Tying buck tail

[newriverfisherman1953]

I’ve tied a few jigs over the years, but always had trouble with the hair flaring out and being difficult to tie. Are there secrets to doing this better?

[KCFinesse]

Start with a couple loose wraps around the base of the bucktail before applying tension to securely fasten it down. Those loose wraps help keep the clump of hair in place.

 

Also, don't be afraid to comb out some of the shorter hair and fur from the clump of hair before you tie it in.

 

-Jared

[flyfisher]

haven't tied jigs but tying flies I have tied with a lot of bucktail.  Bucktail is hollow and the more thread tension the more it will flare out.  You need to find that balance of tension and holding ability.  Ione way to manage it is to tie it down tight at first then looser as you move back.  This will hold the hair in place and slim down the flare effect.

[Deleted account]

Coincidentally, I was tying some pickerel flies, and had the same question. Saw a YT video on Clouser minnows by the man himself, and essentially, he recommended cutting the bucktail flush with the skin, then pinching it at the base, cutting it flush, then pinching the butt end and pulling out the loose ones from the tip end. Then pinching it so it forms an oval, then wrapping loosely and then coming around with the thread and pulling tight against the hook shank, not against the hair. Worked like a charm. I'll add that the size of the clump can make a difference too.

[Jig Man]

I’ve tied a lot of them.  I used to make 90 dozen a year for one guy. I never try to put the full amount on at once.  I put some on.  Do a couple of wraps, put more on do a couple of wraps until I get it the way I want it to look.

[Bdnoble84]

A few things canaffect this. First what part of tail are you using. The tip will be more thin and wispy whereas the base is thicker and more hollow. The base flairs much more. Second is thread pressure, the more you sinch down, the more flair you will create. Third is collar styyle. Jigs that have the ring in the base will cause more flair than ones that do not. Perfect example for me is the poisontail mold. I have taken to smashing down the ring on the collar. Ultimately though, the best way to elominate flair is to remove tve collar. Tie on bare shank. This really gives the best thin, minnowish profile. I like flair for craw profiles where i could add a trailer.

[Jigfishn10]

39 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I’ve tied a lot of them.  I used to make 90 dozen a year for one guy. I never try to put the full amount on at once.  I put some on.  Do a couple of wraps, put more on do a couple of wraps until I get it the way I want it to look.

Do those jigs have a chenille collar wrap? Hard to tell from the pic?

[newriverfisherman1953]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help. I’ll give it a try again!

[Jig Man]

3 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Do those jigs have a chenille collar wrap? Hard to tell from the pic?

Yes they do.  I don’t tie without it.

[Jigfishn10]

18 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

Yes they do.  I don’t tie without it.

Love it bud. Permission to steal that idea for a couple of my bucktails I’m currently tying up?

 

?

[Jig Man]

Go for it.

[Bdnoble84]

Exact same pattern, same jig. One has a collar one doesnt. Very different profiles

[Fallser]

Most of the jig I have collars.  You have to adapt your tying methods.  These are both tied on collared jigs.  One has a crayfish profile and the other a bait fish profile.

 

 

The difference is the length of the wraps.  The shorter thread wraps on the crayfish pattern allows the hair to flair more and the wraps on the bait fish pattern is pretty much the length of the jig collar and is more compressed.  You can do the same thing on a jig without a collar.

newriver, another thing I would suggest is a hair stacker if your going to tie buck tails.  Put them in butt first, tap it a couple of times and you even out the butt ends.  Hold the longer hairs you want to use and weed out the shorter ones and fuzz you might have  picked up when you cut them off the tail.  What I also do, and it might be a fly tying habit, is put them in tip first.  It evens the tips, and give you another shot at weeding out shorter hairs you don't want in the buck tail.

[PeshtigoST]

I tie a ton of bucktail.  You have been given some good advice. 

 

Not all bucktail is the same.  Some have hair that is stiff and straight as an arrow and some have nice soft crinkly hair.  Soft crinkly hair ties much better.  On any bucktail, the hair on the lower end of the tail is stiffer and hollow.  When you go to tie it tight, it will flare because tight wraps will crush the hair.  Try using the hair from half way up the tail to the tip of the tail, you will see a lot less flaring.

 

As mentioned above, thread pressure is key to helping tame the hair.  I like to tie my collar shorter on stiff hair and then use looser wraps over the back side of the collar and hair to keep the hair down but not cinch it tight.  Follow the wraps up with a coat of head cement such as Hard as Nails or UV glue.

 

The best hair I have seen, or at least consistently good, is from Wapsi bucktails.  Wapsi consistently has nice soft crinkly hair.  The problem with them though, is their color consistency.  They can be all over the chart on color quality control.  Hareline bucktails can be hit and miss as far as stiff hair goes.  If you can pick a Hareline tail in person, you can get some really good ones.  One thing good about Hareline, their coloring has always been perfect.  Next up for bucktails is Cascade Crest.  I have bought a few and they have been really good.  I just ordered some from them and asked them to hand select the tails for me so I get soft crinkly tails with hair at least 3" long.  We will see how that goes!

 

Long story short-  wherever you order from, tell them what kind of hair you want on the bucktail and ask them to select them for you.  Bears Den Fly Fishing is really good at that.

[newriverfisherman1953]

Thanks again guys for  everyone’s excellent advice and help. I don’t tie much, but it’s something to help shorten the winter. I know a lot of you can relate.  I’ll give it a try and post the results later. 

[WRB]

The majority of bass angers think of bucktail hair jigs for smallmouth and want a slim profile. 

Using Fallser post above demonstrates clearly the difference slim and flair profile. 

I prefer a full flair tricolor bucktail hair jig for Largemouth bass for serval reasons, the most important being hair movement.

When hair gets wet it acts differently when moving through water by looking slim. When the jig it sits still a good bucktail hair jig will flair out and breath. The change from slim to flair movement looks like the jig is alive to bass. Plus full tied hair jig accommodates trailers better.

A slim or tight tied hair jig requires the angle to creat moments to entice a bass to be interested and strike.

Tom

[newriverfisherman1953]

98% of my bass fishing is for smallmouth. I do prefer a full jig. Black and/or brown has always been good to me. Just have had trouble making them “pretty” but the fish usually don’t mind the hair sticking out the wraps. Hope to improve the look with your advice. 

[WRB]

Try looking up a fly tying shop that has lessons. Saves a lot of time having hands on experience from someone who knows how to it.

Tom

[PaulVE64]

Thread control 

Google this guy - Gunner Brammer. He is doing a 5 part series right now on his youtube channel

 

Or watch Smalljaw's channel

[PaulVE64]

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZC0N7DF74V/?utm_medium=share_sheet

Just learning this pattern now

[Jigfishn10]

3 minutes ago, PaulVE64 said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZC0N7DF74V/?utm_medium=share_sheet

Just learning this pattern now

I haven't spun deer hair since my fly fishing days making muddler minnows. That pattern you posted is the bomb! Would love to see you post it. Good luck.

[PaulVE64]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZAcpDwlZSL/?utm_medium=copy_link

I think thats it

[Jigfishn10]

Looks great man! Nice job.

[Fallser]

7 hours ago, PaulVE64 said:

I think thats it

Nice job.  Looks like a Muddler Minnow on a jig.  I use to tie deer hair flies, but got a little too OCD when trimming them and often ended up with a deer hair cylinder on the hook, not to mention the bits of deer hair I tracked all over the house.