Snowshoe hare feet ?

[fishinwrench]

Properly designed Dry flys ride on the surface by a weight to mass ratio.  They aren't heavy enough to completely break the surface tension of the water......Until, of course, they absorb enough water to increase their weight.  

You can float a dollars worth of Penny's on a piece of aluminum foil if you spread them out properly.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

Cut a strip of beaver back or otter back and a strip of rabbit back and just chuck them into a tub of water until the become saturated, which soaks up more water? I've never done this but my money is on the bunny getting wet first

I've actually done this with muskrat and mink fur strips.  No noticable difference.    

Might as well be pine squirrel or rabbit.

[fishinwrench]

I just did a little test....and guess what floats better and resists water absorption better than snowshoe rabbit foot hair ?

You'll never believe it 😅

 

 

Marabou !   🤣 

 

I'm actually not surprised.  You ever watched a fluffy Marabou tail float a 1/8oz. jig head ?      It works just like CDC

[BilletHead]

2 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Here is the bottom of a rear snowshoe hare foot.   It's actually more of a fur than a hair IMO.   And if any of those individual fibers are hollow it would take an electron-microscope to determine it.  

Dip a pinch of it in water and it immediately gets soaked.   Drop the pinch of fur/hair in the bowl of water afterwards and it sinks right away.     

So either it's all BS, or Hareline is selling feet that are NOT from a majestic Snowshoe hare.       

           Two deals I want to interject. Is this the foot that your wife tried to dye? If so if there was anything coating the fur to help it float the chemicals would strip it. 

     Ok Glen. Take a clump like tying a wing and leave it together. Drop this on the water. Let Easy like laying out a dry fly. Could the coarse kinky curly hair be trapping air bubbles adding to its buoyant properties?  that as you know is why hackle floats correct?  I have not dug my as @tjm says out my hare hair yet.

[fishinwrench]

No, the foot we tried to bleach out got confiscated by my youngest kid.   

Yes a dry tuft of it laid gently on the surface will float....like anything else.  Dryer lint will too.   But a quick dip under the surface.....ya know, like when making another cast.....will immediately soak it.   

It actually soaks up water easier than a pinch of Marabou.

[BilletHead]

51 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

No, the foot we tried to bleach out got confiscated by my youngest kid.   

Yes a dry tuft of it laid gently on the surface will float....like anything else.  Dryer lint will too.   But a quick dip under the surface.....ya know, like when making another cast.....will immediately soak it.   

It actually soaks up water easier than a pinch of Marabou.

  I bet a pickup and cast with or without a false cast will dry out the snowshoe fly, but it will not dry the marabou. Same with your dryer lint. 

[fishinwrench]

53 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

  I bet a pickup and cast with or without a false cast will dry out the snowshoe fly, but it will not dry the marabou. Same with your dryer lint. 

Maybe🤷‍♂️    I'll go ahead and take that bet.  I will tie one and take it down to the spring branch as soon as it gets above 38° just to settle it once and for all.     

I honestly hope you're right.   

I mean, I know it won't dry the Marabou or lint.....but I'll see how the hare foot fur survives the real world test. 👍

[BilletHead]

35 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

Maybe🤷‍♂️    I'll go ahead and take that bet.  I will tie one and take it down to the spring branch as soon as it gets above 38° just to settle it once and for all.     

I honestly hope you're right.   

I mean, I know it won't dry the Marabou or lint.....but I'll see how the hare foot fur survives the real world test. 👍

                  You always have your Frog Fanny to fall back on! 

[fishinwrench]

3 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

                  You always have your Frog Fanny to fall back on! 

I prefer to only have to reach for the Fanny dust after landing a fish.     🙂

[BilletHead]

1 minute ago, fishinwrench said:

I prefer to only have to reach for the Fanny dust after landing a fish.     🙂

          Yep, a quick dry on the drying patch and throw in the shake and bake bottle.