How to Tie the Frozen Fox

Producer: Tim Flagler

I call this fly the Frozen Fox because it incorporates just two materials, Ice Dub and Arctic Fox fur. By mixing and matching the colors of the two materials, it can be produced in a huge range of color combinations.

For a hook and weight, it’s go big or go home. Here, I’m going to use a Mustad 9672 streamer hook in size 4 and pair it with a large, black tungsten conehead. Different colored coneheads can, of course, be used as well. Insert the point of the hook into the small hole of the cone, then slip the cone to around behind the hook eye. Get the assembly firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise.

.02 round lead-free wire is used to add weight and to help stabilize the cone on the hook. While holding the bitter end of the wire, take 15-20 wraps up the hook shank then helicopter to break it off close. Make sure you can slide the wraps on the hook shank. Reach for your superglue, or here, Fly Tyer’s Z-Ment and apply a drop to the hook shank behind the eye. Push the conehead forward against the eye. Push the wire wraps forward into the back of the cone and hold them there for a few seconds, while the adhesive sets. You can then tuck in the tail end of the wire, without the wraps simply spinning around the hook shank. The cone should now be locked into position. Make sure the eye is clear of adhesive before proceeding.

For tying thread, UTC 140 Denier in black is a good choice. Get the thread started on the hook shank behind the wire and, after taking a few wraps rearward, snip off the excess tag. Continue taking thread wraps to further lock the weight to the hook then end with your tying thread about halfway down the shank.

Arctic Fox fur comes in a wide range of colors and is a great tailing material. Here, I’m going to use Kingfisher blue. Snip an ample clump free from the hide. It’s amazing how much fur actually comes on one little patch. Strip out some, but not all, of the underfur. You want to leave a bit of bulk at the butt end. The tips of the fur should be roughly aligned. If not, just pull out anything that’s overly long and discard it. With the clump pinched in the fingers of your right hand, measure to form a tail a little more than a full hook in length. Wetting the fur really helps to get it under control and makes tie-in much easier. Check your measurement again, then transfer it rearward to the start of the hook bend. Snip off the excess butt ends of the fur at the rear edge of the wire wraps. Give your bobbin a good counterclockwise spin so your tying thread will jump rearward and catch the butt ends of the fur. Continue taking thread wraps to bind the fox to the top of the hook shank, all the way back to the start of the bend. Then once again end with your thread about halfway down the hook shank.
Apparently not all Ice Dub is created equal. I prefer the stuff like the blue on the right, which more closely resembles small Flashabou than actual dubbing. There are a number of Ice Dub colors that are like this. Here, I’m going to use 3 colors: steelie blue, pearl and silver. Begin by getting your hands on a thick well-read book. I’ve flipped this one over so the materials will be more visible. A shiny, kind of slick cover works best. Although you can spend a lot more on similar tools, I’ve found a plastic chip clip works just fine for the next few steps.

I’ve chosen Steelie blue Ice Dub for the primary color of this fly. Pull small slips of dubbing from the packet and lay them perpendicular to one of the book edges. You want to go about the same length as the jaws of your chip clip. Try to make a nice even, but fairly sparse layer. Next up is pearl Ice Dub. Here, I’m making a much thinner layer over top of the blue, just to add a little variety. I then grab the silver Ice Dub and start placing it about halfway down the strip, and increase the amount slightly as I work down to the bottom of it. The whole color combination and amount is really up to you, the tier. With the dubbing strip assembled, I place a ruler over top of it to split it in half. This allows me to push the strip off the edge of the book and grab just half of it with the chip clip. Gently removing the ruler reveals the other half of the material extending out from the jaws of the clip. Set the clip aside within easy reach for the time being.

Ready some sticky dubbing wax and keep it within easy reach, as well. Same goes for a dubbing whirl and plunger-style hackle pliers. Pull down on your bobbin to expose a length of tying thread slightly longer than the jaws of your chip clip. Place the very tip of the middle finger of your left hand against your tying thread, then bring the bobbin up to the hook to form a dubbing loop. Take a wrap around the legs of the loop and then a couple around the hook shank so the loop ends in a point at the hook. Practice opening and closing the loop with the thumb and index finger of your left hand. It’s not difficult.

Pick up your handy, cap-free dubbing wax and give both strands an ample coat. Trade your dubbing wax for the chip clip then use your fingers to open the loop and insert the Ice Dub between the strands. Squeeze the strands together as you release the chip clip. You should have roughly equal amounts of dubbing on either side of the thread strands. Pick up your dubbing whirl and insert the hook into the bottom of the loop as you continue to squeeze the loop and remove the tip of your middle finger. Keep squeezing with your fingertips as you give the whirl a good clockwise spin. Let go with your fingertips and the dubbing should spin into a fuzzy noodle. Basically, you’ve made a composite loop.

Rather than wrapping with the whirl attached, reach for your hackle pliers and, for added safety, take a couple wraps around the hook of the pliers, with the bottom of the loop. This way the thread strands have no chance of slipping beneath the hook. You can then snip your dubbing whirl free. Pick up a bodkin and run it along the thread to tease out any of the trapped Ice Dub. A toothbrush also works here. Just give the entire noodle a really good brushing. And don’t be shy either, it’s very durable.

Start taking wraps with your tying thread, as you pull the noodle rearward. Go all the way back to the base of the tail then end with your thread behind the cone. Start taking touching wraps with the noodle up the shank, preening the Ice Dub rearward as you go. When you reach your tying thread, use it to anchor the very bottom of the noodle and snip any excess off close. Your Frozen Fox should now look something like this.

Pick up your whip finish tool and use it to do a 5 or 6 turn whip finish right at the back edge of the cone. Then seat the knot well and snip your tying thread free. Get hold of that toothbrush one more time and give the entire fly a good teasing out to free any trapped fibers. If there are some truly wonky or long ones, simply trim them off. A drop of head cement, here Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, applied to the thread wraps beneath the cone will ensure they don’t come unraveled.

And that’s the Frozen Fox. Although I really like this steelie blue, silver and pearl version, especially for the winter months, don’t be afraid to try different color combinations as well.