Inherited the family bucktail kit - what's your favorite??

[Andrew P]

I was just handed down a full fly tying kit from my grandpa with more supplies than I can list. But here's a sample: hundreds of bird types, polar bear(and many dyed colours), black bear, deer, beaver, seal, moose, arctic hare, squirrel tail, tons of thread, foil, hooks, tools, etc, etc. I've had my own kit since I was a kid, but this is next level. I have only ever tied flies for trout but want to do salmon bucktails for winter and summer spring, pink and coho...and sockeye perhaps.

I gave it a shot last night to tie a needle fish bucktail. The first two came out pretty good and actually hooked up the only salmon of the weekend when I tried it for a half hour troll part way on the crossing from Pender Harbour to Nanaimo. So, it worked! I was stoked and keen to give it a longer try and tie up some new ones.

If anyone has a favorite bucktail for salmon, let me know. I only have a few that I have come across to base designs on.

The one that worked had: green polar bear hair, peacock feather, glow lace, reflective tape, dotted feather. Pics of dry and wet. Was going for a needle fish with a bit of speckle back.

 

[fish stalker]

Wow! Very special! Needle fish looks great. I heard the 'krill' flys can be deadly. Thanks for sharing!
'

 

[CVmike]

Black and white in proper porportions is killer for cutthroat trout I've found. Mimics Kokanee pretty well. I say the best way to tie a bucktail is too pull up a picture on the internet of the bait you are trying to imitate and then tie it the best you can. Thats how I've always done things. I even have a portable kit that I bring in the boat with me and as soon as we get a keeper and check the stomach contents I can get a good idea what to tie and spin it up right there.

 

[CVmike]

one recommendation would be to go with a smaller, octopus style steelhead hook for your back hook, and try to weight the front portion. I find they fish a bit better and are more natural looking when more weight is placed up front.

 

[Kildonan]

That's a great score. Looks super organized, mines not so much like that. LOL

I like your needlefish pattern.

I tied some large polar bear bucktails for a buddy last summer, the first ones I had tied in years, it was fun. He had success with them up in Nootka.

A trick I learned years ago was to tie all my flies with white polar bear then I colour them as needed with permanent felt markers. I bought some last year from an art supply shop in Victoria that work well. Grey, two shades of green and blue.

I plan on tying up some more this year to try myself around Victoria.

 

[NautiGirl]

Wow! That kit should keep you busy for quite awhile. Obviously you already have skills. It's nice to see that it went to someone who appreciates it.

 

[reelfast]

i have been tying since about 1960 and have a similar collection of 'stuff' that only i can appreciate. what is important when you are tying for salmon trolling is to pay attention to size. you are indeed trying to match the hatch with length as well as color. over the course of years, i have found simple is best. my salmon patterns now are down to no more that 3-4 elements. i dropped the stinger hooks some years back as i have found that by adding BIG doll eyes, the fish tend to key on that feature and only one hook is really necessary. 4/0 gammies are my standard hook for these setups and they work extremely well, SC15's.

last season i was cleaning a coho when outpopped a school of small ~2-3"forage fish. they turned to be scaled pilchard. that evening i 'invented' a fly that was astonishing in how effective it was in hookups. i outfished all of the 'big guys' 4-1 or 8-1 dependig on the day with that small fly.

this hobby is not only fun but it actually can work far better than anything you can buy commercially. my flies have also accounted for pacific sails as well as tarpon and a variety of travaly and bone fish. its one of the few things you can do where you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. just keep in mind that all of those colors you see in hootchies and coho killers actually mimic some color phase of specific forage fish. making them up as flies is just as productive as putting your money on the counter at your local emporium.

enjoy your rare collection it will pay off in interesting ways for you as the years roll by, congratulations.

 

[Kildonan]

Reelfast, I'd love to see some photos of the flies you've tied up.

 

[reelfast]

just created a public album; "reelfast" and uploaded a couple of jpegs of the scaled pilchard. happy tying, this little fly was killer last august and september. then i figured out how to put them in this post

 

[Kildonan]

Cool! Thanks for posting those.

My dad had me tying bucktails and flashtails in the 1970's, they were also simple with no trailing hook. I used to paint big eyes on them with model paint. They were not as sparse as your patterns shown here.

We used to drag them around behind the boat at Swale rock.... Deadly for Coho!! Especially the grey ones I recall.

The ones I tied for my buddy last year had trailing hooks (because he wanted that) but I'm with you, I don't think they're necessary.

 

[rendraW]

just created a public album; "reelfast" and uploaded a couple of jpegs of the scaled pilchard. happy tying, this little fly was killer last august and september. then i figured out how to put them in this post

Very cool flies Reelfast, what kind of flasher and leader length do you use with them?

 

[reelfast]

those flies went from the vice into the water. this winter i made up a few more and epoxied the heads, far more durable. i fish these the same way i would normally fish any hootchie; 24" leader behind a double 0 flasher, usually a purple haze or for some real movement an abe 'n al. cleaning that fish last july and having all of those forage fish pop out got me thinking about how i used to fish in the 70s and so i went back to the flies. matching the hatch in the salt is a matter of color and size. pay some attention to the stomach contents of the next one you land. its always a great deal of fun to make something that actually works, the beauty of tying flies in the strait, i believe we are seeing fish feed on either pilchard or sandlance. the herrig are few and far between down around here so i usually don't consider them in the mix. google around a bit and you will learn that sandlance come in a vaiety of color phases, hence all of those wild hootchie colors. easy enouh to make up flies as well.

 

[rendraW]

thanks for the tips, I have a bunch of vintage polar bear bucktails that I might just have to modify a bit....

edit: found some cool sand lance patterns:
http://www.picsearch.com/imageDetai...s6nqGMgR2SCI&width=1663&start=25&q=sand lance

 

[Seafever]

Geez....I like that needlefish fly you made up......

 

[reelfast]

as you sort through the various patterns folks have made up, you will start to notice way too much detail. as a long time tyer, i have moved from way complex patterns to simplicity, the fish dont seem to mind. check this link as a great beginning point for sandlance:

www.saltwaterflies.com/statler_sandeel.html

simplifying even these patterns is pretty easy. a good example is do you really have to use red thread behind the eyes to simulate gills or is it enough to whip finish the head with red thread? the fish really don't care so if you are making flies to catch fish as opposed to trying to be accurate, well i think you will invent your own system for simplicity. the other key here is SPARCE. polar bear hair is a wonderful material, illegal down this way, but there really is no substitute. and keep in mind, length is critical as fish will key on the forage fish in the area and ignore everything else. making a pattern in at least 3 different lengths is a good idea to keep in mind.

there is something very satisfying about making a fly that works. it never fails to put a big grin on my face. this is a 'hobby' that has filled my life with wonderful memories of fish and the guys i have shared my flies with from all over the world. its simple to do so get busy

 

[Andrew P]

Hey Guys,

I am indeed stoked on what I was given and stoked to take what was a fresh water hobby from childhood, into my now saltwater obsession. Thanks a lot for all of the feedback.

Reelfast, those are some killer looking flies and I like your thoughts on keeping it simple!

Thanks and I'll share some of my flies as they go.

Ap

 

[Andrew P]

I am still on the fence about the trailer hook debate... And this is why...not a keeper, but sure would hate to miss it by not having the trailer if it was! This was my first try on my first bucktail from the kit.

 

[medherring]

I am still on the fence about the trailer hook debate... And this is why...not a keeper, but sure would hate to miss it by not having the trailer if it was! This was my first try on my first bucktail from the kit.
View attachment 6652

take a pair of cutters and remove the hook from your main hook. then you only fish the the trailer. Don't remove the trailer or you will be dealing with 75% short bites.

 

[Kildonan]

Don't remove the trailer or you will be dealing with 75% short bites.

I'm not so sure I agree with this statement but I'm going to put it to the test this summer as best as i can. It will be fun to keep this thread going over the summer if we can and compare results as we go.

I will admit that at times, when fishing trout with leech patterns that far extend the shank of the hook I have experienced short takes, but sometimes not. Sometimes the takes are vicious and there's no reluctance by the fish to take the whole fly.

 

[Andrew P]

I did up a pilchard pattern and am quite happy with how it turned out. The feathers that I had for eyes didn't work but the feather down the side gives a cool effect. Blue dyed polar bear, white tail, brown deer tail, striped pheasant feather, glow lace, crystal flash tinsel.

Dry and wet pics. And of the hooks that I got with it all. Look good....are they?