What a good cheap hair?

[Simplejack 0]

I'm looking for a good hair to tie some Steelhead or salmon flies that is not too expensive since I would like to get more then 1 color and I'm on a budget.

Buck tail seems to be too thick and long. Calf tail seems to crinkly and fox tail I think might be a little too soft and too much waste, even though I can use the under fur on something else, but it's also expensive when you have to buy a few different colors. Is there any good cheap alternatives that come in bright colors?

Here some pictures of examples of the types of flies I want to tie. I'm not going to be tying the patterns shown, but this is just a example of the type of hair I'm looking for and kind a pretty much what I'm going to be doing with it.

 

And can someone edit the title to my post and add the is after the word what.. It's annoying me everything I look at it..

 

[flytire 0]

they all look like bucktail to me

 

did the website where you found the photos have the recipes?

[ScottK 0]

I've never tied steelhead or salmon flies, but would craft fur work as an alternative? It's available lots of places (Hoby Lobby, JoAnns, etc.) and comes in several colors. I'm sure not an expert, just an idea.

 

Also, FTD has lots of stuff, cheap too:

 

http://www.flytyersdungeon.com/Materials/synthetichair.htm

[sandflyx 0]

craft fur, I use all the time.

[mikechell 0]

Steelhead and salmon flies are large, compared to trout flies. Buck tail is not too long, and you can't get much better quality for the price. You obviously don't have to use and entire length of hair when you cut it from the hide, so you can tie in whatever length you want. I use buck tail for sunfish flies, so it's not too stiff.

 

Go with buck tail.

[Simplejack 0]

I was searching again to find the pattern details on some of the flies and it seems to be Fox or good quality buck tail. So I guess I will probably just have to order the fox fur or hand select some buck tails..

 

Tanuki looks really good, but probably expensive and hard to find.

[rotaryflytyingdotcom 0]

Like Sandflyx said craft fur works well - lots of colors - cheap.

You might also look at Artic Fox Tail Pieces http://www.theessentialfly.com/arctic-fox-tail-piece.html

or Squirrel Tails http://www.theessentialfly.com/V-GSTD-06.html?currency=2&gclid=CMCnzsTj9r4CFShnOgodYhAA5w

 

Both links are from The Essential Fly website - not for any other reason than they came up when I searched the items and they have pictures with an available color list.

[Piker20 0]

A stoats tail will tie a lot of stoat tail flies, generally the stoats tail is used in low water so tied on smaller hooks and a wing is sparse and therefore the tail lasts you a long time.

Same with Bucktail, you'll be stacking the hair and using the fine tip end, yes you will bin a lot of the butt portion but a tail will tie you dozens of flies.

Squirrel is great, calf tail too. Again lots of flies from one tail. The idea is not to tie a paintbrush but you want movement and light passing through your wings.

Craft fur works well if you can find long enough patches.

Fox tail, goat, collie dog, monkeys, barmaids; you name it they have tied using it. My kids love looking though my 'zoo' of materials and playing guess the species.

 

Three furs I could not tie without. BUCKTAIL

ARCTIC FOX

SQUIRREL

Edited June 13, 2014 by Piker20

[flytire 0]

#1 Golden Eagle

http://streamers365.com/2013/01/2-2013-golden-eagle-by-gary-tanner/

 

#2 Stoats tail

http://www.trout-salmon-fishing.com/stoats-tail.htm

 

#3 Kinermoney Killer

http://globalflyfisher.com/video/?q=node/1806

[mikechell 0]

If you are going for synthetic, Flytyersdungeon is putting together some huge color collections for $25.00.

Basically, he's selling Christmas gift boxes out of season.

[switch10 0]

Congo hair from Flytyersdungeon is awesome, and it's much cheaper than everything else.

[FlaFly 0]

I'm surprised nobody pointed it out, but there is a separate thread discussing use of things like cat and dog fur/hair for dubbing. Why not the longer, stiffer stuff (like from an irish setter) for fly hair? Or go to the local hair salon and ask for some of their longer clippings... why not? Worth a try, and certainly not expensive.

[Jaydub 0]

Kid Goat hair works quite well. It's been awhile since I purcased any, so I'm not sure about the cost.

[wschmitt3 0]

I will start with the statement. I am not a salmon or steel head fisherman but I do tie and fish a few streamers. I addition to the many salmon and steelhead flies that call for marabou many traditional streamer patterns calling for bucktail can be tied with marabou as an alternative. Marabou is not too expensive and comes in lots of colors.

 

With that said buck tail is a good material to have around and you get tons of material for the $5 or so dollars it costs for a bucktail. So for like $20 you could get a Pink, white, red and yellow and there are quite a few patterns that could be tied from those colors. If you need black and don't buy one you can take the brown hair from the top of the red tail (darkened by the red dye) and blacken it with a big sharpie.

 

I have never used craft fur and never heard of the congo hair that switch10 suggested but they do seem like good options. That congo hair seems pretty neat and there are tons of colors. I might give that a try when I run low on buck tail (which is probably a long way off).

[Bugsy 0]

Bucktail. I've tied and fished steelhead & salmon hairwings for years, and bucktail has been my primary winging fiber. It has just the right taper and stiffness for a wing that flares and pulses in the current. It lacks the translucence and glow of good polar bear, but it's the common substitute. Characteristics can vary a lot from one tail to another.

 

I've seen many commercial steelhead flies winged with calf tail, and I've tied quite a few myself. Not all calf tail is crinkly, and it can make a nice looking wing. Better for summer run patterns where you don't need as long a wing. Some calf tail I've used appears to be a better PB sub than deer tail usually is. Just like deer tail, it's best to select in person or order from a seller that will hand pick for you.

 

Grey fox body hair. I really like using this, but its standard application is for a handful of Atlantic salmon hairwings. Nice barring & texture. A small patch is just a couple dollars and will wing several dozen flies.

 

Squirrel of all types is cheap. No need to stack, very little waste. Makes for a good wing profile but can be difficult to tie in securely.

 

Hairwings are usually swung down & across. If you don't want a wing that compresses flat against the body while fished, stay away from softer hair and synthetics,...or adapt your winging method to provide more support to the wing (e.g., stiffer underwing, reverse tie-in, etc...). Arctic fox, EP Fibers and others have interesting qualities but are a little expensive to build up a selection.