Re: Nature Spirit's Snowshoe Rabbit Foot Dubbing

[Theroe]

ding ding ding : +1 for the swap

I’m glad John brought up the point about the difference in real snowshoe hare, and the stuff sold now. I am fortunate That one of the members on this board sent me half a dozen snowshoe hare fee that he harvested late this past winter-they are the real thing: A lovely yellowish brown color!
Dana

[Cheesehead]

+++++ for the swap.

BUT can we wait a while, please????

I got a West trip, more trips for work, work and grouse hunting before I am ready.

Dear Ray, the Admin, I think this thread is perfect for trying the split a thread into two topics. Just a suggestion from a humble regular user.

[Greenwell]

Greenwell, so you think the fur on the hare's foot is waterproof, not water resistant? Meaning, impervious to water absorption?

Yes, the stuff absorbs very little, if any, water. Otherwise the rabbits would have wet, cold feet. My friend Galen Mercer still uses snowshoe foot fur as an aid to flotation in his flies and what is most interesting about this is that he never uses floatant of any kind, believing that it may alarm the trout with it's odor and so forth.

One thing about foot fur is that it is fairly dense (solid)and heavy for a fur or hair and doesn't have the buoyancy that some materials do; it floats lower than things like CDC. This can be mistaken for poor flotation properties but it's actually not. Approach it as a material for flies that you want to float low in the surface film.

Like I said earlier, one can give a fly tied with snowshoe hair a "pop" with a false cast and it will float like it just came from the fly box. Also, it doesn't absorb fish slime so a quick rinse in the river, a squeeze with Amadou, a false cast and you're back in business. We used to fish a lot in the late evenings and right through until dark and often used Usuals for just this reason, besides the fact that they are great catchers. All this nostalgia makes me want to tie a few and fish them again!

[Greenwell]

I just checked out the You Tube video and have to say I was a little dumbstruck when the presenter pulled out and discarded the long guard hairs! These are just what you want as they are are the most waterproof and translucent material on the foot. When I would high-grade the feet for my own use I would always choose the ones with the best and longest guard hairs..........

[tie2fish]

For what's worth, hares and rabbits belong to the same family but are different species. Snowshoe hares have evolved feet that are larger than other family members as an aid to travelling in the snow that is prevalent for much of the year where they live.

This includes hair on the bottoms of their feet that is longer, more dense, and more waterproof than what is found on rabbits and those hares that live in warmer climes. Otherwise they would not only have wet, cold feet a lot, but be ill prepared to evade the Canadian lynx, their primary predator, in the winter months.

[wsbailey]

Some of the most expensive dry fly capes have the smallest hackle. To me those feathers are just garbage because I don't use them. The only value they have to me is what someone else would be willing to give for them. Obviously that tyer doesn't use those hairs; at least not on that particular fly. Maybe he uses them on other flies. It's rare to find a YouTube video that caters to the preferences of everyone who views it.

[Old Hat]

Sounds like someone should start a hare's foot fly swap.

Carl - I'm glad you volunteered. Count me in!

Oh man, I'm so overbooked with life at the moment! I need a doppelgänger.

[letumgo]

Me too. My dance card if full, until mid-October. Let's wait until John gets back from his Yellowstone trip, then we can set up a swap.