Thread v. Dubbing bodies???

[FlySmyth]

Do some flies work any better or any worse for that matter when tied with just thread versus a dubbing body? Or vice versa?

Thanks.

Ken.

PS Fished the P today and got snowed off. It was coming in sideways.

[Trout4x]

Yes and no.


Why do you ask? Are you trying to make it float longer or make a smaller body?

[FlySmyth]

Do I understand you correctly?

One either gets "floats longer" or "smaller body?"

[RAW]

Are you talking nymphs or dries?

Dubbing if not twisted too tight, will create small air spaces and actually help a fly float better in most cases. Of course, there are many factors to consider, such as: wing, hackle, style of fly etc.

[RichardJL]

I am reading a book by Dave Hughs in wet flys and for som flys we uses only thread and says to use as few raps as possible. When he is tying Flymps he uses spun dubbing to take the air below the water. It just depends on the fly. I think in most cases I tie with dubbing.

[Ouzel]

Most flies we try have already been 'tied and tried' by others and now they wish to share with others.
I do not care for dubbing and will substitute a yarn; I believe dubbing was started by a guy who ran out of yarn.
If you wish to experiment (change) the form and function of a fly go right ahead.

Dubbing gives what some believe is a 'buggy look' but most bugs are quite smooth. Dubbing traps air and helps to float a fly but you can also fuzz up a yarn or thread with a piece of hacksaw blade.

It has long been accepted in fly tying circles to take a perfectly good fly and screw with it. :-)

[nightfish]

A thread bodied dry will float fine as long as you use quality hackle and a nice, stiff tail material. For tails on my smallest dries I use Moose body hair (the patches I have are from the leg I think). This stuff is great! So stiff you can bounce a fly on a table top, with fine tips and a nice taper. 3 hairs is perfect for #20-24.

[flyty]

I would think moose hair would be too thick for a size 24. I use micro fibetts for all my tails on small flies. I saw a tier at a fly fishing show who said having a three fiber split tail increases floatability something like 40%, so I mostly use three fiber tails now, and I use the scrap thread method to split the tails: cut off a piece of tying thread before you start, and tie in the fibetts on top of the hook. Then loop the scrap thread under the hook and bring it up so that one strand of thread goes between the near side tail fiber and the middle tail fiber, and the other strand goes between the middle fiber and the far side fiber. Gently pull the thread up and then forward until the fibers split and then bind the thread on top of the hook.

[Larry S.]

Or you could just make a loop with your tying thread at the rear of the hook. Either way works fine.