# Spinning deer hair



## azevedo16 (Aug 18, 2010)

Whew, I give credit to anyone that can do this without without losing their mind! I am not good at really tying anything and thought that I would give this a try this evening. Turns out it is a lot harder than it looks.


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## HisName (Nov 29, 2009)

you just got to get the hang of it


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## Richard J. (Jun 7, 2010)

Take your time and you will get it. Keep your hand steady and make a tight circle. Most people tie to loose of a thread when spinning. Let the deer hair flow when tieing. The hard part for some is putting in the next batch of hair or starting with too large a bunch.


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## daniel9829 (Jan 31, 2009)

to start get some heavier thread you really need to pull it tight and untill you get the hang of the tension use heavier thread. Use small bundles make two wraps and pull.. Them push them together over and over and over again. Hope this helps. It took me a long time to learn back in the 70's when I first learned to tie. Good luck. Keep Practicing


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## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

Spinning deer hair is some of my earliest tying many years ago. Good body hair and belly hair will spin if it is hollow. Use some strong thread. 3/0 uni will work but GSP is easier and less prone to breaking. I use 100 but 200 is even stronger. I have used 6/0 uni on things like Muddler heads but you got to be real careful..Need a good holding vise and I would recommend 6 or 4 hook to start. Requires less hair and time per bug and it is time consuming. I find it easier to tie on a bare shank but the hair will spin around a thread covered shank. Get your thread started on the hook at the rear.....cut of a hunk of hair at least as large as a pencil but I prefer almost twice that much.......while holding the hair bunch, pull out all the under fur and discard. I believe that some use a brush of some sort......You will notice that the hair close to the skin is 'thicker' than at the ends. This is the hollow hair. Lay the hair along the shank centered over the thread and maybe just a little shorter on the thick end.......Make loose wraps around the hair clump. By loose I mean just barely snug around the hair......Slowly begin tightening the thread allowing the hair to move around the hook shank. Continue to tighten the thread until you the hair has flaired. It does take some preasure but you should be nowhere near the thread breaking point. I hope you have already tried to break the thread before adding the first clump. .......after you have the first clump tight while keeping the thread tight move the thread thru the hair forward and make 2 or 3 tight wraps in front of the clump and do a half hitch and let the bobbin swing free......push the front of the thread into the clump with your finger nails. Careful, don't slip cause a hook in the finger is painfull....You may need to hold the back of the clump to keep everything in place. .....Lay the next batch of hair on the hook and repeat..until the hook is full. If you continue to push the hair together the final body will be nice and tight. .....I always start trimming the hair on the bottom. You can not get the hair on the bottom too short unless you cut the thread. Trim the sides and top to what ever shape floats your boat. If you put a nice sized drop of head cement into the thread at each clump of hair you will have an almost indestructible bug. I still have bugs I tied 40 years ago. I love tying hair bugs and your imagination is the only limit. Mice, poppers, sliders, frogs, moths, and even real small dry flies. I am willing to bet the first bugs you tie will not be trimmed short enough and you will later re trim them. I do most of mine like Tap Tips writer did which is a popper. I use mostly natural colors but I like yellow with a black band too. I sometimes will put a red face on poppers and sometimes I use red chenille between tail and body. Big bugs take a big rod. I leave some untreated and some I treat with rainX so they will float a little better and longer. I hope this helps...good luck and you can send me sample of your work:whistling::thumbup::notworthy::thumbsup:


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