey, Dark Dun, Black, Yellow, Pink Shrimp, Dark Brown, Olive Dun, Dark Olive, Pale Olive, Olive Tan, March Brown

Ice Dubbing

A flash dubbing blend of very fine synthetic and pearlescent mylar. Similar to lite brite, it is cut finer and easier to dub. Good for emerger wings. 24 colors available. Color Chart

Ice Dubbing
Colors: Pearl,Pink,Chocolate Brown,UV Tan,Flo. Shell Pink,UV Cinnamon,UV Light Olive,UV Dun,Olive Brown,Rusty Brown,Olive,UV Pearl,UV Brown,Flo. Hot Pink,Hot Yellow,Light Yellow,UV Grey, Peacock,Peacock Black,UV Black,Golden Brown,Caddis Green,Chartreuse,UV Shrimp Pink

Lite Brite

This was a product acquired by Hareline from Spirit River in 2016. 26 colors available. Made of long coarse fibers of shredded mylar that are reflective. Some colors are metallic. Can be blended into other dubbings for nymphs, stoneflies, caddis emergers. Color Chart

Lite Brite
Colors:Black, Yellow, Copper, Gold, Pearl Blue, Minnow Blue, Silver, Fire Fox Peacock, Pearl Green/Olive, Pearl Green, Pearl Blue/Olive, Bronze Brown, Ocean Blue, Pearl Blue/Black, Dark Olive, Purple Haze,Burgundy, Polar Pearl, Copper Pearl, Hot Yellow, River Green, Chartreuse, Salmon Pink, Rainbow, Ruby Red, Deep Blue

Fine & Dry

19 colors available. Permanently waterproof. Good for dry flies and emergers. Blend contains very fine poly fibers with antron for highlights and sparkle. Can form very tight, thin bodies down to #28 and colors can be blended.

Fine & Dry
Colors: Adams Gray, BW Olive, Chartreuse, Chocolate Brown, Dark Olive, Golden Stone, Hendrickson Pink, Hexagenia Tan, Insect Green, Lt Cahill, Cream, Light Olive, Light Tan, March Brown, PM Dun, Rust, Sulfur Yellow, Trico Black, White

Wapsi

Wapsi of Mountain Home, Arkansas is the largest wholesale supplier of fly tying materials in the world. Wapsi actually started in Independence, Iowa by Lacey Gee in 1945. A friend of Lacey owned the Wapsi Produce Company and provided some financial assistance, so Lacey's new company was named the Wapsi Fly Company. Tom and Ann Schmuecker bought the company in 1973 and moved their family and Wapsi to Mountain Home, Arkansas in 1978. The promise of milder climate, great fishing, and new facilities provided the incentive. Their Super Fine Dry Dubbing is an industry standard,

Super Fine Dry Fly Dubbing

29 colors available. Permanently waterproof. Very fine synthetic dubbing for small, tight bodies. Can be used on flies in the #24 to #30 range. Particularly usefull for small midge dubbing.

Super Fine
Colors: red midge, damsel blue, amber, black, blue dun, blue wing olive, brown, brown olive, caddis green, Callibaetis, cinnamon caddis, dark tan, chartreuse, golden olive, green drake, grey olive, Pink Hendrickson, mahogany, March Brown, olive, Pale Morning Dun, Pale Evening Dun, pale yellow, rusty brown, sulphur ornage, sulphur yellow, tan, white, Light Cahill

Rabbit Dubbing

25 colors available. An all-purpose dubbing used mainly for nymphs and wet flies. Rabbit has guards hairs which give it a "buggy" appearance. There are no natural oils to the fur and it does not have the properties of a dry fly dubbing.


Colors: White, Cream, Yellow, Blue Dun, Grey, Tan, Ginger, Brown, Rusty Brown, Red, Light Olive, Caddis Green, Green, Olive, Brown Olive, Purple, Cinnamon Caddis, Black, Pink, Amber, Charcoal Grey, Squirrel Belly, Natural and Dark Olive.

Antron Dubbing

33 colors available. One of the most widely used materials in dubbing blends. Will add sparkle and hold air bubbles giving the fly a natural translucence.

AntronBright Antron
Colors: Fl Fire Orange, Cahill Cream, Medium Olive, Damsel Olive, Peacock Blue, Golden Olive, Highlander Green, Crayfish Orange, Chestnut, Charcoal Grey, March Brown, Light Olive, Shrimp Pink, Deep Purple, Dark Olive, Fl Chartreuse, Bright Yellow, Lt Olive Dun, Black, White, Fl Yellow, Hexagenia, Hare's Ear, Forest Green, Golden Stone, Lt Grey, Rust, Red, Green, Claret, Fl Pink, Fl Yellow, Fl Orange

Angora Goat

25 colors available. Angora Goat is used as a seal substitute. Long fibers.

Angora Goat
Colors: Black, Camel, Fluo.Orange, Green, Gray, Iron Gray, Dark Brown, Light Cahill, Olive Dun, Olive, Orange, Purple, Rusty Dun, Red, Fire Orange, Rusty Brown, Tan, White, Yellow, Pink, Fluo.Chartreuse, Wine, Lt.Olive

Umpqua Feather Merchants

Umpqua Feather Merchants was started by Dennis Black in 1972 in Roseburg, Oregon. In 1969, Randall Kaufmann and Dennis tied 12-15 dozen flies each per day under the name of Black's Custom Flies. A fire consumed the operation in late 1972 and Dennis reogranized his business as Umpqua Feather Merchants tying flies out of an A-frame cabin on the banks of the North Umpqua river. He had a business relationship with Hoffman Hackles and a connection to fly tiers in Madras, India. In 1985, Umpqua started a long-time relationship with Tiemco Hooks as their National Distributor and, in 1995, bought Metz Farms for their hackle needs. Dennis sold his interest in Umpqua in 1998. The company did well and ownership was changed to Hans Borsch in 2003. In 2006, the business was moved to Lewiston, CO so that shipments of flies could be made with the greatest effiency with 3 day shipping to 90% of it's customers.

Superfine Dubbing

25 colors available.

Superfine
Colors: Black, Brown, Hot Orange, Tan, Grey, Green, Golden Olive, Copper Brown, Hot White, Silver, Olive, Amber, Hot Chartreuse , Rust, Red, Ginger, Copper, Wine, Hot Gold, Hot Yellow, Hot Fl. Orange, Pink

Nature's Spirit

A small family-owned company in Kooskia, Idaho. Joel and Julie Weimer started the company sometime after the year 2000. The company was noted for the quality hair selection of both Elk and Deer. The company branched into a full-service distribution of fly tying products coming up with some very earthy colorations for both feathers and hairs. The Emergence Dubbing is an industry standard. The company was sold to Thomas Lamphere in 2020, who was their manager for many years.

Emergence Dubbing

12 colors available.

Superfine
Nature’s Spirit Emergence Dubbing is a fine, short fibered, synthetic, trilobal antron blend. Easy to dub and provides spikiness. Ideal for tying various emerger patterns.12 compartment box with holes for easy removal of the dubbing. Natural Colors: BWO, PMD Brown, Cream, Peacock Green, Muskrat Gray, Caddis Green, Tan, Gray Olive, Brown Olive, Golden Stone, Charcoal Black and Hare’s Ear. See Color Chart.  12 Color Dispenser