Salmon fly exp. or fun with color

[Redfish62]

[MadisonBoats]

Nice flies! What do you use for your dyes?

[Redfish62]

Madisonboats,

I did not die the dear hair myself I purchased if from Little River Outfitters.
I have also used craft fur. the results from both are great. I do not know if they will catch fish but they are fun too tie.

Redfish62

[kentuckytroutbum]

Redfish-

Very nice flies, my friend! Craft fur is great stuff, it ties easily, has a "thick" texture, available in different colors, holds up well, and is relatively inexpensive. I usually get mine at the local fly shop, but if they are closed, or out of stock, I can also find it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

Bill

[Redfish62]

Thanks Bill,

I have had a lot of fun with the craft fur. And I find a lot of great stuff at Hobby Lobby and other places.

Calvin

[MadisonBoats]

Redfish62 Madisonboats,

I did not die the dear hair myself I purchased if from Little River Outfitters.
I have also used craft fur. the results from both are great. I do not know if they will catch fish but they are fun too tie.

Thanks; I was curious. Those are some brilliant colors and I have been challenged replicating colors like that on my own....

Hobby Lobby is the place fellas. It is amazing how excited I get in that place looking for fly material...

[gutshot]

Kool-aid works well for me. I have purchased other dyes and just not tried them yet. The other dyes i have purchased are iDye made by Jacouard. I bought them at Jo-ann's Fabric in the Nashville area. Best to get these for blues and purples since the kool-aid can give less consistent results or patchy colors.

[MadisonBoats]

Originally Posted by gutshot

Kool-aid works well for me. I have purchased other dyes and just not tried them yet. The other dyes i have purchased are iDye made by Jacouard. I bought them at Jo-ann's Fabric in the Nashville area. Best to get these for blues and purples since the kool-aid can give less consistent results or patchy colors.

Wow! Those are some vivid colors from Kool-Aid. How do you set in or seal the Kool-Aid dye? I really do not want my wet flies to contaminate all me other flies.

[gutshot]

White vinegar. I appreciate your concerns. Be sure to wash any material you dye after it is done cooking since there will be residual dye on it. I use white paper towels for this step. Once the residual dye is off however there is NO bleeding and the color will stay fast.

Kool-aid is actually an acid dye with flavor added. You get more fade from premium fly tying materials than this stuff, and there is zero harmful products associated with it other than hot water.

Plenty of information on the internet. I was blown away by how easy and high quality the end result turned out.

I have been tying a lot of Salmon and Steelhead flys the last few years. This dying has been a revelation for my tying materials. I can buy much more high quality white or natural materials at a greatly reduced price and dye them to my specifications.

[MadisonBoats]

Originally Posted by gutshot

White vinegar. I appreciate your concerns. Be sure to wash any material you dye after it is done cooking since there will be residual dye on it. I use white paper towels for this step. Once the residual dye is off however there is NO bleeding and the color will stay fast.

Kool-aid is actually an acid dye with flavor added. You get more fade from premium fly tying materials than this stuff, and there is zero harmful products associated with it other than hot water.

I figured vinegar was your catalyst. I have made a vented sock tube to heat treat most of my dyed materials in a dryer. I plan on picking up some good old Kool-Aid this week and experimenting with a few colors. Thanks for your input!