Fly Tying - Help Please! Bucktail Nightmare!

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Help Please! Bucktail Nightmare!

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Freshwater Fishing
Forum Name: Fly Tying
Forum Description: Swap tips and techniques for Fresh and Saltwater fly patterns
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=26581
Printed Date: 30 Jan 2026 at 1:03am

Topic: Help Please! Bucktail Nightmare!

Posted By: 10lbseabass
Subject: Help Please! Bucktail Nightmare!
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2008 at 12:40pm

Can anyone shed any light on why my bunches of bucktail flair up into a useless mess when trying to tie deceivers etc. It comes right on rare occasions but I cant put my finger on what is going wrong the rest of the time. I take 3 loose wraps around the bunch before tightening at which point.......FUZZ

Any guidance very much appreciated here!

Replies:

Posted By: Jaapie
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2008 at 12:52pm

Yeah mate-

Best you take a few tight turns to lock the bucktail in place first.

The loose wraps you use make the hair spin when you pull down, hence the mess. You want to avoid the spinning, so tighten the wraps before hand.

Good luck.

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"Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught,will we realize that we cannot eat money" - 19th Century Indian Creed

Posted By: Snuffit.
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2008 at 1:47pm

Yup, good advice Kev. Seabass, I have one particular piece of bucktail that no matter how I tie it in, flares like a real b*gger - unlike the rest of my stocks of the stuff. I think the base of the hair is thicker or something. To keep the fly streamlined I tie in the hair as close to the base as possible, then put a wrap further up the hair to hold it down in a nice tapered shape... make sense...?

Posted By: waitakidan
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2008 at 5:08pm

I find the quality of the bucktail has a big bearing on it. Poor quality bucktail is hollow, and splays out like deer hair. Usually it is the straighter stuff, and finer, wavy fibres are the best ones.
Good luck.
Dan

Posted By: 10lbseabass
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2008 at 9:50pm

Thanks for the advice chaps. I would like to blame the quality of the materials here but I dont think thats possible. I will give it a go later wrapping tightly on the initial turns and see howI go. I will report back on progress later. Many thanks.

Posted By: Pole Dancer
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2008 at 6:39pm

Working with all types of Deer hair is a skill unto itself and entire books have been written on it.

As far as bucktail goes what the others have said is valid and all could be the root of your problem, hopefully I can share some others.

Not only are some bucktails easier to work with than others but parts of the bucktail also provide better stuff to work with. As a rule you'll find the heavier coarser hair toward the base more difficult to tie in without flairing than the stuff towards the top which tends to be less hollow.

The issue of flaring is caused by the the deer fibres being hollow. The coarser the fibre the more hollow it is, when the flytying thread is tightened against it the walls collapse the two sides compress together causing it to flare out. By using the finer fibres at the upper end of the bucktail this is alleviated.

It can also be corrected by tying in with tight turns and then a few firm, but not as tight, turns of thread are made to help it retAIn it's shape. A good drop of flytying cement at this point will keep it all in tact so it remains tuff but does noet unravel.

Also, when tying decievers do not try to tie the bucktail at the head oin one lump around the shank. It should be done in three stages. Tie in a clump on the far side of the hook, another then on the near anf finally one on top. By doing it this way ytou get better shape, a more realistic profile and have less chance of flaring because you are tying it in with smaller clumps.

Now just add eyes and epoxy.

I am flat out doing some commercial tying at the moment but if I get a break tonight I'll try to post some close up pictures of ways to make the tying wraps without flaring the hair, failing that, it'll be a couple of days.... good luck.

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http://www.clarkreid.co.nz" rel="nofollow - www.clarkreid.co.nz FFF Certified Casting Instructor / Umpqua Designer Tier

Posted By: ian
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2008 at 6:47pm

Clark you are bang on of course. i have the clouser bok by bob clouser and found it an education to read, he explained the difference in fibres on thetail well with some being hollow. this explains the flaring described. its an excellent book for saltwater tiers even if you can tie a clouser (not hard!) as has other tips too.

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drink up stream of the herd

Posted By: SNOWKIWI
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2008 at 9:12am

Thanks Clark, I've just learn't something else! Very nice photos!

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http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow">

It is to be observed that 'angling' is the name given to fishing, by people who can't fish.

Posted By: 10lbseabass
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2008 at 3:21am

Thanks to all and especially Clark who as usual has surpassed himself with input above & beyond the call of duty!!!

My new bucktails arrived from the USA last week and things are much improved. Very useful insight into the grades of hair within a single tail though. I was down to the springy coarse stuff at the time of writing the original call for help.

Besides the usual poppers and baitfish imitations such as clousers and deceivers, are there any must haves for my NZ fly box? Fat Boys sound like one, whatever they may be?!?!?!

Posted By: sooshee
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 12:03am

I've just tied some minnow clousers with "springy" bucktail. Does it make a lot of difference to the fish? I wetted the flies under a tap and the fuzziness took on a more streamlined fishy appearance:

Still very difficult to tie with though!

Posted By: Standard Deluxe
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2009 at 12:57pm

I found this guy to be a really good too, he is making a lefty's deciever in this clip but if you click the more video tab there are a heap of others on what bucktail to use and why. He adds the bucktail as described above then uses his thumb to push it into place, some great tips in the videos anyway, not sure who posted them originally but they are bloody great!

Awsome other tips in this thread too guys, learned alot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_suygCdgUXQ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_suygCdgUXQ