The 10 minute guide to dying fly tying materials
Tying steelhead flies is problematic. At every turn, you discover some new material that’ll revolutionize your tying and fish catching abilities, and you just have to have it in every possible color. One day you’re dropping $50 on seal dubbing, only to discover you love Alec Jackson’s spade body and now need $100 worth of ostrich. Guinea, schlappen, no, wait, saddle hackle, no, wait, grizzly capes in 15 colors and 4 hues of pink. It never ends.
But with just a little bit of work and $25, you can buy enough dye to last you a lifetime, and save gobs of money on materials.
Dying is not only easy, it’s fun, and quick. Follow these steps, and you’ll be dying feathers and fur in vibrant colors in less than 10 minutes from start to finish. No joke.
First off, you need some dye. There are a zillion ways to dye stuff, but if you want the rich, vibrant colors you find in a fly shop, you need to use an acid based dye. Don’t be scared, the “acid” simply means vinegar, the same white distilled stuff you have in your cabinet.
I’ve tried a few brands, and Jacquard is by far the best. Amazon sells it for $3-4 per container.
Next, you’ll need some synthrapol, which is simply an industrial detergent for removing excess dye. Have you ever used shitty fly tying materials, that when exposed to water, lost their dye or worse yet, transferred to dye to the rest of the materials on your fly? That’ll be your end result if you skip the synthrapol. Again, Amazon, for $8.
A stainless steel pot and some tongs and you’re done.
Step 1: Select the materials you plan to dye, and soak them in hot water with some synthrapol to remove any excess dirt. Rinse, and then soak in water, and press firmly to remove any oxygen. This is important! If you’re dying fur or a cape of feathers, you’ll want to put the material in the water skin side up and press at the bottom of the container. You’ll see oxygen bubbling out, and once the bubbles stop coming, you’re done. Skip this step, and there will be air bubbles in the material when you go to dye it, resulting in an uneven dye.
Step 2: Bring a few cups of water to a boil, or enough to fully submerge your materials. Now, add a bit of dye, and a few tablespoons of vinegar (the vinegar sets the dye). You don’t need much dye, literally 1/16 of a teaspoon or so. Some colors are stronger than others, and you’ll figure this out as you go. If you’re colors aren’t as vibrant as you’d like, you can always add more.
Step 3: Once the water is boiling, add your materials. Be sure to keep the materials submerged, and stir around a lot so that they dye distributes evenly. If dying fur or feathers that are on a hide, don’t boil for too long! More than five minutes and you’ll risk disintegrating the skin. Not cool.
Step 4: Remove the materials from the dye bath, and rinse under hot water. Now, in a large bowl add some synthrapol and hot water, and wash the materials until all the excess dye comes out. Rinse under fresh water, drain, and set on a towel to dry.
Step 5: If you’re impatient and want to use your feathers right away, grab your girlfriend’s blow dryer to quickly dry things out. She’s already pissed at you for getting dye and animal skin all over the kitchen, so things can’t get much worse for you at this point.
To date, I’ve had great luck dying Arctic Fox tail, Jungle Cock flank (pictured above), Guinea Hen flank (pictured above) and Golden Pheasant crest/tippets. Marabou and Rabbit would be obvious materials as well. Rather than spend $3 on a little pack of rabbit, buy the hide for $10 and dye and slice your own bunny leech strips.
A good source of materials in bulk is Continental Feathers.
And the finished product, using some JC flank and guinea I dyed yesterday:
If I could fish any Trout stream in the country, and only bring one nymph, it’d probably be Mike Mercer’s Micro Mayfly. This fly is imitative of a number of small mayfly nymphs, particularly Baetis (BWO) nymphs. Aside from that, it just flat out works. It’s a rare day that this fly isn’t at the end of my leader, and it probably accounts for 30% of my fish. It’s been responsible for some of the nicest trout I’ve ever caught, including this 
