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A horse is a horse of course, unless......

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I am the first one to admit that I am a cheap bastard, always on the prowl for new tying material, especially if it is free. Well, in my journeys to find such materials, a friend of mine turned me on to what has become a favorite tying material.

 

 

Dennis MacDonald, a fellow mountain man and co-worker, is reputed to be the finest horseman in Central Kentucky. People from all over the Midwest and South bring thier quarter horses and trotters to Dennis for breaking and training. Dennis is kind of a "horsewhisperer who screams a lot."

 

It just so happens that I fish a small stream just below the MacDonald farm in Casey County. One day, Dennis came to the stream to watch me fish and we began to discuss how to tie flies. He then suggested that I come to the barn and get some mane he had trimmed that morning. I was completely dumbfounded by the colors and quantity of mane, tail, and undercoat that this man had. We sifted through piles of this stuff for about an hour. Beautiful blondes, brindles, reds, blacks, and a grey that was so dark that I swear to you that it was almost purple in the right light.

 

Well, I brought it all home and immediately began experimenting with the mane and tail. And as they have been touted for generations, they made great tailing material. I also use mane and tail for antennae on nymphs, craw patterns, and terrestrials like hoppers and crickets. Underfur can be spun and makes great buggy bodies. I just love this stuff!!

 

Now tying with horse isn't new, as it dates back to Mesopotamia and the records of the first "flies" used on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. But there is a reason that tying with horse has survived...it's a great material!

 

 

 

If you have acces to any mane, tail, or undercoat...do yourself a favor and try it. If you don't, PM me and maybe I can hook you up. I just love to rib a fly with mane. It seems more traditional to me. Maybe I'm just sentimental. Maybe I'm just cheap and won't spring for Larva Lace. But I can tell you this, I love horse hair, and if you try it, you will too.

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I have used braided horse tail(blonde) instead of a silk gut on some of

my display flies.Its just too much work to twist and let it stay that way.

But they are so shiny and loos like the real thing.

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i like using mane and tail, Manny. kinda gives you a nostaglia for the early days, ya know.....

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One advantage though,is,horse hair is easily bleached and dyed into any color.

Like humans.Warning!Don't let your wife,girlfriend or daughter catch you using their

hair dyes. Or else you get this in

kicking.gif a55!

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