The Buffalo Wool Company

We have some new material in the fly shop from The Buffalo Wool CO. available for your consumption. After some experimental tying, I am a fan. Buffalo Dubbing offers a few things other natural dubbing on the market does not.

One thing I have heard in the fly shop throughout the summer, whether it be from Rick, the Saturday morning crew, or other Missouri River anglers, is the effectiveness of emergers and nymphs having an air pocket in the thorax, or an "emergence bubble". Now, by no means am I an entomologist, however, one thing I do know is some hatching aquatic insects, primarily mayflies and caddis, emerge to the surface via gas release.

The Buffalo Wool Co. states "Ultra light, and naturally water repellent, bison down holds bubbles better than almost any natural fiber." Its true, especially when dressed with a generous amount of Loon Dust. It is very spiky, hydrophobic, and dense.

I spun up a quick pheasant tail variant with a Buffalo Dubbing thorax. We added some Loon Dust and threw it in the tester tank without the pump running.

Here are the results.

A soft hackle caddis pupa, constructed of a Buffalo Dubbing body, a CDC feather under-wing, and partridge soft hackle feather was next in line. We fed this one in the swim tube of the fly tester tank.

Here are the results:

I could theorize the effectiveness of the bubble much longer than necessary. Will they eat it with a bubble? Probably. Will they eat it without a bubble? Probably. Some food for your fishy thoughts.