Thanks as always! I love buck-tail streamers. I like to use the natural backside and wondered why no one talks about it..you just did, so now I know it’s ok and been approved by the best! 😂 Appreciate these videos Kelly and Slide Inn crew.👍👍 Have a great weekend!🎣
Glad you guys are back uploading videos! Stocked up on materials this summer, the majority bought from The Slide Inn and I am looking forward to a winter of tying. When are y’all getting more of the maroon heather hoodies back in stock?
Kelly, I don't know if I completely agree with the age thing on the bucktails. I just passed on a tail from a 3 1/2 or 4 year old 9-10 point buck a friend of mine just shot a couple of weeks ago because it was too short. Anyway, nice explanation of what to look for in bucktails. Keep the good stuff coming.
Just wash it with warm water and mild soap. Rinse well and it's very important to blow dry the hair. If you leave it damp it gets funky again. Comb it while blow drying and then hang by the base.
This is why. We could never figure out. What to actually do. Using 'buck tail'. In salmon and trout fly fishing. Using traditional swinging fly methods.
I have never actually come across. A 'white' colored buck tail. Here in Ireland. My guess is. Is that there are around 'fifty' total number of colors. Of bucktail. And the twenty five shades. That are on the 'whiter' end of the color spectrum. End up getting used internally in north America. The other 'twenty five' shades. That are from the middle part of the spectrum. Going to colors like 'black' and dark brown or purple. End up getting purchased. On this side of the Atlantic ocean. In the British Isles and places.
When we stumbled across bucktail hair. All we thought about. Was how to change the color from white. To black. And that is when our own relationship with buck tail material. As fly anglers. Got off on the wrong foot. To start off with. We knew it was a valuable source of hair material. It just happened to arrive. In the wrong color.
And that is really what I learned. I learned to finish up with. There was no such thing. As real 'black' colored anything in buck tails. One can pay a lot of money. In order to own a cape of hackles. That is really black in color too. It took me a long time. To be able to afford. To buy one of those. Even though we made lots of black colored flies. With inferior grade material too. What happened. Is that I used to find all of these dark color buck tail hides. On the shelves. As I said, I've never actually seen. A 'white' buck tail piece ever. In Ireland. It was always darker colors. And for a long time. The only color was black. Then we started to get experimental. And we started doing these dark shades of purple, red, brown and blue. Think of all of the colors. That one has with a punch to the eye. The colors that a bruise has. When it's in various stages of recovery.
And that was influenced. By the fact that we never used 'white' as a color at all. We were almost programmed in fact. That whenever we came across a material of any kind. That was 'white' in color. We would almost throw it in the dustbin. But then you start fishing with 'white' color. Even in cold water environments. And it's a different story. Then all of those white materials that you have. Suddenly do become valuable. White is a great material. When the fish is looking at a fly. From the side. Instead of from below. When the fly is viewed in profile. White is a useful color. Because it draws so much light towards it. As opposed to looking at the fly. Against the sky above. And if the fly is fishing at depth. White is useful, because it will attract light down at the depth. And reflect it to materials that are not white. Close by. The moon uses reflected light from the sun. In that way.
And that is the thing about 'buck tail'. That everyone forgets. Whether it is. A shade of bucktail. That is white dyed to yellow for example. It's not just boring, flat, live-less 'yellow' material. You put it against the light. And it's a material that has light transparent properties. Associated with it. Which we do know how to use. Very much. On this side of the Atlantic ocean.
Jam, Yaa they seldom clean them and then salt them, just pull the bone and lay them out to dry, often have gobs of fat on them. About the only way to get what you want currently is to process your own, if that is not possible you can soak them in dawn and then scrape the crap off the hide and wash it again and then salt it to set the hair again, leave the salt on until the hide is dry, there is a chance the hair slipping if you soak it to long, if you get the hide just soft enough yo clean it and wash the hair you should be fine. I will have a new source for these very soon. Kelly
