Dubbing Tools

Fly fishermen often pride themselves on the realistic bait they can create without using real insects. Dubbing is a material fly fishermen use to shape this life-like bait. By employing the following tools, the fisherman can mold the texture, shape, size and details of the specific insect fish seem to be biting on that day.

  1. Twister

    • A twister is a two-ended tool; one end comes to a fine point while the other is hooked. The finely pointed end is used to roughen the body of the dubbing, texturing it to look more like an insect such as a fly. The hook generally shapes the diameter of the body and is used to tie the body securely to the tackle with a loop.

    Teaser

    • A teaser is a hand-tool with a barbed rasp. This barbed surface raises the texture of the dubbing. This texturing can mimic hair, gills, legs and even movement in the insect body.

    Spinning Loop

    • The spinning loop tool helps spin materials such as marabou, course hair and hackle, which are typically hard to handle materials. This tool helps the fisherman handle these materials by holding the loop open until the materials are spun, then closing it. The loop can be effortlessly re-opened, re-worked and closed again using the spinning loop tool.

    Brush

    • When adding course materials such as rabbit hair to your bait, the nylon bristles of a dubbing brush help to shape the material into a realistic pattern. The brush can thin, angle, and train hair to react and move in the air and water as it would on live bait.