BUCKTAIL PATTERNS

Hi i was just wondering if anybody has a couple of good bucktail patterns they would like to share, i am going to tie some up for the coming season any info would be great. THANK YOU in advance
 
I usually stick to a combo of natural colours like blue, white, and green on my home tied bucktails. I usually add a small amount of tinsel or crystal flash for extra attraction. In the old days bucktails for Salmon on the west coast were very large 4-6 inch patterns. These days I would tie a much smaller 3-4 inch version myself, as that will catch far more Salmon than larger presentations IMO.

Maybe try Google image or some fly tying sites for ideas.
 
Flasher or dodger on bucktail? And leader, how long? Trying to get a sense of how much action to put on these big trolled flies.
 
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Here's a few old faves they're a bit chunky but look more streamlined being dragged.

Note I cut one hook off too many issues with Coho foul hooking themselves when they rolled in the line.

The bit of Pink can really make a difference sometime.
 
last time I tied some I tied them all white (polar bear hair) and used different coloured permanent markers I got at an art store to mark them the colour I wanted. It worked very well.
 
For coho on I like a pink on tiny bit of red on white.

For springs all other sorts of blues greens and purples on white and on both I like to tie in 1 2 or 3 strands on each side of a very wide pearlescent milar. I like the wide stuff for it flutters a bit at the tail.
 
Tying a tube fly, rather than a bucktail is also another good option in the chuck. If you go though all the trouble of tying your own flys it sucks when the hooks rust and discolor the fly with rust. You can always replace the rear hook easily on a standard tandem hook bucktail, but if the front hook rusts it can ruin your bucktail.

It also depends how you are intending to run the fly as to which way you want to tie it. If you want to run it behind a flasher a tube fly or bucktail works well. If you don't intend to run it behind a flasher, tying a bucktail with a fixed front hook is more versatile. With a fixed front hook you can attach a spinner for added attraction. In the old days abalone spinners were often used in front of bucktails to add extra attraction and action to the bucktails. Abalone spinners are no longer available, but you can add a metal Indiana or Colorado spinner in front of a standard bucktail. You can also add an actionizer type head in front to add movement to a fly without having to use a flasher.

Bucktails work awesome by themselves, or with only a one ounce weight when you find big schools of Coho feeding on the surface. There's nothing more fun than running a fly rod on the surface with a bucktail for non stop action when you're lucky enough to find big surface feeding schools of Coho.
 
Really appreciate the info but i should of been a little more clearer i will be fishing the bigger lakes in the interior , but i will tie some for the chuck . THANKS again
 
I,ve been using the old Radiant Polar buck tails for over 10 years with no hook rust. I like the trailing hook myself. For colour depends on if its sunny or overcast. Bright colours for cloudy days and dark for sunny days. I've had luck with Black,dark green,pink,chartuse,orange and of course the legendary Grey Ghost. Like Big Guy said the Abalone Cowichan spinners they don't make anymore. This year i didn't hook up on the Bucktail as most fish were deeper but past years has been good. There's nothing like a hit or hookup off the surface.
 
I assumed you were talking about fishing them in the chuck because your post was in the saltwater section. In freshwater I've had my best luck on rainbows and bull trout using the same blue (top) white (mid) green (bot) patterns I mostly use in the chuck. I will troll a 4" bucktail 32" behind a blue 8"mini flasher off the Downriggers in the summer. I have used large Flashers and they do work well, but they're a little oversize for a decent fight from most trout.

If your talking about surface bucktailing in Kootenay Lake during the winter I've never had my boat there at that time of year. So, I can't help you with info on that specialized type of freshwater bucktailing.
 
we used bucktails a lot for coho and colour changed pending the time of year. like big guys said: blue green, etc. but yellow was awesome for couple weeks in july as well as white later.tie tube flies in all the colors and just keep switching up. if your stacking your line vs casting add a clevis and willow blade
 
I've always found a Mickey Finn bucktail works well in freshwater. Very unnatural colour combination, but it really seems to provoke the strike response when more realistic colours aren't getting hit. Mickey Finn is a very old pattern of mostly yellow with red sandwiched in between. Great pattern for cutthroat trout.

My cousin who used to own my boat originally, had it rigged to use side planers on Kootenay Lake for bucktailing on the surface. Getting the lines away from the boat with the side planers apparently helps get more fish when fishing for the big Gerrard rainbows on the surface during the cold season.

In the chuck Coho do not seem to care if a bucktail is run close to the boat. As a matter of fact they actually seem to be attracted by the turbulence created by the propeller. An old trick for coho was to run a bucktail on the surface 20 feet directly behind the motor right in the prop wash. Coho are crazy and don't seem to care in the least about the noise created by a boat. When they are thick on the surface I've seen them hitting my release clip attached to my Downrigger numerous times.
 
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I found a few great links for commercially available bucktails sold for fishing the Gerrards in Kootenay Lake. There are a lot of great pics showcasing the favorite flies sold for trolling up the big Bows on Kootenay Lake. The pictures should definitely give you some good ideas for tying your own versions. Good luck, and be sure to post a few pics of your creations, and the fish they caught.

http://www.gillandgift.com/FLY catalogue.html#Frisky Jenny
http://www.kootenayangler.com/fishing_tacklebox.html
http://www.gillandgift.com/FLY catalogue.html#Frisky Jenny
 

A little experment I've been working on. Taking it up to the lake in the next week or so to see how it swims.
 
Yea I used quite a bit of weight on the bottom to hopefully act as ballast. Its also tied on a tube so I can experment with hook sizes/ swivels. Heres another pic. Bonus points to anyone who can guess where the bill came from.
 
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