[VFB] McFlyfoam as dubbing

[Wes Wada]

Here's a tying tip I stumbled into while experimenting.  The product is 
McFlyfoam, and it's usually used for making egg patterns. One evening 
when I was tying flies during a trip, I started playing around with the 
material.

What I hadn't realized is that McFlyfoam is a multi-strand yarn.  You 
can cut a section of McFlyfoam and then separate a single strand from 
the rest.

Tie in the end of the strand, then clip the other end in one of those 
electrical lead clips (from Radio Shack), dubbing twister or a hackle 
plier tool that locks shut. My favorite is a rubber tipped hackle plier 
attached by a u-joint to a handle.

Then twist the material into a tight rope. McFlyfoam has a number of 
great qualities for this type of flytying.  First, it is a spongy 
material, so if you relax the tension, the material you are winding on 
the hook becomes a wider diameter.  Under tension, it compresses down 
to almost nothing, so you have great control to taper fly bodies and 
make great looking segmentation for even the smallest of flies.  If you 
want fuzzier results, just "sand" the body with an emery board.

McFlyfoam is naturally buoyant, much better than dubbing for dry flies. 
 It is also as tough as heck.  You simply will not break the rope as 
you are winding it on, and it requires your sharpest scissors to cut.

If you have seen the packages of McFlyfoam at your local shop, you're 
probably wondering what advantage salmon egg orange, pink and red 
colors would be for your fly tying?

What sold the deal for me is that McFlyfoam comes in over 50 colors, 
including great calibaetis greys and greyish-greens, and other colors 
ideal for mayfly patterns.

So if you wrinkle your nose every time the fly pattern instructions 
mention dubbing, and want to try something that's so fast and easy, it 
should be illegal -- try McFlyfoam.

This page has a link to a PDF format color chart of McFlyfoam.  Click 
on "View Additional Details".  Also, several new colors, including 
fluorescents have been recently added.

Wes Wada
Bend, Oregon