Horsetail Twisted Bodied Soft-hackles

[William Anderson]

Norm, I will certainly let you know. I suspect they will work fine and I will likely give the credit to the inevitable lie, where the inhabitant would have taken anything presented well.

w

[daringduffer]

I like tying with the horsetail. It has some possiblities, typically as quill bodies, but I liked the twists the best.


This is three horsetail hairs twisted, bison underfur thorax and grouse hackle:



w

This pattern has been swimming around in my mind just before falling asleep. What if we had a somewhat fatter body and a shorter hackle...... would it not look a bit like some cased caddises you have seen?

And where is the tenkara version...?

dd

[William Anderson]

dd, that's quite a compliment. Thanks. Bill was kind enough to do a little midnight barbery in a near by pasture and sent some finer, darker hairs that may add to that effect in trying to match a cased caddis. Maybe I'll make a day and compare llama, horsetail and golden pheasant patters for cased caddis on the water. After I've landed a couple on my hares ear flymph, of course, then the experimental parade of patterns can begin.

[DUBBN]

I used Horse tail quite a few years ago as Shell back on Beatle patterns. The thing I did not like about it was how easy it broke after just a couple strikes from fish.

[CreationBear]

The thing I did not like about it was how easy it broke after just a couple strikes from fish.

Of course your fish seem a lot bigger than the ones I seem to catch. (FWIW, I quit fishing Crowe Beetles for the same reason...a great pattern for as long as it lasts, though.)

[William Anderson]

Is this stuff really brittle? I can see stretched over a beetle back where it is vulnerable, but it must be better than deer/elk hair, etc. I have yet to get to the water, but I would not expect longevity to be an issue with these flies. I would be really disappointed if they didn't hold up. They seem bulletproof. I'm looking forward to finding out, but I'm all ears as to others experience. Jeeze, at the moment, I would love to be into a couple fish and have them chewed to shreds.

w

[swellcat]

Admiring these (and William's other flies) is what led me to this forum.

Looks to be a tough material to work with.

The coiled hair (and I'm wrapping untwisted single ones) stores energy (much like a loaded fly rod), and it is quite happy to rapidly and violently uncoil like the spring it is. So, what are the tips, gentlemen, in tying horse hair (or quills) off before these materials unwind?

Would a swab of adhesive on the hook shank before body application make sense?

Wire rib might add security, but, for me, that would detract from the greatest beauty of this material, its superb segmentation.

[willowhead]

A little bead of head cement spread along the shank (after a thread layer and before the horse hair), does not hurt whatsoever........i use to use horse har for dry fly bodies because of the nice segmentation look you get......in that case i would use floatant on the horse hair.....it softens it, and pre-treats your fly for floatation. Btw, i also use floatant, NOT wax, when i do dubbed (natural materials), dry fly bodies. Just a drop on your finger & thumb, ran up and down the thread, and whatever's left on your finger & thumb embeds itself in the dubbing. Ready to go, no wasted time streamside.
Originally taught to me by Oscar Feliu originally from Chile.....that's in South America..... He immigrated to Michigan in the 70's.....now living in Florida.....wonderful casting/fishing/tying instructor, opera & pop singer, and quitarist. Check out his tying DVD's..............
VERY nice flies William.....

[Kelly L.]

Somebody gave me some horse tail fibers recently. I have not used them just yet. If I make a similar fly, I coat the fibers at least once, or twice with nail polish, or uv resin. That will keep the fly a bit longer from tearing apart on me.

[Stendalen]

Completely missed this thread. I like quill bodies so this is awsome. Reading Roger Woolley's Modern Trout flies right now and there are a lot of pattern with horsetail.

I think my daughter will like my new interest in horses!

Martin