Smhaen Replacement Round Blades

Smhaen Replacement Round Blades are precision-cut, circular discs designed specifically for use with the Smhaen dubbing bobbin holder. These blades are the engine behind the tool's ability to create exceptionally tight, consistent, and durable "dubbing noodles" or ropes. Made from a thin, flexible polymer, each blade features a small slit to capture the tying thread. When dubbing is applied to the blade and it's folded over the thread, spinning the bobbin twists the materials into a perfectly formed cord, ready to be wrapped.

This system revolutionizes the process of dubbing, transforming it from a technique that can be difficult to master into a repeatable, precise application. The blades allow tyers to achieve very thin and dense bodies, ideal for modern nymph patterns that need to sink quickly, or incredibly slender, segmented bodies for realistic dry flies and emergers. The result is a fly with a perfectly tapered, durable body that looks clean and professional every time.

Example Flies

Perdigon Nymph: This Spanish-style nymph's effectiveness is entirely dependent on its slim, smooth, and heavy profile designed to plummet through the water column. The Smhaen blades are ideal for creating the Perdigon's signature body by forming an ultra-thin and dense dubbing noodle with fine synthetic dubbing. Wrapping this noodle produces a tightly segmented body with a smooth taper that, once coated in UV resin, becomes a durable, fast-sinking jig that gets into the strike zone immediately.

Frenchie Nymph: A cornerstone of European nymphing, the Frenchie requires a slender, sparse body to maintain its profile. Using the blades, a tyer can create a very fine noodle of pheasant tail fibers or synthetic dubbing, wrapping it forward from the Coq de Leon tail to create a distinct, segmented abdomen. This precision prevents the addition of unwanted bulk, which is critical for the fly's performance and allows for a clean transition to the contrasting hot spot collar.

Wally Wing Mayfly: Tying realistic mayfly patterns with delicate wings, like the Wally Wing, demands a body that is equally refined. A traditional dubbed body can appear too bulky and unsegmented. The Smhaen blades allow for the creation of a slender, exquisitely tapered body using fine, dry fly dubbing. The resulting tight dubbing rope can be wrapped to form a realistic, segmented abdomen that provides a perfect proportional foundation for the fragile quill wings and tail.

CDC Midge Pupa: Effective midge pupa imitations often rely on a very thin, almost translucent body profile to mimic the natural insect. The round blades excel at building these delicate bodies. By applying a minimal amount of CDC dubbing or a similar fine material to the blade, a tyer can produce an extremely thin dubbing rope. When wrapped, this creates a sparse, buggy, and segmented body that traps air bubbles just like the emerging insect, offering a highly realistic presentation.

Gunnar's G-String Worm: This pattern is a prime example of a fly built entirely around a long, articulated dubbing noodle. The blades are used to create a long, consistent rope of worm-colored dubbing, which is then wrapped over a monofilament core or bent hook shank to create the worm's body. The precision of the blade system ensures the entire length of the worm has a uniform thickness and segmentation, giving it a lifelike appearance and durability that would be difficult to achieve with traditional dubbing techniques.

How To Use It

To use the Smhaen Round Blades, you first secure your tying thread in the small slit on the edge of the blade, which is mounted on the Smhaen bobbin. With the blade held open, apply a sparse and even layer of your chosen dubbing material directly onto the flat surface of the blade. Once the dubbing is in place, simply fold the blade closed, which neatly encapsulates the dubbing fibers around the thread core. The final step is to spin the bobbin holder; this action twists the blade and thread together, tightly spinning the dubbing into a consistent and dense noodle.

This dubbing noodle is then ready to be wrapped forward on the hook shank. The tightness of the rope creates naturally clean and pronounced segmentation as it is wound. The amount of dubbing applied to the blade directly controls the thickness of the final noodle, giving you precise control over the profile of your fly's body, from ultra-thin midge bodies to more robust nymph abdomens.

Why We Like It

We like the Smhaen Replacement Round Blades for the unmatched consistency and control they bring to the dubbing process. They make it simple to create perfectly uniform dubbing ropes, which translates into flies that are identical from one to the next, a key factor for tyers who need reliable performance from their patterns. This repeatability eliminates the guesswork often associated with traditional dubbing loops, ensuring every fly has the same sink rate and profile.

Furthermore, the system's ability to produce extremely tight and durable bodies is a significant advantage. The resulting noodle is incredibly strong and helps build robust flies that can withstand the rigors of fishing and survive multiple fish. This technique also opens up new possibilities for fly design, enabling the creation of super-slim profiles for nymphs or delicate, segmented bodies for dry flies that were previously challenging to achieve with conventional methods.

Comparable Materials

The primary alternative to using Smhaen blades is a traditional dubbing loop tool, such as a shepherd's crook spinner or a rotary tool. While both methods aim to create a dubbing rope, the process and results differ. A traditional dubbing loop requires the tyer to manually form a loop with their thread, insert the tool, place dubbing fibers between the thread strands, and then spin the tool to create the rope. This method is excellent for creating shaggy, bulky, or complex composite loops with multiple materials like flash and rubber legs. The Smhaen system, by contrast, integrates the process directly with the bobbin, allowing for a faster, more fluid technique that excels at producing very tight, thin, and consistent noodles with a single material, which is often preferable for streamlined nymph and emerger bodies.