Squirrel tail patterns

[largemouthTLOCD 0]

I was wondering if anybody knew any good patterns using squirrel tail. Its squirrel season here in Florida and I asked one of my friends to give me the tails so I have 10 tails and don't know what to use them for. Any ideas for bass/bluegill and saltwater flies for reds and trout would be greatly appreciated.

[Mickalo 0]

always a good place to start is the pattern database, browse by materials. here's the link for squirrel. think you'll find something that should suite you

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/materialSquirrel.html

 

Mike

[agn54 0]

Squirrel makes great collars on tarpon style flies. Just tie on splayd hackles for the tail and squirrel for the collar and it makes a great seaducer style fly

[Phish 0]

Make up some nice lil clousers is a excellent patterns for florida and elsewhere. Try dying some of the tails after proper preparing is what I do.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Squirrel tail hair is a solid hair that compresses little or not at all and to make it more challeging, it has a kind of smooth slick finish. If you tie in a large clump, often the center of the clump will pull out. It is best to tie in small clumps. For extra insurance, I'll put some head cement or super glue on the thread after securing my bunch with two or thee wraps and then continue with the glue saturated thread to secure the butts.

 

Kirk

[largemouthTLOCD 0]

Thanks for the help. I'm going to start working on some flies

[JSzymczyk 0]

squirrel tail is a great material, and I have caught many fish of different species with just a tinsel body and squirrel tail wing. It can be difficult to tie with, as Kirk pointed out. I cut a clump of hair, take out the shorts (it doesn't usually have "fuzz"), then measure to length and trip BEFORE tying in. When I'm ready to tie in the wing, I put a dab of Sally Hansen's on the butt end of the hair. Just a tiny bit, because it will wick into the hair just a tad, and most of it will squeeze out when you tie it in. I've found that to greatly improve hair slip on that type of fly.

[deeky 0]

One other tip I picked up from another tyer here is to tie in your wing with 3 wraps at the back of the head. Keeping tension on your thread, pull a few of the butts up and make a wrap just ahead of them and against your previous wrap. Work your way forward on the head until you have all of the hair sticking straight up between wraps of thread. It will look like your fly has a mohawk. Clip all of the butts short and finish your head. The kink created when you pull each small bunch back helps to hold the hair in place.

 

Deeky

[smokinprice 0]

I have used the squirrel tail for tails on my poppers. You could also use it for patterns such as the Megan's Minnow. It would probably work for some type of baitfish pattern as long as you were putting epoxy over it

[tidewaterfly 0]

This is a pattern that I submitted to the database. I really like the natural colors of Fox & Pine Squirrel tail for this type of fly. Gray is good too, and can be dyed many colors.

 

Simple Crawfish, Clouser style.

[irish1 0]

Here is a pattern that uses Squirrel tail hair. I've caught both Bass and Sunnies on it.

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/091100fotw.php