34 HOW TO TIE PLIES. 



yellow bodies, as it does not darken in the water, 

 nor does the variety named soak very readily. It 

 should be untwisted, split into several lengths, 

 and used in the same manner as floss. 



The term dubbing relates less to the kind of 

 the material than to the manner in which it is 

 used. It is generally fur or wool teased out, spun 

 on a length of waxed tying silk, and then wound 

 round the hook shank in the same manner as are 

 other body materials. 



Water-rat's fur, and fur from the hare's ear 

 are favourite dubbings, but the very fine yet 

 hard-fibred fur of a young seal is acknowledged 

 by all who try it to be the best dubbing obtain- 

 able. It is easily spun, and beautifully trans- 

 lucent. Many other varieties of fur rabbit's, 

 mole's, and young fox's are used ; also the 

 puppy hair from young setters or collies makes 

 fairly good dubbing. 



It must not be supposed that it is necessary to 

 keep a different shade of the material for each 

 different shade of dubbed body that one will 

 require to make. Many shades are produced by 

 the thorough mixing together of two or more 

 other shades. Thus a blue and a yellow will 

 make a green, and a little red and brown added 

 will make an olive green. Practice and an eye 

 for colour are all that is needed to give the 

 necessary skill. 



Obviously dubbing is particularly useful for 

 such flies as have rough hairy bodies, and it is also 

 almost universally employed for large lake flies, 

 its advantage here being that a very little weight 

 of it is required to form a large body. There is, 

 however, nearly always a want of definition about 

 a dubbed body which would seem to show 

 dubbing to be unsuitable for the dressing of 

 ordinary duns. 



Horsehair is a good material, hair from both 



