collar on flatwing

[jo53mo]

What hair from the bucktail is better for the collar on a flatwing, course or finer?
Thanks Joe

[mgustav]

Long and fine to allow it to move freely in the current. The lower hair is brittle and stiff.

[Brianf27]

Depends on what you want to accomplish. The finer stuff for thinner profiles smaller flies. The hollow stuff near base is good if you want to create a larger profile by flairing. Other hairs work too. I like calf tail on some smaller FW's. Also, you may want tot try reverse tying in the collar ala Popovic's hollow fly.

[mgustav]

Using the thicker hair for flairing isn't a good idea. It's unpredictable. It can break. And it doesn't move in the water. It is quite easy to flair fine bucktail. Both Popovic and Abrames recommend the fine hair because they want life in their flies, not stiffness.

Flairing bucktail involves either or all of the following: thread pressure, building a slight hump in the body just hehind where the bucktail is tied in and/or adding one or two thread wrappings just behind the tie in point of the bucktail. Experiment. Even if the bucktail is very flaired, after the fly is run under hot water the flair will be reduced which won't happen if the bucktail is coarse and stiff. Here is a step-by-step link:

http://www.stripermoon.com/talkshop2/messages/2818.html

You should get a good tying book like "Dressing Flies for Fresh and Saltwater" by Poul Jorgensen that explains these basics. Good luck.