Dubbing brush---Brush Hog

[SBecker]

Interested in tying some of Kevin Compton's Copper Brush Hog pattern. However, he says in his recipe he uses red squirrel dubbing and flash in a dubbing brush. Is this another name for a dubbing loop, or is it a dubbing brush like I am seeing on YouTube that the salt guys are using. Any info would be appreciated.

I should have asked him at the show, but forgot.

 

[boychick]

They are premade dubbing loops like chenille, they are typically made with longer fibers than chenille. EP sells a bunch of different varieties. dubbing brush

 

[blueheron]

Yes, it's a dubbing loop.

 

[SBecker]

Thanks Heron. It is what I figured, but when I zoomed in on the pattern it looked like all the fibers were symmetrical. When I do a loop, everything is somewhat messy. Possibly it is just because of the stiffness of the dubbing used.

 

[McSneek]

Those patterns do look really symmetrical but I'll bet you can tie one that's just as effective with a dubbing loop, touch dubbed or even just loosely dubbed and brushed out. Either way that looks like a really good pattern.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Ive got some stuff off of Kevins site. If it calls for a certain dubbing bush he probably sells it. I got 2 packs of dubbing brushes off him last year.

 

[beadhead2]

Here is a video using dubbing brush tool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozuKuJwWFns

 

[dubthethorax]

I never have great success with it, but you can get your materials symetrical in a dubbing loop. Check this tutorial by Nick Granto. His craft fur loop is near perfect.

http://hatchesmagazine.com/blogs/Hatches/2012/12/19/el-chupacabra-by-nick-granato/

 

[SBecker]

Thanks Dub, but craft fur is so much longer and stiff compared to red fox squirrel dubbing mixed with some copper uv flash. I tied a few up with just a dubbing loop. It is not symmetrical, but it is sparse and buggy. Kinda like what I was looking for.

 

[dubthethorax]

Just email Kevin and ask him how he did it. He's usually good with responding pretty quick. I think I have the brush hog up on my blog with the interview I did with him back in 2011 but I cant recall if he had any specific instructions for tying it and I'm at work so I can't check right now. (PAFF works for some reason though..go figure).

 

[blueheron]

Red fox squirrel is excellent for that style nymph, it's almost always an ingredient in my nymph mixes, along with a little sparkle.

 

[FrequentTyer]

There is nothing wrong with triming away the stray stuff after winding a dubbing loop. A dubbing brush for a fly like that seems like overkill. One thing that would help is taking the fox squirrel directly from a hide so that the fibers are lined up. If your using a pre-mixed dubbing you might consider a trick I adapted from the Polly Rosborough method. Make the dubbing loop and apply the dubbing to one side of the loop just like you would normally dub. When you spin the loop you can get anywhere from a soft worm to a tight cord of dubbing. The more you spin, the more the spiky stuff sticks out. It is easier than trying to line up the fibers and catch them in the loop and works really well with blended dubbing An added benefit is that you can get some nice segmentation without additional ribbing.
Mike.

 

[ryguyfi]

I think the main difference between a dubbing brush and a dubbing loop is the material used.... same technique though.

Brush usually has hair (synthetic or natural) where a dubbing loop is just using dubbing. Also some brushes use wire instead of thread to form the brush. Lots of musky guys use brushes to build the heads of their streamers.

 

[gfen]

same thing.

the nomenclature is the difference, more than anything else, but the terms are now accepted into different methods.

a "dubbing loop" is a loop of thread still on the fly, filled and spun.

a "dubbing brush" is created with a block, and after creation can be removed from the block until needed and tied in like a vernille (which it essentially is). this is what you buy when you purchase premade "dubbing brushes," or the same thing that jim leisenring would do when he would spin thread on prewaxed silk then store on a card for reference.

regardless of what you form the noodle otu of (silk, nylon thread, wire, etc) and what you fill it with (fur, feather, syntehtics) the item itself remains the same.

a decent loop tool goes a long way towards making an effortless looking fly. sharp scissors and quality wax are the other legs of that tripod.

as an aside, i'd like to point out that regardless of what people say, jim was not from allentown. lived, died, and worked in bethlehem. buried there to this day. billy joel is always messing up the program.