Elk substitute

[g1zmo]

Just a quick question. I'm looking to tie a 'duo' hi vis fly (as demonstrated by Frank Williams) can I substitute the Elk hair for Deer hair or does the Elk have better floating properties? Thanks in advance

[3lbgrayling]

Elk is best ,but if you gink up deer you will probably not notice any difference.IMHO.

Jim

[g1zmo]

Thanks for that, I've now sourced a small patch of Elk hair (wasn't as expensive as I thought)

[Gander]

There are various factors to be considered when using Elk hair. As with deer, the hair can vary in quality from animal to animal, but generally speaking, there are 4 catagories that are of use to the fly tyer.

Bull Elk is a good winging material for bigger dry flies. Caddis in sz12 and over.

Cow Elk is a coarse hair, best suited to spinning. It is tough stuff and will outlast deer, but not something I'd use for winging.

Elk Hock is the choice for small dry patterns - 14# and down.

Yearling Elk - This is from an animal that has not seen two winters. It is therefore not as coarse as an adult cow, but still makes excellent spinning hair. It also provides great winging material for small to large flies.

I use deer hair for most patterns that require Elk. As 3lb Grayling wrote, the Elk is slightly more buoyant, but not so that you would notice. Good quality Coastal deer is a more than adequate substitute for the type of fly you are taking about, and personally, I prefer the colour variations you get in deer hair.

[g1zmo]

Very useful info there, thank you. I do have a few swatches of coastal deer hair so I'll try different combos and see how I get on