Blending Your Own Dubbing, Holsinger's Fly Shop

Blending your own dubbing is something that guys have been doing for decades. However, with the supply chain shortages we have been have due to Covid, I've been blending dubbing more than ever now. I have a couple of patterns that I have that I like to mix my own blend of dubbing for. But there are also a few colors of dubbing on the market that I really like but have trouble getting my hands on. In this video I show you how I mix my most used and one of the hardest to get dubbings, SLF Pattern Blends, Red Squirrel Nymph Thorax. This dubbing is an awesome, buggy, brown colored dubbing with some flash mixed in that I use in a ton of patterns. Squirrel dubbing is a little hard to come by since squirrels aren't that big and it takes quite a few squirrels to make a batch of dubbing.
We try our hardest to keep the shelves stocked at the shop with everything you guys want but we are at the mercy of our suppliers. If you go to www.holsingers... and can't find what you are looking for please reach out to us and we will see if we can get you what you need. If you like the materials to mix your own batch of dubbing for this color of pattern blends, pleas use the materials list below. Thanks for watching.
-Shawn
Materials List:
Nature's Spirit Brand Dubbings -
Emergence Dubbing, Pheasant Tail
UV Tracer Squirrel Dub, Natural Fox Squirrel
Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing, Rusty Olive
SLF Prism -
Brown Olive

[@edherrmann182]

I’ve been making my own dubbing for years. Don’t be afraid to use our local squirrels we have around us. Either through hunting them yourself or get a fresh roadkill and skins it. There are directions on line to treat animal skins and hides using borax and salt after you wash them and let them dry. I get fox, squirrel,rabbit, possum, groundhog, raccoon,deer and game birds. I even raised chickens with unique colors as well as roosters. I use wool and polyester yarns too. I find all kinds of feathers along the edges of the woods since fox and birds of prey leave piles of feathers from birds they kill for food. Will the fall rut just around the corner, fresh deer carcasses will line the back and secondary roads. I get my buck tails that way. You just need to cut out the flesh tail that is in the seam of the tail. I wash them in a good detergent, rinse and let them dry. Tails and hides and skins can be died with available dyes. I’m always playing around with that. I end up with more feathers and animal skins than I’ll use in my lifetime. I still buy animal patches like elk and peccary and some died pieces. In winter I search for duck and goose feathers and CDC feathers. (I live close to the lower Susquehanna river that get large flocks of fowl during migration).

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

I'm planning on getting back into squirrel hunting this year again. I use way too much squirrel dubbing time to start supplying some of my own.

[@ronporreca9574]

Great video Shawn! I love making my own version of Senyo’s Laser Dub using Lion Brand Landscapes yarn (or other acrylic yarns) and angelina fibers. I can control the length of the fibers by making my own. For shorter fibers I use the coffee grinder but it doesn’t work very well for longer fibers. To blend longer fibers I use two pet brushes. My biggest tip is to write the blend recipe on the bag(s) so you do not forget what you used.

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

I have been wanting to try the pet brush method but just haven't got around to it yet. I like Senyo's Laser Dub, thanks for sharing that info. I might try messing around with some of that.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Good stuff, Shawn. Another blending trick (for those without a coffee grinder) is use a can of compressed air and a zipper bag. A few quick bursts generally mixes the fibers really well. Some grinders can chew those synthetics too much.

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

I haven't tried that method yet and you are right the grinder does chew up the synthetics. I just try to go easy, not put too much material in at once, and pulsate the grinder. That seems to help with the softer materials.

[@WesternPaFlyFisher]

Found that if you dull the blades on the grinder it will chop less and blend more. Cheers.

[@anthonyurbano8605]

Good tip William!

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

Yeah Ive been thinking about doing that but just haven't got around too it yet. I like flashy dubbing and this definitely chops up material like SLF Prism and Ice Dub.

[@BasspatrolPa]

Great video as always and yes you are right about the shortage of materials and dubbin.The Grinder makes for quick work.But my favorite way of blending is a 2 litter bottle plus materials and a airhose fitting on the cap and pulse together.Mostly use the 2 litter method when i need bulk dubbin for streamer patterns.

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

That is a great tip, I haven't heard of doing it with a 2 litter bottle. I bet that would work a lot better for longer fibers. I need to do more streamer patterns unfortunately I don't spend much time fishing them. Streamers are probably my favorite things to tie, but least fished style of flies. I'm tying spey flies for myself right now trying to get ready for steelhead season.

[@frankmonroe8320]

Love my coffee grinder! Take care man.

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

Thanks Frank!!! You too.

[@williammattos5]

Love blending my own dubbing. I also use yarn and fur to blend and it works well

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

I haven't used yarn yet. Is there a particular kind of yarn that you like to use?

[@mikeney5113]

Very cool Shawn.thanks.

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

You bet, thanks for watching

[@joutdoorsmen23]

Cool video Shawn!!!!

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

Thanks a lot, glad you liked it!!

[@coreystoner4129]

Great video Shawn. I have been mixing dubbings for years. I got a bunch of mixes for light sulphurs nymphs, olives,sulphur dry,cdc and squirrel collar green drake and coffin fly just to name a few. I can bring sone down to the shop next time I’m down there. A tip if you are blending all synthetics do about a half of package at a time. If you do a full package like you did the fibers will tend to bind up on you and it will get screwy. If you got any questions reach out to me

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

Yeah with my grinder I can fit the equivalent of a (smaller) full bag of dubbing. There is still enough room that it blows around the top and a lot of the material misses the blades. I definitely learned quickly that less is more in the dubbing blender

[@coreystoner4129]

@@HolsingersFlyShop only took me one time because I burned the motor up and got a new one. Honestly once you do it it opens up another can of worms of what you imitate better. You can build custom blends that you can make your own in terms of the color and names

[@bobhammond8067]

Very nice. I appreciate your teaching!!

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

My pleasure! I enjoy making the videos and sharing what I know. God gave me a gift and it's my job to use it.

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Love to blend my own dubbing!

[@HolsingersFlyShop]

Me too, I love experimenting and doing my own thing