For many years, bucktail – deer tail hair – was a fairly inexpensive and easy-to-find material. Recently, however, it has become both costly and difficult to source. The reason is simple: demand has surged, especially among tiers who create flies for predator and saltwater fishing. As so often happens, much of the inspiration comes from the United States and the popular coastal fishing found there. In the pursuit of large, powerful predatory fish, fly tiers developed patterns that rely heavily on bucktail. Its properties and length have made it extremely popular, allowing tiers to create large flies that are still relatively light and move beautifully in the water. Even very large flies—such as Bob Popovics’ famous “Beast Fleye,” which can be tied up to 20–30 cm—remain castable with a fly rod.
Bucktail-legend Bob Popovich showing one of his Beastflies.
Continue reading “Hollow Sik”