Bucktails

do any of you guys tie bucktails ?was thinking about trying to get started making them, what would i need to get started as far as tying the hair on the jig head ? will a fly tying vise work ?also what about painting the jig head itself what do you recommend?

we had a previous thread on them with alot of good posts if ya can find it. there is a guy that guides on kerr lake, va. they call fishdoc. he has made them very popular around those parts, because of the crappie he catches on them. says he uses 1/32, 1/16, and 3/32 . white hair, red thread and unpainted head. 2" of hair is about right, tied sparse enough to see light thru. he casts them over and around brush and uses yellow line to see the tick when they bite. maybe you can get him to respond, I'm sure he'd tell ya all about it. there is a trick to getting the hair on there even all the way around the jigs collar. most people use collared heads and sometimes carve the barb off of there. I wrap about 6-7 wraps of thread on the hair fairly loose, then scoot the hair around the collar to my satisfaction. when it's right, then I hold the hair in place with the left hand and unwrap a few wraps and then start wrapping tightly. using flat waxed nylon thread which is real strong. after about 8-10 hard wraps I trim the excess hair sticking out the front of the thread wraps then a little head cement at that point, then finish up and tie off covering the butt ends of hair you just cut. they are a great addition to the tackle box, believe me.

Here ya go.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/jig-t...-pictures.html

Let me know if you need more help.

that was a great post by smooth! another thing to know about crappie bucktails if thats what your tying is, the large bucktails that you buy are too course of hair for the smaller jigs. If ya can get a hold of some smaller tails from a few hunters in the south, they are much finer and work better for the small stuff.

Or caribou hair if you can get the right length without having to buy a whole hide

Fatman

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Originally Posted by redear

that was a great post by smooth! another thing to know about crappie bucktails if thats what your tying is, the large bucktails that you buy are too course of hair for the smaller jigs. If ya can get a hold of some smaller tails from a few hunters in the south, they are much finer and work better for the small stuff.

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Thanks redear.

Yep, older buck (male deer) tails can be rather course. I use my own tails from down here in SC, but have a taxidermist I get them from in Wisconsin that are great. I think it depends on the weather and the age of the deer.

Anyway, a trick is to go to the top half or third of the tail and save the bottom for something else. The top hairs (end of the tail) are usually finer and tie better.

sure thing smooth, one thing Iv'e noticed especially with hair is, different people have different ways of getting that hair on the jig evenly all the way around the collar. I guess my way is kinda unorthadox ( using one bunch of hair, and wrapping 5-6 times loosely and shifting the hair around the collar under the loose thread, then holding the hair while backing off a couple wraps and then wrapping hard. ) but I have never tried to tie one on a striper size hook either. another thing I do is trim the excess hair in front of the wraps if there is any, with a single edge razor blade. just push down on the hair with the blade using the lead as a backstop, and it cuts right thru it.

thanks ,for the info it helped alot