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toadfrog

Hard to find hair?

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On 11/7/2017 at 9:23 PM, toadfrog said:

Figured I'd run into that . Guess the guy is out of luck . I'm to far south to drive up there . LOL Besides I don't know anybody that would pay my bail on the way back.

 

Ya, outlawed to bring into US many years ago.  Got my But# hammered pretty bad as a kid when I used up my Dad's supply on some frivolous streamer fly.

I deserved that one I think.

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Synthetics  works great.  I have almost fully switched to synthetic materials for flies and fly rod poppers.  The colors are vivid and much more durable than natural hair.  I have lots of poppers that have some age to them, some have had birthdays, and look as good as new.  The natural materials look ragged after a year, even less if put away wet a time or two.   You might have a bit of a learning curve trying to figure the different textures as they relate back to the materials you are used to tying.  The synthetics can be tied in combination, along with naturals with good results.  Bucktail is the one of the common tying materials that has not been duplicated by modern materials.  At least one company has made synthetic "BuckTail" and tested by a few tiers with mixed results.  I have no experience with the synthetic bucktail however.

Edited by JimP
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Still, no synthetic seems to match the shimmer and translucent properties of "baby seal fur" or "polar bear hair".  Having used both, I can compare.  If you have never used either, then you can be fooled by advertising, etc.

This is not a comment on the ethical, moral, legal, etc., issue, just a statement of fact.

And yes, they do collect baby seal fur from shore lines now and sell it as dubbing, and it helps some for those of us old-timers, but ...........

 

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36 minutes ago, Anglinarcher said:

Still, no synthetic seems to match the shimmer and translucent properties of "baby seal fur" or "polar bear hair".  Having used both, I can compare.  If you have never used either, then you can be fooled by advertising, etc.

This is not a comment on the ethical, moral, legal, etc., issue, just a statement of fact.

And yes, they do collect baby seal fur from shore lines now and sell it as dubbing, and it helps some for those of us old-timers, but ...........

 

 

So true 

you can substitute for synthetic and still make productive flies but some of the properties of polar bear hair make it superior 

last time I got polar bear hair from my taxidermist buddy it was a 50lbs bag. As soon as I made it know I had extra I would part with it was gone with 24hrs

It is highly prized for salmon flies here in BC

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From what I remember from my visit to the zoo polar bear hair is fiber optic to tramsmit  light to the bear's black skin. 

Don't see polar bear at the local store anymore, and the last they had all had burnt tips. Hoarding what I have left, but what good is it in a drawer?

 

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15 hours ago, StriperCandy said:

I think polar bear fur isn't even actually white. It's clear and scatters the whole spectrum so it looks white. So I would guess the quality you're after is that special sparkle you get from color transmitted by pure light vs reflected from pigment.

 

You are correct and those properties are the reason it’s a prized material 

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Do you know anyone with a white dog? I have a white Jack Russel Terrier. You should see how his hair lights up under UV. Others have commented on their dogs white fur having the same effect. You don't have to trim the hair. Just show up with a brush or flea comb. You will get plenty. I have stared a collection - just in case something happens to the little guy.

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