Bucktail versus Synthetic

[troutaholic]

I thought I'd like to continue a part of the discussion from the "Clouser" thread about which is prefered for the Clouser style streamer - natural dyed bucktail or some of the many synthetic alternatives. During the Meydenbauer show a few weeks ago I talked with several of the pro tiers there about Clousers and most favored bucktail ( or other natural fiber such as Yak hair) for the primary material due to the built in tapering effect of a sparsely tied bucktail wing (although they all also used synthetics for flash and some bulk). I had always used all synthetics but I went home and tied up several with dyed bucktail (sparse with only the finest tips). I still used krystal flash and mirrow flash for the underwing. I then compared the bucktail tied ones with my other earlier versions. It seems to me that indeed the Clousers's movement and shape is a better imitation of a baitfish when created with a bucktail overwing. Calftail for my smaller Clousers also seems to be amazingly life like. Anyhow that's just my take, I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks :-)

[Don Stracener]

I have been playing with these materials for tube flies.

I am trying to get a good shape and ... some movement that would suggest it was alive. Currently I am mixing the two using an underwing of craft fur with bucktail over it. It looks good but I haven't been able to get them in front of any fish yet this year to see how they work.

Any one else?

[ibn]

I've got bucktail and synthetics, mostly slinky fiber, frizz fiber, angel hair, and some others I cant recall the brands. I find myself consistently grabbing the synthetics over the bucktail. I like the look of the flies better, they seem to have a little more body to them. The slinky fiber has nice little S curves in their fibers, when you mismatch the lengths of the fibers a little bit you get a really nice full look to your fly. I've done some on the beach trimming of flies beffore, bucktail just doesen't look so good if you have to cut the tips off to make a smaller fly, doesen't make any difference with synthetics.

Bucktail is cool and has it's place, but I prefer synthetics for my saltwater stuff.

[hikepat]

I am with Ibn on this. I use both all the time. I myself use Llama, Yak, deer tail, kraft fur, a few diffrent types of synthetics plus lots of diffrent types of flash including xmas tree tinsel.

[g_smolt]

I tie alot of clousers and clouser-clone hairwinged flies every year...By alot, I mean somewhere between 80 to 120 dozen. I like the synthetics for the durability and consistency, two attributes that bucktail doesn't have.

If you have a technique for thinning, to avoid the "paintbrush" look, that eliminates the "artificial" profile.

Natural hair is of such a range of thickness and color that no 2 pieces are alike, and sometimes this is a desirable trait...however, when I am giving flies to clients, and one pattern is working while others come up short, the last thing I need is variance.

IMHO, and YMMV,
Mark

[cabezon]

I use both. I like bucktail on small to medium flies; I like the taper and the color is not quite so monochromatic. The problem with bucktail is that it doesn't have the length for a long pike fly or a monster herring pattern.

Steve

[Les Johnson]

For saltwater salmon flies, Clousers, sand lance and such, Fishair is still favored by many veteran anglers. The stuff it tough as all get out, is available in a decent range of colors, and has enough body bulk to make a pretty nice looking fly.
I tie a lot of my saltwater Clousers and baitfish patterns with Fishair. It works for me. With so many new synthetics coming out I don't know how you guys keep up with it all. When I was putting contributed flies in the Fly chapter of our new salmon book I was absolutely amazed at the many different synthetic fibers available. It is overwhelming. However, I still use bucktail and other natural material for some of my flies.
Good tying,
Les Johnson

[FT]

g smolt,

The scissors known as "taperizers" will do what you want. I know that Anvil offers a pair of them (they run around $24.00) and I'm pretty sure that Dr. Slick and one other company have them too. Just use the "taperizer scissors" on the end of the wing after it is tied in, and it will get rid of the paint brush look.

[g_smolt]

Thanks FT-

I don't have a problem with "paintbrush", I was merely pointing out that there are techniques to eliminate it.

I do a separation pull that gives the fly good mid-body, tailing out to a few long wisps at the end.

Nice to know that there are products out there, though...

Mark

[hikepat]

I found some tapering scissors at my local dollar store and they work very well to stagger the bucktail with.

[Tony]

I tie mine both ways, some syn. some nat. but what I really enjoy and to me it looks better and I think I get more consistant results with blends of everything, last year I started dinking around with blends and I had really good luck with clousers tied with slinkyfiber on the bottom mixed with crystalflash and for the top I would blend some flash material, slinkyfiber and bucktail together, the silvers would just eat it up.
tony

[Bruce Davidson]

I also like Fishair for the reasons Les mentioned and because it seems to be a good choice for me when trying to make a very slim fly, for smaller candlefish, for instance. (I know they're sand lances but I just like the name candlefish). I also like Yak hair if it's relatively straight for my smaller clousers as well. The Ocean Green Yak has been particularly good for me in BC. I also like synthetics for, as Ibn mentioned, it's easy to do a real-time trim job if necessary.

[pintsize]

Here in the UK we use polar bear fur, its gives the best action over everything else we've tried and really can't fault it. Second best comes Yak fur and then its onto the bucktail and synthetics which don't in my opinion work so well for our UK species, the bucktail is very brittle compared to Polar Bear and Yak fur.

On a few clouser patterns we use pinches of Yak fur then Polar Bear on top for durability, Yak fur appears to be nearly as strong as nylon.

Not sure if you guys can get Polar Bear over that side of the pond though.