Tip #30 .30 Caliber Fly Tying!

This cool tip came from Brad Hanson up in the Palmer area during some email discussions about tying up his "Purple Death" king salmon fly. As a intermediate skilled tyer myself, I had invested in many tools of the trade for assisting me during the fly-tying process, yet I had not come across any reference to this neat tool.

Bunny fur has been a typical component in a great many flies over the past century, often used as dubbing fur for creating nymph bodies on many successful patterns. And recently the popularity of flesh flies, streamers, and leeches for Alaska salmon and trout flies has significantly broadened the use of this material.

A .30 caliber gun bore cleaning brush works as the ideal tool for smoothing bunny fur and giving it a streamlined look as it is applied to the fly. Brad also uses the bore brush on a lot of dubbed flies to manipulate the materials during the tying process. Other synthetic hair products like fish hair and streamer materials can be combed to straighten the strands before you cut them from their holding end.

These small brushes are available individually for a couple dollars where ever guns or gun supplies are sold. Throw one in your fly tying kit and you may find many handy uses for this cool tool.

Thanks for the tip Brad.

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