Also note, this pattern can also be highly effective in imitating stoneflies. capitalizing on their elk hair (or deer hair) wings, these flies are excellent for faster flowing water, as their meaty frames will enable them to stay afloat for longer drifts. Hair length is generally between one to three inches. Elk hair is buoyant and will keep your hair patterns riding high on the water's surface. It is normally a light color, which helps make flies more visible in the water. The deer hair caddis is a common fly amongst anglers, and usually a favorite as well. Elk Hair for Fly Tying Elk hair is coarse, straight and hollow. Due to their lives surrounding water, it is clear as to why trout are accustomed to looking for these tasty buggers. Once conditions are correct, larvae molt into the caddis fly, of which there are over 14,000 different subspecies of. When caddis are in their early stages of life, they are submerged larvae that float amongst rivers and streams (and are a very popular nymphing pattern amongst anglers). The caddis fly is known as a notable favorite amongst hungry trout and steelhead looking for a topwater snack. Originally tied to imitate the green caddis, famous for their massive hatch in central PA every summer, this fly has undergone hundreds of variations, and has since grown far from its original inspiration, the red sedge fly. Antelope is more hollow than deer belly, but it's also less durable so when you're spinning antelope you have to be a bit more careful to not cut the hair with the thread.Created in 1957 by the pioneer fly fisherman, Al Troth the Elk Hair Caddis has been a staple to the game since most can remember. AntelopeĪntelope is very hollow and light, and can be used for most of the same applications as deer belly. It is mainly used for tails on dries and nymphs. Moose body is also stiff/durable, but a little less so than moose mane. It can be used on steelhead skater flies as well! Moose Body It is mainly used for tails on dries and nymphs, and people will also sometimes wrap bodies with moose mane, like on the mosquito fly pattern. It won't be the very best choice for trout flies that call for deer hair but it will be sufficient on pretty much all of them. All purpose hair is a jack of all trades type of hair. Deer hair is used for many types of flies, but mainly for two specific uses: wings, mainly on dry flies, and bodies and/or heads on muddler style flies and. Usually when tying comparaduns you use the thread/dubbing to prop up the hair since it doesn't flare quite as much as most other hair. Comparadun hair is for, well, comparaduns usually, and it is thinner and shorter and flares a bit less. Stimulator hair is for wings on big dries, such as the (surprise!) stimulator. Hopper hair is a bit more hollow and flares well, for flies like a Dave's Hopper, with a trimmed spun deer head. These hair types are all very similar as well, but their slight differences lend them to specific applications. Hopper/Stimulator/Comparadun/All Purpose Deer Hair Deer body hair doesn't take dye quite as well so the colors aren't usually as vibrant as you see with the belly hair. This hair is used commonly in spun deer hair heads (sometimes called bullet heads) for hoppers/stonefly dries, but you can use it for spinning deer hair poppers and heads like you can with deer belly hair. Deer belly hair has tips that are generally very uneven and ragged so you wouldn't use it for things that call for evenly stacked tips like comparaduns or elk hair caddis.ĭeer body hair is similar to deer belly hair but is just a bit more thinner and dense. Here are the types of deer hair we carry at the shop: Deer Belly Hairĭeer belly hair flares really well and so is used in flies like deer hair poppers, or some streamers with spun deer heads. Elk hair is also more durable than deer hair, which makes it good for tails on things like hare's ear nymphs or green drake dries. This is good for smaller, sparser patterns such as the x-caddis or wings on small hopper/yellow sally patterns.Įlk hair is much coarser and flares less than deer hair, which gives it good qualities for wings on bigger dries such as salmonfly or green drake imitations. Deer hair from other parts of the animal, such as x-caddis hair, can be much less hollow and does not flare out as much. The more hollow it is, the more it will flare as well. There is actually a pocket of air within each fiber that makes the hair bouyant, so more hollow hairs will have better floatability. The main thing is that the more hollow the individual hairs are, the more they will flare out. Not all hair is the same though, and choosing the right hair can really affect the quality of your patterns. Many flies that are staples in central Oregon utilize deer and elk hair. You can spin it, tie it in, put it in a dubbing loop, and more depending on how adventurous you want to be. There are many applications for deer and elk hair in fly tying.
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