Best place to get

[PanfishHunter]

materials.

I know alot of you will say crazy angler, but what are some other places where i can get cheap materials?!?

 

[BucktailJiger]

Grandpa Bobs

 

[PanfishHunter]

what about his service issues. i want to order there but i have heard of issues. also i think craft stores would be good as well. amazon and ebay too.

 

[Bucko]

I always scan ebay. lots of stuff now ships free or very cheap. that being said it isnt always the cheapest place, but a place to check out.

 

[PanfishHunter]

where do you guys find good colors of craft fur? all i have seen besides the pricey stuff is natural colors.

 

[Shoemoo]

Don't write off local sources. I've gotten good prices on clearance items at Sportsman's Warehouse, Cabela's and the local fly shops.

I recently picked up a bunch of magnum rabbit strips for $2.25 a pack and large Fish Skulls for $3 a pack on clearance at the Cabela's retail store nearby.

 

[PanfishHunter]

the closest outdoor store i hae near me is academy... everything else is too far, and i dont have any fly shops. not many people in this part of texas fly fish.

 

[Shoemoo]

How far are you from Houston? Google says there's a few outdoor and fly shops there.

 

[PanfishHunter]

im probably about an hour to an hour and a half from downtown. not being able to drive dont know how long itll be till i could go. shoot i been beggin someone to take me perch jerkin for 2 weeks. (bluegill fishing to all you northern folk)

 

[toadfrog]

It is actually hard to find good craft fur . One of those things you almost have to put your hands on before you buy it . The first thing to do is research all the kinds of materials you want to use . Find the Mfg. of it . Then go to their site and find the dealers closest to you . Once you have done that you will already have found out who is the cheapest . I get my materials from no one individual source . It's a pain but since I don't sell lures as a rule I got to work hard to keep the cost down or I can't continue my wacky ways of making tackle .

 

[StumpHunter]

I still have not found craft fur I can tie with. I have 4 or 5 packs from two different stores and in all packs the underfur is thick and you only get a little of tying hair by the time you clean it.
Ebay is a good source but it doesn't sound like you are old enough to set up an account there or with paypal. If there are many yard sales around you go to them. You can sometimes find fur (coats or other cloths) and yarn that will work for the body's and sometimes feathers, look at everything and think tying. You will be surprised at the finds. Bream jigs doesn't need to be big so don't over use the materials you have.

 

[BucktailJiger]

Something else to look at in place of craft fur is Icelandic Sheep Hair . Long fine hair that a little goes a long way and very little under fur . I have tried the Craft fur as well , lots of under fur like Stump said , but the under fur can be used for dubbing . I keep going back to natural materials opposed to synthetic's . Guess I'm old school .

 

[smalljaw]

I am with Toadfrog and Stumphunter, craft fur is tough to find, at least good stuff is so I'll try to help you out. I got some at Michaels crafts that is good stuff, the only problem is it only comes in black and white, so naturally I have a good bit of it but for other colors it is tought to get unless you don't mind paying for it. I use craft fur called Extra select craft fur, some places like Barlows sells it as imitation polar bear hair but it is the same stuff, anyway it comes in a good bit of colors and has a fantastic action in the water, the problem that every craft fur has is the under fur, but once you get used to working with it isn't too bad. The other problem with the extra select is price, the stuff I get at Michaels is less than 2 bucks and it is exactly 4 times the amount I get with the extra select which is over 2 bucks for a 5"x5" patch. Some fabric stores have it and a small craft shop is working on getting me some Darice craft fur that is good but so far all I was able to get in that was brown, I'm still waiting on gray and chartreuse colors.

 

[toadfrog]

Hey smalljaw send me a 1'' square of that white craft fur and I'll try to dye it Chart . Can pm my addy . I'm pretty sure a poly synthetic dye will color it .

 

[Bucko]

I may try to preserve a deer hide or two this year for tying. lots of hair to be had there and the white under belly hair dyes nice too.

 

[AtticaFish]

Get out to any local craft store you can find, big or small! Make friends if you can. I have a very small shop just a few blocks from my work ( they specialize in making ceremonial spanking paddles for the local colleges :trollin: ) and they will order me just about anything i want. They can get craft fur from the Darice company for me........ no chartruese colors, but darn near every other color. Look for 'long pile' craft fur. You will ALWAYS get underfur with craftfur, just have to pinch it out. I've never bought even the fishing style craft fur that did not have a bunch of waste short hairs. Small bluegill jigs will use those tiny hairs tho.


Bucko - Keep the tails for sure! The belly hair will most likely flair when you wrap it down to the shank, but it does work well for certain tying patterns.

I may try to preserve a deer hide or two this year for tying. lots of hair to be had there and the white under belly hair dyes nice too.

 

[AtticaFish]

Oh yeah.........


You will find a lot of good hackle feathers if you look around. I have bought a bunch that were bundled up to attach to things like hair, purses or whatever.

If you find colored marabou, be careful because much of it is not dyed the best and the color will bleed out once it gets wet. Try fishing with 1 pack before you buy a bunch.

Other finds.......

- Doll Hair, also known as wool roving.

- Peacock feathers

- LOST of odd ball feathers to be honest.

- Poly yarn (lots of bright colors available)

- Metallic floss threads

- Various other yarns and chenilles. You can find some if you ask the owners and let them know what you are looking for. Even take them in some samples and just ask them if they have anything that is even close.

- Beads that can be used for flies. Plastic beads work but brass, Hematite (iron) or glass beads have more weight and are better.

- Best of all....... most of the stuff is CHEAP!!!!

 

[PanfishHunter]

Hey attica, my mom does jewelery so we have plenty of beads, and i even got some feathers from her from earing things. alot of the feathers arent good . I found a guy on a texas forum that had too many feathers. he has pea fowl, guinea fowl, turkey, pheasants and quail. all feathers are FREE! i pmed him where to send em and asked for a bunch of each besides quail. My grandparents have 2 guinea fowl but dont know if they have any spots on em. my cousin had a purple pen with lots of short marabou and hackle on it, and even goose biots, but before i could get any feathers she told me NO!

 

[Pup]

Great suggestions appear in this thread.

Often, I like to use troll hair. Generally, It's very good craft fur and has a longer pile length than store bought by the card. Its colors are many and varied. It's a particularly good source of fluorescent yellows, limes, oranges, and chartreuse.



Visit your local yard sales, particularly the ones with lots of kids toys. Look for troll dolls. Troll hair is some of the best synthetic hair for tying jigs. You can frequently buy a troll doll for a dime or a quarter. Then, take it home and scalp it.

 

[PanfishHunter]

haha thats too funny pup! those things will be worth somethin one day. unless the jig tyers get to em first! ill look at the ES craft fur as well. do craft stores have the nylon chenilles?