FLYMPH FORUM

Playing with Yak hair as a body material. Yak hair hair is usually used as a long fiber for streamer. It has a great translucency and sheen to it. These patterns were all on #14 hooks and I used about 12 strands of the Yak hair twisted tight and wrapped for the bodies. The thread is a dark claret silk for all the flies and partridge for the hackle. For the 3rd one I wrapped a strand of emu herl in between the Yak.

Do you get a prize for using the most exotic materials?
If so these are the winner!
Excellent work with a material many of us may not have ever thought of using.

I've had the stuff sitting around for years. I use to tie 5-6 inch long streamers with it for going after large bull trout. It comes in long shanks, up to 10 inches. It is stronger than most of the horse hair I have worked with and much more translucent. The pics don't show this very well however.

Old Hat wrote:I've had the stuff sitting around for years. I use to tie 5-6 inch long streamers with it for going after large bull trout. It comes in long shanks, up to 10 inches. It is stronger than most of the horse hair I have worked with and much more translucent. The pics don't show this very well however.

The pics do show quite well enough. This is similar to the llama hair I was tying with a bit ago, but much more translucent. These are indeed grubby. Nice series.

w

Old Hat,

I absolutely love #3 and in a small size I know a spot where it would be a killer during a Black Fly emergence. #2 would be a hit in a local pond I fish. I tied up a similar fly years ago with some trash (flo-green mono steelhead line) that I picked up streamside after a gear chucker's tangle.

I agree with Roadkill on #3 being the pick of the litter, but they all provide evidence of the tying skill required to effectively handle a difficult material like this. They will be mighty fine additions to that little box of patterns one needs to carry for random special conditions.