Pet hair dubbing explained…
For many years, fly tyers have used a variety of animal furs for dubbing. Small patches of various furs can be purchased in fly shops. Rabbit fur is one of the most readily available furs while blends of animal fur and synthetic material are popular. Several years ago, a friend of mine owned a pet Abyssinian cat. It was a beautiful animal and had a great personality. He often combed and brushed the cat as it sat on his lap. The comb would quickly become filled with the long guard hairs and softer underfur. The guard hairs had alternating bands of light and dark colors while the under fur was a beautiful natural rusty brown color. Looking at the fur I thought it would make an excellent material for a summer steelhead stonefly pattern. Thus, my experimenting with pet hair dubbing!
Northern California and Southern Oregon summer steelhead rivers typically support good populations of stoneflies. The nymphs of the Acroneuria and larger Pteronarcys stoneflies can be found in various stages of growth throughout the year. The adults usually emerge in the spring and early summer. Steelhead may not actively feed while in freshwater although summer steelhead are thought to become more “trout-like” as they mature. During their summer residency, they are often willing to take imitations of natural insects. Well known fly patterns include Charles McGinty’s “McGinty” and Haig-Brown’s “Steelhead Bee.”
a real life story
My friend started saving the Abyssinian cat fur in plastic bags for me. Later I processed the fur using a procedure called “felting”. The felting process is described in Chapter 2 of E.H. “Polly” Rosbrough’s book Tying and Fishing Fuzzy Nymphs (1969). Many of the nymph patterns in the book were tied with felted fur.
Felting is easy and involves washing in warm soapy water to clean and separate the fur. The fur is then rinsed with clean hot water in a strainer to remove the soap. After removing the fur from the strainer, it is placed on between two paper towels to dry. The felting helps process remove any unwanted particles from the fur. After drying, the fur can be placed in a coffee grinder to re-fluff or mix with other furs. In addition to felting, furs can be placed in a freezer for several weeks to kill any unwanted pests.
Using the Abyssinian cat fur, I created a summer steelhead wet fly pattern I called the “Abyssinian Assassin.” Unfortunately, friends thought the name was too cumbersome and re-named it the “Cats Ass.” The fly incorporates the cat fur as the body, mottled slips of waterfowl flank feathers for the wings and a golden yellow wood duck feather hackle. The pattern was included in my first book, The Half-Pounder, A Steelhead Trout Life History and Fly Fishing (2015). It has been and continues to be a successful summer steelhead fly on the Klamath and Rogue rivers. Several steelhead anglers who have fished the pattern with success have suggested it males a good impressionistic representation of an adult Acroneuria golden stonefly.
Food habits
Food habit studies of summer steelhead while in freshwater are limited. However, one study indicated nymphs of the golden stonefly Acroneuria were one of the most common food items in the stomachs of Klamath and Trinity rivers half-pounders. In addition to the Cats Ass pattern, I have had good success swinging (wet fly or sunk fly presentations) or dead drifting (greased line presentation) nymph imitations both of the Acroneuria and Pterynarcys stoneflies.
I tie both patterns “in the round” indicating they do not have a specific top or bottom. This is similar to the popular Big Hole Demon trout fly pattern. I used the Abyssinian cat fur for my Acroneuria stonefly imitation since the coloration is a close match to the natural. The fly is tied on a No. 6 long shank hook and I add a few wraps of lead under the thorax. Rubber or silicone stands are added for the tail and antenna and a mottled hen hackle is palmered over the thorax.
Save the fur!
Since my early experience with the Abyssinian cat fur, at my request other friends to saved their pet dog and cat fur brushings in plastic bags for me. One well known steelhead angler has given me several bags of hair from his pet Airedale. The fur is a mixture of both guard hairs and underfur. It has a unique color mix of both dark and light fur giving it a very “life-like” look. I used it to tie an imitation of the Pteronarcys stonefly nymph. Similar to the Acroneuria nymph, the pattern is tied in the round and meant for swinging or dead drifting flies for summer steelhead. The Pteronarcys pattern is tied on No. 2 or 4 long shank hooks. Similar to the Acroneuria pattern I add a few wraps of lead under the thorax.
Animal fur consistency
Animal fur consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm. Dog hair seems to have a greater number and stiffer guard hairs as compared to cat fur. The spikey dog guard hairs are often difficult to dub and I sometimes add a “binder” of softer fur or wool to help make dubbing easier. I especially like to add a little Synthetic Living Fiber to the mix to add a little sparkle. In general, I have found cat fur easier to dub but do like the rough texture of dog fur for some patterns.
After several years and the help of various pet owners, I have a unique collection of furs not readily available in fly shops. The box labeled “feline and canine fur” in my tying room often gets more than a causal glance. I often test spin the fur on thread in thread or in loops just to see how easy or difficult is to use and how it will look when used in a pattern. I encourage other fly tyers to experiment with pet hair. Most certainly, you will be surprised at the new and unique opportunities it presents.
You can find the fly, Abyssinian Assassin, in the Rogue Reliables Fly Box. This box is for purchase in the River Fly Box collection.