buck tail

[KOKOEK9 0]

Hi, I am tying a mickey Finn on a larger hook, #4 4XL. But when I pull out the long hairs it makes the whole bunch fan out when the length is long, what am I doing wrong

[rotaryflytyingdotcom 0]

KOKOEK9,

There's a good chance you're taking the hair from too low on the tail. Try some long hair from the tip of the tail. The hair at the butt or bottom of the tail is hollow and flares the hair at the tip isn't hollow and doesn't flare.

[KOKOEK9 0]

Hi this hair does come from the top of the tail and it is not flaring when I ty it is fanning out when I stroke it to remove the long hairs

[Piker20 0]

? At which point are you trying to remove the longer hair?

If you were watching me i would have selected a bunch of hair from the tail of the thickness I required. Cut this from the tail, holding the bunch in my left hand toward the tips brush out any under fur from the butts with right hand. Then tip down into hair stacker. Good bang on the table and all tips are level.

Now offer bunch upto hook and trim away excess length at the butt end.

Now while holding tips with left hand, take soft loop of tying thread over the butts and tie in on the hook with soft pinch and loop.

 

If the hair flairs slightly as you tighten I don't think the fish really mind, the hair will collapse and pulse when pulled through water anyway. If flairing is really bad you might need better bucktail. Not all hair is created equal.

[KOKOEK9 0]

thanks I try that, but the flare is when I am preparing it to tie, it fans out so much I can't even put it on the hook

[Gene L 0]

I'm not sure I understand what the problem is, exactly. The hair shouldn't flare until you tighten down on the thread. Try using a lot less hair and pinch it really tight when you tie it on the hook. Plenty of on-line instruction on the Mickey Finn, so if you continue to have problems, go there.

[deeky 0]

A little finger work should take care of that if not tying it in. If it really is still a problem, make a wrap of thread around just the hair bundle before continuing around the shank. Works well especially when I want a clearly segregated wing as in a traditional Mickey Finn.

[Crotalus 0]

Sounds like static, wet your fingers.

[flytire 0]

if you are not tying museum flies or selling them, just mix the 2 colors together, tie it in and go fishing. its all going to eventually mix together anyway

 

 

 

 

[Piker20 0]

When you stack the hair and hold the tips to remove from stacker the butts are all opening out?

1. you're using too much hair.
2. try gentle rolling your fingers holding the tips to group it all together again.
3. wet the hair
4. go to the pub!

[Kudu 0]

Watch hammer creeks video in the sbs section.

 

 

[phg 0]

I can't really visualize what you are talking about, but it's beginning to sound like a static electricity problem. If it's the butts flaring as you remove them from the hair stacker, try pinching the tips in your left hand (assuming you are right handed), then moisten the finger tips of your right hand, and stroke them together. Tie the bundle in while it's still moist.

 

Another trick is to use dubbing wax. It will mat the fibers together for up to an hour, and then it seems to get absorbed. I often do that with bundled fiber wings.

[notenuftoys 0]

If flairing is really bad you might need better bucktail. Not all hair is created equal.

 

Yep. This is a possibility. I picked up a sample pack once with a bunch of pieces of different colors, and there were several I just threw out because they were flared almost like body hair.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Could you post a pic of the problem you are experiencing? Bucktail is among my favorite material to work with; I'm not too shabby at it, and I also am having a bit of a pause understanding your issue.

 

All the above posters are correct, taken together.

 

Are you using a hair stacker / evener? You should really be just pulling out the longest hairs of the bunch while holding it by the butt (cut) ends, not "stroking" the long hairs out as you posted... then switch hands and gently pull out or better yet comb out the shorties while holding the bundle by the natural ends, combing toward the cut ends. After that you are good to go unless you choose to use a stacker. I almost always use a stacker but plenty of great tyers do not. The fish don't care.

 

As I've posted before, the #1 tip to using bucktail IMO is to measure and cut the hair to length BEFORE tying it in. The #2 point is stated by Piker- not all hair is created equal. In fact very few tails are what I would call good quality. even on a very good tail, the amount of waste is huge. I think, and I tie a lot of bucktails, that on a good tail at least 50% of the individual hairs get combed out and go in the bin. Half or less of the actual hairs end up on flies. Probably less. So when you clip a bundle off the tail, figure about half or less of what you cut off will make it onto the fly. That's just me and I'm picky about my flies.

 

Sounds more like you are having trouble with the hair in your fingers, before you even try to tie in? That's a matter of learning to handle the material. Just re-group the bunch of hair between four and then three fingertips into a compact bundle again.... The butt ends of the bunch will not be even by this point, but no worries, just trim them even again with your scissor. Then just measure, cut, dab of cement, and tie in. Done.