The Novice Fly Tyer: Pinch Dubbing

There are a number of different techniques that can be employed to get dubbing onto a hook. In this article, we’ll cover what is by far the most common and most important dubbing method, pinch dubbing.

No discussion of dubbing technique is complete without covering the issue of wax. Although I use dubbing wax for certain other dubbing techniques, I do not use it when pinch dubbing. The traditional theory of dubbing wax was to use it to adhere the dubbing to the thread. Wax will certainly do that. However, the trade-off is that it’s then impossible to move the dubbed body up the thread to the hook before wrapping. Lacking that ability, it becomes necessary to attempt to apply dubbing to the working thread right up to the hook shank, awkwardly dodging the hook point, or to wrap the surplus thread onto the hook to bring the dubbed portion of the thread into position. I much prefer to be able to simply slide the dubbing up the thread to the hook, and therefore I do not apply extra wax to the working thread when pinch dubbing.

If you are having problems with controlling the dubbing as it’s applied to the thread, this is often due to having dry fingers. Some tyers will touch their fingertips to their tongue to moisten them, but my instinctive reaction to this is to paraphrase what our Mothers wisely told us when we were young: don’t put that in your mouth, you don’t know where it’s been. One alternative is to put a moist paper towel or sponge within easy reach as you tie. My personal favorite solution is to use the finger treatment that cashiers use to help them count paper money. This product is readily available in office supply stores. You don’t need gobs of it. Simply stroke your fingertips lightly over the surface a couple of times, and then rub them together. You’ll notice an immediate and dramatic improvement in your ability to control dubbing material.

Let’s assume that you have your fly started, the working thread is at the location on the hook shank where you want the dubbed body to begin, and now you’re ready to put the dubbing on the thread. I’ll also assume the tyer is right-handed; if not I trust the lefties among you to know how to reverse these directions as necessary. 

Take a good pinch of dubbing between the thumb and index finger of your left hand. Pull the bobbin down far enough to allow adequate room to work, but be sure the bobbin is hanging free so as to provide tension. Let the thread fall over the middle, ring, and pinkie finger of the left hand, allowing the bobbin to hang below. This set-up steadies the working thread so that it does not move around as you apply the dubbing, and keeps your source of dubbing ready at hand and under control. You don’t have to repeatedly set your material down and pick it up again as you go. You can simply continue putting dubbing on the thread until you have the amount you want. 

Next, use the thumb and index finger of your right hand to pull a small, very thin fluff of dubbing from the pinch in your left hand. To do this, have just the very edge of the dubbing protruding from your left thumb and index finger. Grasp and pull out just a few hairs, then grasp and pull a few more. You will soon develop the ability to repeat this action very quickly, teasing out the dubbing in a thin, even fluff. When you have an airy fluff of dubbing about the diameter of a dime, and so thin you can see thorough it, you’re ready to put it on the thread. 

Let the fluff of dubbing rest on the pad of your right index finger, and press it up against the back side of the working thread. Place your right thumb on the thread, pinching the thread and the dubbing against your index finger. Now pinch hard and roll your thumb over the dubbing and the thread in one direction only! This will twist the fibers of dubbing around the thread. Don’t scrub back and forth! Doing so will first twist and then untwist the dubbing, and you will make no meaningful progress. Continue this pinch and roll process until the first pinch of dubbing is all tightly wrapped around the thread. 

The conventional wisdom is to roll your thumb over the dubbing from right to left as you dub it onto the thread. The theory is that if the dubbing is wrapped around the thread in a clockwise direction (as viewed from the top), it will tighten as you wrap it clockwise around the hook. However, this is not an absolute rule. Personally, I find it much more natural to roll my thumb from left to right. As long as you get the dubbing on the thread nice and tight, and your dubbed bodies don’t come loose, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to dub in either direction as long as you’re consistent.

Prepare a second fluff of dubbing and repeat the above process, overlapping the previous work slightly. You want to achieve a smooth, even body with no lumps or gaps. If you get lumps, it means you did not have the dubbing teased out thinly enough before applying to the thread, or that you used too much at once. Gaps can easily be patched by using an extra small fluff of dubbing, just enough to fill in as needed. Your completed dubbing yarn should be tight, even, and tapered at both ends. With practice, you’ll learn to judge just the right amount to use for a given pattern and size of fly. 

When you are satisfied with the amount of dubbing on the thread, you’re ready to begin wrapping it around the hook. Your dubbed bodies will be much more durable if you apply a thin coat of tying cement to the hook shank and wrap the dubbing while the cement is still wet. Hold the bobbin in your left hand and keep the thread under tension. Support your dubbing “yarn” with the fingers of your right hand, lay your thumb on top, and slide the yarn up the thread to the hook shank. Re-tighten and adjust if necessary. Take the first two wraps to the rear, then turn and come forward toward the eye of the hook. This will ensure a clean back edge of the fly body. Overlap your dubbing wraps more or less so that the body on the hook is even, tapered if desired. If you run out of dubbing before the body is complete, stop and add more before your previous work is all on the hook. If you have too much dubbing on the thread, pluck some off well before your desired stopping point so that you can re-tighten what remains on the thread before wrapping it onto the hook. 

Tight lines and tight threads!

--Mary S. Kuss—

Winter 2008 Issue