I came across a zip lock bag of dubbing that was clearly not, as it looked in the bag, from any fly shop. Long ago, I took assorted dubbings and selected amounts of this one and that one then put them in an old coffee grinder and blended the components until I saw what I envisioned to be a fishy concoction. 

Blending your own creations of dubbing is a simple project and adds to your sense if unique creations and individual flare. Often, with so many options hanging on a hook in a shop, you will find what you need. Others have done the thinking and grinding and why bother with fussing about making your own? If you have that overly developed sense of creativity in fly tying then you will eventually eye that coffee grinder on the counter and decide it is time to buy a new coffee grinder…and hey, you might as well set that old grinder by your tying station. Here is more input on tying and dubbing as well… Dubbing flies, particularly spiky thoraxes, adds a lot of suggestive life like features to your flies. Knowing all the possibilities of dubbing will greatly expand your creative efforts and thinking about presentation of the fly. 

Photo from Big Kype.Com