Baetis Nymph

[KGivan 0]

What is the best material to use for Baetis nymph tails? I was trying to tie from a recipe by Oliver Edwards, it called for olive badger hair, which I have not found. I tried olive deer tail but it seems to flimsy.

Please advise.

[Kimo 0]

The hair from a shaving brush is badger hair.
You'll love it because some of the hair is naturally split.
Just color them with marker.



Sample of what badger tails look like.



Kimo

[Jaydub 0]

For small nymphs, I would opt for a feather fiber tail. Pheasant tail, Wood duck flank or, if you want something stiffer and a little more durable, Coq de Leon

[spiralspey 0]

I don't think there's any one best material. For little baetis nymphs I prefer partridge, but I've used grouse, various duck flanks, pheasant, rabbit, and fox squirrel, but I can't say the fish cared one bit which materials I used.

[Mark Knapp 0]

"We don'd need no stinking badgers" He, he, he. Just kidding of course. I say make some with badger, and birds and everything else, and see what works best for you.

 

I must tie some emergers.

[tjm 0]

I don't think there's any one best material. For little baetis nymphs I prefer partridge, but I've used grouse, various duck flanks, pheasant, rabbit, and fox squirrel, but I can't say the fish cared one bit which materials I used.

I agree. I used to buy flies from a steam-side seller that used hackle stems for tail, nice curve and taper and they worked; today I looked at some that a successful angler was using that had what he said was Flashabou for tails. I used mono-filament on some that caught fish, but I didn't like them; which may show that fishers can be more selective than trout.

 

However, I would say that if I want my fly to look like any pattern I would need to use the called for materials. That is why it is called a pattern.

[mikechell 0]

And there's "micro-fibbets". Much like the natural badger shaving brushes shown above, but synthetic. Some paint brushes have similar fibers. Unlike cheaper paintbrushes, however, micro-fibbets taper to a fine point. I think that mimics real insect "tails" etc.

[flytire 0]

moose body hairs

 

moose mane hairs

 

peccary hairs

 

hackle fibers

 

pheasant tail fibers

 

partridge feather fibers

 

z-lon

 

woodduck/mallard feather fibers

 

squirrel tail fibers

 

microfibbets (or artists paint brush bristles. thats all what microfibbets are)

 

dont be stuck on one material just because a recipe calls for it. substitute

[Sandan 0]

partridge fibers or spade hackle fibers or coq hen saddle fibers

[NohackleHS 0]

I've been using bronze mallard for years.

[phg 0]

For size 18 or 20, I just use a couple of pheasant tail fibers.

[sandflyx 0]

elephant body hair ! off of a live one

[whatfly 0]

Coq de Leon rooster saddle. Durable, and scales well. Oliver badger would be pretty hard to find, but you could always just take a magic marker to normal badger in a pinch.