Just Add H2O Fly Tying Materials Quick Picks
- Best All-Around: Just Add H2O Steve Farrar SF Blend - The baitfish fiber most saltwater tyers start with, for Deceivers, hollow flies and big streamers. A blend of Slinky Fiber and Angel Hair flash that sheds water, trims to shape and keeps a large fly castable.
- Best Brush: Just Add H2O Flash Blend Baitfish Brush - Pre-woven fibers on a wire core for a clean baitfish head or body in a few wraps. Sizes from 1 inch to 5 inches cover small minnows through large streamer heads.
- Best Flash and Body Combo: Just Add H2O Flash N Slinky - Slinky Fiber with Gliss 'N Glow flash blended in, so you get body and sparkle from one pinch. A good fit for predator flies where you want more shine than SF Blend.
- Best for Crabs and Shrimp: Just Add H2O Sculpting Flash Fibre - A fiber with micro-flash built in that sculpts cleanly into baitfish, crab and shrimp bodies. Lightweight and water resistant, so flats flies land softly.
- Best for Small Baitfish: Just Add H2O Polar Fibre - Very soft, naturally tapered synthetic fur for small to medium baitfish, from Surf Candies to sculpins. It breathes in the water and sheds it when cast.
How to Choose Just Add H2O Fly Tying Materials
Loose fibers: pick by profile and stiffness
Action: Decide how big the fly is and how much structure it needs. SF Blend and Just Add H2O Steve Farrar UV SF Blend come pre-tapered with flash mixed in, so they build a full baitfish profile in few steps; the UV version adds UV-enhanced colors for stained water.
Best for: Just Add H2O Slinky Fibre when you need length and durability that bucktail cannot give you, from micro Surf Candies to musky-sized streamers. The crinkled fiber holds its shape when wet and is the base of most of the other blends.
Tip: For finer work, Just Add H2O Fluoro Fibre is a straight, fine fiber for streamer wings and segmentation on small nymphs.
Brushes: match the length to the hook
Action: Choose the brush by the finished diameter you want. The Just Add H2O Streamer Brush runs .5, 1 and 2 inch on a stainless wire core for baitfish heads and crab bodies; the Flash Blend Baitfish Brush goes up to 5 inches for big streamers.
Best for: The Just Add H2O Translucy Fly Brush on articulated streamers and baitfish where you want a mobile, semi-transparent body that does not absorb water, in 1, 2 and 3 inch sizes. The Just Add H2O Lively Legs Crustacean Brush spins micro rubber legs into the fiber, so one wrap gives you a crab or shrimp body with legs already moving, in .5 and 1 inch.
Flash or translucence: build the right look
Best for: Flash N Slinky and Sculpting Flash Fibre when the fish respond to sparkle, and Just Add H2O Translucy Brush Fiber when they do not. Translucy diffuses light instead of reflecting it, giving a baitfish halo and a convincing shrimp body in clear water.
Action: Tie synthetics sparse and reverse-tie or hollow-tie where you can. A little goes a long way, and trimming the finished fly to a taper matters more than how much you tie in.
Why Trident Carries Just Add H2O
Just Add H2O materials are designed and made by the Fishient Group in South Africa, and the Steve Farrar SF Blend they developed with Farrar has become a standard for saltwater baitfish flies. The fibers shed water so a big fly stays castable, hold a profile through a day of stripping, and trim cleanly, and the brushes take the tedium out of baitfish heads and crab bodies. We keep the full range for striper, tarpon and musky tyers.
Materials & Durability
- Rinse salt off synthetics: The fibers do not absorb water, but dried salt stiffens them and dulls the flash. A freshwater rinse and air dry keeps them moving.
- Store packs flat: Keep fibers in their packaging, laid flat. Folded synthetic hair takes a permanent bend.
- Trim after the head is set: Build the head with UV resin or epoxy, then do the final taper trim so you do not cut into the wraps.
- Use markers for bars and spots: The pale and white colors take permanent marker well; add barring and gill spots after trimming.
Complete Your Setup
Related Gear
- Fly Tying Synthetics - Compare SF Blend with other synthetic fibers.
- Fly Tying Brushes - Every dubbing and streamer brush we stock.
- Saltwater Fly Tying Hooks - Corrosion-resistant hooks for baitfish, crab and shrimp patterns.
- Fly Tying Flash - Lateral lines and toppings to add to a synthetic wing.
Related Guides
- EP Baitfish Fly Tying Tutorial
- How to Tie a Surf Candy Saltwater Streamer Fly
- How to Tie Bob Popovics' Bulkhead Deceiver Fly
- How to Tie the Hollow Fleye Squid
- How to Tie the Synthetic Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern
Just Add H2O Fly Tying Materials FAQs
Q: Who makes Just Add H2O fly tying materials?
A: Just Add H2O is a line of synthetic tying materials designed and made by the Fishient Group in South Africa: loose fibers like SF Blend, Slinky Fibre and Polar Fibre plus a family of wire-core brushes.
Q: What is Just Add H2O SF Blend made of?
A: Steve Farrar SF Blend is a mix of Slinky Fiber and fine Angel Hair flash, pre-tapered so a clump already has the shape of a baitfish. UV SF Blend is the same base in UV-enhanced colors.
Q: SF Blend or Slinky Fibre, which should I buy first?
A: SF Blend if you tie baitfish and want flash already mixed in; Slinky Fibre if you want a plain, crinkled fiber to blend yourself or use as a bucktail substitute on big flies. Many tyers keep both.
Q: What size Just Add H2O brush do I need?
A: Pick by finished diameter: .5 and 1 inch for crab and shrimp bodies and small baitfish heads, 2 inch for most trout and inshore streamers, and 3 to 5 inch for large streamer heads and bodies.
Q: Do these synthetics absorb water or make the fly heavy?
A: No. SF Blend, Slinky Fibre, Polar Fibre and the Translucy materials shed water quickly, which is the main reason they are used on big flies. Sink rate comes from the hook and any added weight.
Q: Can I color Just Add H2O fibers with a marker?
A: Yes. The manufacturer notes that Polar Fibre takes permanent marker, and the white and pale shades of the other fibers color the same way. Add bars and spots after the fly is trimmed.
Just Add H2O Warranty & Resources
Fishient, the maker of Just Add H2O, does not publish a warranty for tying materials, which is normal for consumables. If a pack arrives short or damaged, contact Trident and we will replace it. Fishient's site shows the full color range of each fiber.
Learn More from Just Add H2O
- Fishient Group - Manufacturer of the Just Add H2O range.
- Steve Farrar SF Blend at Fishient - Composition and the standard, bleeding and silver scale color families.
- Fishient Brushes - Every streamer, baitfish and crustacean brush in the line.
- Polar Fibre at Fishient - Full color list and material notes.