What are the features that make kiptail a favorable jig tail material?? Does it do something that other natural hairs or synthetic materials do not??
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What are the features that make kiptail a favorable jig tail material?? Does it do something that other natural hairs or synthetic materials do not??
Synthetic really is too slick like plastic And kiptail is very thick like bucktail, I prefer foxtail to any hair because it’s softer , easier to handle and goes along way if you buy an entire dyed or natural tail,,,,comes in assorted colors which I really like and the black is amazing…most of these are all foxtail…
Great info….thank you. Which source do you use for whole dyed fox tails?
Seems it is hard to get good, consistent quality on kiptail. I got some faux polarbear from ksnouf that seems similar but a bit softer.
Deep fry,,,,I use guthrie tackle on Facebook,,,,he sells jigheads as well,,,,,Quote:
Originally Posted by deepfry
I like kipp tail a lot. The original Doll Fly Jig back in the day was made with polar bear. Kipp tail is the closest thing to it. Has great action. Stiffer than fox tail and softer than buck tail. Has a simular texture to Polar bear. Kind of kinky. Kipp tail with longer hair is harder to find so its better to see it in person to make sure if you are just tying 1/8" jigs. I have a lot so I just match to the size I am tying. If i could only tie with one material....that would be it.
When my father passed up on Toledo Bend my brother loaded up all the Crappie Jig making stuff and gave it to me. A grocery sack of new Kip Tails was in the pile. I have not bought Kip Tail in years, still working out of my fathers old stash.
All I can give is my opinion. Fox is nice with lots of action but pricey unless you get lucky at goodwill or someplace like that. Fat man has shown us that it dyes well and holds color. The synthetic has some good qualities also, and I’ve used and still have a bunch of it. The longer streamer length works great on big bucktail and streamers but sometimes isn’t very tough. Bucktail has a tendency to flair too much if you pull too tight and I just don’t care for it for the smaller size jigs. Kiptail seems to fit most of the needs I have. Not always good length so I agree to see it before you buy it. I’ve used jigs that lost hairs over time til they were down to like 6 hairs but they still showed color and caught fish. This prompted me to tie with less hair In The first place. A little shorter too. What I had to warm up to is chasing it around the shank of the hook when first putting it on the jig. Should I get a bald spot in the coverage I just cut a small bit and tie it in, works fine. Dipping Kip in spike it helps sometimes too, and slab sauce stays on a good while. Most of mine get thread collars and I skip the chenille, they still work just fine. Hope this helps, hey Kevin.
Okay,,, here’s my point ,,, kiptail is about 4-5 dollars each,,,( black). Bucktail is about 6-8 dollars each. ( orange). And a full foxtail is about 20.00 dollars ( chartruce).
Kiptail = good quality tail but very little usable material and very stiff…
Bucktail = good quality material but if it’s a northern whitetail it’s almost too course,, southern better but smaller and pricey.
Foxtail= great quality material,,, very soft and holds dye well,,amount of tail far exceeds that of deer or kiptail, Plus, every piece is very usable,,,, but pricey compared to other furs,,,but you get 10 X the material, and it’s way easier. To use and a lot better material to handle…. just my opinion though….
Good to know information for those of us that haven’t used much fur before.
I need to save the tail and belly from the next deer I harvest.
I'll tell you it's addictive. I love using hair and each one has different qualities. I started and can't stop. Have enough for you and me for a lifetime.
Black bear, artic fox, red fox, grey fox, kipp tail, goat, artic goat, icelantic goat, racoon, possium, auzzy possium, iceland possium, caribou, raccoon, reindeer, boar, skunk, wolf, badger, moose, bucktail, deer belly, beaver, horse, squirrel, rabbit, finch, groundhog, bobcat, and some others that i can't list.
Point is....try them all as each one is different and have their place. I tied over 2000 jigs last year and most was kipp tail but I like them all. It's so much fun working out new creations and then catching slabs on something you made. If your worried about saving money or want to make money then it can be frustrating to say the least.
Just have fun. You will find what works for you.
Jack, if you want to learn a technique that is clean off the charts cool, learn to spin deer hair. It’s messy when you’re trimming it to shape and lots of folks use it for topwater flies, but watch a video or two and you’ll see my point. I’ve seen some wicked good looking bugs made out of the stuff and if you hunt you get the hair for free. I had a bumble bee that was made in purple and yellow for years that I wouldn’t use because of who made it for me. When I used it, it was fantastic. Endless possibilities and satisfying when you see what you’ve worked on turn out so well.
I have watched some of them. They can do some amazing things with the deer hair. I have a bag of tails and belly in my tying things
It all comes down to it catches fish and lots of them! I was a non believer until I actually tied some and tried fishing them. It’s a good story and to shorten it, I went down to my dock one day tired of tying so went down to drop a jig in. I did just that, plopped it in right next to the bank, went to move it and saw a flash under it as I pulled it out. Put it right back in, 15 min later I had 3 with the smallest one 14”! I was sold, kiptail works, lol!
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