#4 Hook Reverse Tie Craft fur minnow

As a fly tier I am continually experimenting with different materials. I enjoy incorporating both natural and synthetic materials into my flies. One material in particular that I have enjoyed working with over the past few years is Craft Fur. I am amazed at the versatility and functionality that Craft Fur provides to my designs. Craft Fur will always have a place on my tying table and it should have a space on yours as well.

Craft Fur is a durable synthetic material reminiscent of my childhood watching the characters of The Muppets and Sesame Street. This synthetic fur is a wonderful substitute for buck tail, marabou, calf tail and wool. Rainy’s offers a premium grade Craft Fur that is available in twenty-six colors that will not bleed or fade in the water (for the full list of colors visit rainysflies.com). Rainy’s Craft Fur is packaged and sold in a five inch square patch. The length of the fibers ranges from three to four inches in length with just the right amount of underfur to taper your flies and add bulk if desired.

I have found that Craft fur is ideal for subsurface patterns. Craft Fur moves and breaths underwater giving a lot of action to a fly. It also sheds water easily making patterns light and easier to cast. Craft Fur can easily be incorporated throughout many flies that you are tying and creating, it can be used for tails, bodies, wings and heads.

Craft Fur is a user friendly material that is easy to use and handle. The most popular way or tying with Craft Fur is by stacking and layering the fur, this easily builds realistic minnow bodies. Try stacking different colors together to create firetiger, rainbow or other multi-colored patterns. If you are wanting a longer or wider profile fly, try cutting and attaching a rectangle patch of fur kept on the ‘backing’ material. The backing of the fur will hold all of the material together and is easy to attach to your hook. For water pushing flies, like those used for pike/muskie or sculpin imitations, spin Craft Fur into a dubbing loop or brush. Doing so you will create wonderful looking heads that push water and are still cast-able. As you work with the Craft Fur don’t worry about the stray wild hairs, they are easily trimmed and shaped with your tying scissors after. I usually cut along the fur at shallow angles to shape, trim and taper my flies.