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BUCKNUTS

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WHAT LIES BENEATH

WHAT LIES BENEATH

FLUFF BUCKNUTS

WHETHER YOU’RE A BELIEVER IN THE DIVINE, DABBLE IN THE PSEUDO-SCIENCE OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN, EMBRACE THE WONDER OF SERENDIPITY, OR ACCEPT THAT HUMANS SOMETIMES JUST GET LUCKY, THERE IS NO ESCAPING THE FACT THAT SOME THINGS PUT ON THE EARTH ARE SIMPLY PERFECT. FROM HUMBLE BASS BUGS, TO THE LETHAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE UTILITARIANISM OF CLOUSERS, THE MAGNIFICENT MOVEMENT OF BEASTS AND MYRIAD OTHER GO-TO FLIES, FOR ANDRE VAN WYK AND HIS FELLOW OBSESSIVES, WHEN IT COMES TO FLY TYING, THERE CAN BE NO GREATER EXAMPLE OF NATURAL PERFECTION THAN THE BACK END OF A WHITE-TAILED DEER.

Photos. Gerhard Uys

The natural world has gifted us fly-tiers with many incredible materials to tie onto hooks. From the old days of classic salmon flies and their use of ridiculously rare and endangered bird feathers, to the ass end of a duck (yip, that lovely CDC you dry fly boys love so much is from the dingleberry zone of a water fowl!) to the beautiful herls of a peacock, the short, soft naturally-buggy wonder that is hare’s fur, there are huge numbers of natural materials that have been gifted to us to be reborn as a fly. And, while there has been massive growth in synthetic materials in both fresh and saltwater tying, there are some materials which simply cannot be imitated or beaten by a manmade creation.

While for some, the CDC, Peacock Herl or even Marabou may qualify as the greatest natural materials of all time, I’d be willing to bet almost anything that bucktail is the holder of that title. Especially for those who tie larger “predator flies”, either saltwater or fresh, the humble asscover of the white-tailed deer is the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time).

My bucktail journey began when I was given Bob Popovic’s second book, “Fleye Design” by my good friend Platon Trakoshis. I’d had Bob’s brilliant first book, Pop Fleyes, for a decade and while there is a fair amount on bucktail in there, the main drive of that book was towards synthetics and epoxy and other aspects of Bob’s unique approach to tying. Fleye Design, came along with perfect timing. I was getting back into fly tying in a big way, after a fairly long hiatus, and the book was the perfect birthday gift, opening the door to a new obsession, one that lead me down the proverbial rabbit hole of education, frustration, amazement and enlightenment. Bob’s shift towards more natural materials and, in a big way, his journey with bucktail, reflected my own sub conscious desire for and attraction to natural materials and, in turn, started my love affair with it.

Like any good love affair, it started with a bang, morphed into an obsession, and became a desire for nothing else. That single-minded focus in turn blocked out any negatives, or the need to take things slowly. I was impatient. I wanted to be a bucktail wizard like Bob and churn out enormous flies of perfect proportion and scale. The Holy Grail for me became huge Beasts and BULKHead patterns with perfect natural tapers and sweeping bellies that would dazzle any fish. The reality, however, was a little different. I ran before I walked. Hell, I hadn’t even learnt to crawl and yet, in trying to emulate Bob, I was effectively attempting to take on Usain Bolt in the 100 metres. Despair and frustration that my creations weren’t hitting the mark flooded my tying desk. Convinced that it was because I didn’t have the best bucktails, a crusade ensued to source the best. That’s how, a couple of months later a friend, who shall remain anonymous, managed to walk through customs at Cape Town International Airport on a return trip from the USA with a ridiculous number of premium bucktails carefully stashed inside a duffel bag. Armed now with the ultimate versions of the ultimate materials, I was all set to become the bucktail Demi-God I so aspired to be.

A ‘Fake’ Deceiver Tied by Giovanni de Pace

How quickly I learnt that arrogance and ignorance can trip you up quicker than a stick through the front wheel of a bicycle! Just because the material is perfect, doesn’t mean you can create something perfect out of it. Many high- end bucktails were sacrificed at my vice, merely to become (in my eyes) very sub-par flies. I realised that I needed to step back, slow down, and take the time to learn from my flytying idols.

Like anything worth doing properly, I needed to learn about the material, its ins and outs, its quirks, its strengths, its weaknesses and little idiosyncrasies. I needed to learn from folks who had taken the bucktail journey before me, the shamans of this mystic material trip. In doing so the full revelation of just what an incredible material bucktail is, cemented itself in my heart and mind, and nothing has ever been the same since.

NOSE TO TAIL:

Variety may be the spice of life, but when it comes to bucktail, that variety is both a gift and a curse, because no two tails are the same. The length, the density, the waviness, whether the fibres are coarse, fine, wispy, or stiff. Each tail is a unique creation, much like the animal it comes from. Part of the journey with bucktail is to realise this fact, followed by frustration, acceptance and then, if you stay the course, a deep love for working with the oneof-a-kind nature every tail brings to the tying bench. I like to think about bucktail in much the same way a chef would look at an animal with Nose-to-Tail dining in mind. A good chef understands how best to use every cut of meat, and which dish will suit which parts best. Great chefs can take an entire animal, even the odd bits you might never have considered before (pig’s ear anyone?), and transform every part into a culinary masterpiece using new approaches and innovative thinking. In diagrammatic terms, a fly would follow the same path in terms of which hairs you use off a tail, for which parts of a fly. Therefore, the nose would be the front of the fly, the back and belly would be the middle portion of the fly, and the tail would be… well, the tail. The tip of the tail is where you will find the longest, softest, wispiest fibres, the ones that make your fly look alive when it swims. The shorter, crinklier, more hollow fibres at the base of the tail, will give you more bulk, more flare, more “shoulders” to your fly. Then, the back and belly middle sections of the fly will continue that profile, but add some length and softness to grade out the taper. The tail, with those long delicious soft naturally tapered tips will give to the length and the movement that will have the back end of your fly dancing like no natural could ever replicate. There are exceptions to every rule, and you can use fibres from the base of a bucktail in the tail of your fly, and you can use tail tip fibres in the nose of your fly but, starting out with a nose to tail approach, front to back, is a great way to wrap your head around how the different fibres work and react under your thread at the vice, and how you can use them throughout different areas of your tying. Bob’s book covers the importance of understanding the different properties of the different types of fibres. Gunnar Brammer also covers this brilliantly in his videos.

“THE HOLY GRAIL FOR ME BECAME HUGE BEASTS AND BULKHEAD PATTERNS WITH PERFECT NATURAL TAPERS AND SWEEPING BELLIES THAT WOULD DAZZLE ANY FISH. THE REALITY, HOWEVER, WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.”

Bob Popovics with a redhead Beast

THE BOSS - BOB POPOVICS

IG: @keithalyeecia In the bucktail world, the grandmaster, five-star Michelin chef of them all would undoubtedly be Bob Popovics (who coincidentally actually owns a restaurant called Shady Rest in Bayville, New Jersey). Bob’s approach to fly design and material use is revolutionary. As a ‘nose-to-tail’ chef, he opened so many people’s eyes to just how varied bucktail can be, and how to use it in so many more recipes than were ever thought possible. For example, Bob’s BULKHead pattern is, an ingenious method of utilising those previously discarded pesky butt ends of the fibres to build bulk and form. Then there’s his brilliant thread dam technique utilised on his BEASTFLEYE to accurately control flare and taper on reverse ties to build enormous but functional patterns. Not only that, one of the key factors he introduced was how bucktail could be the building block, the perfect base stock onto which a great recipe can be built.

That’s the thing… bucktail can be used in its purest form with no other added ingredient. It’s as perfect clean, fresh and simple as a piece of sashimi, when it’s used in the humble bucktail Deceiver or Clouser Minnow. Or, it can be combined with an endless array of other materials, natural and synthetic, to build a beautiful complex slice of wizardy on a hook, as in the vast array of incredible pike and Musky streamers.

THE DISCIPLES – JASON TAYLOR AND BEN WHALLY

IG: @flyonby IG: @bwhally Fly fishermen like Jason Taylor and Ben Whally, both US East Coast based anglers and tiers, are true disciples of Bob Popovic. Jason’s flies are heart-breakingly beautiful, with a classic nod to form and function and incorporating additional naturals and synthetics. Ben has taken Bob’s approach to tying oversized flies that are realistically fishable, and ramping them to an entirely new level with his large BEASTFLEYE patterns. Both Ben’s and Jason’s tying are classic examples of understanding a material and making it work for them through all their patterns. They use the different characteristics of different fibres from different tails, and different parts of a tail to perfectly shape their patterns.

Ben Whally with a beat of a Beast

“BEN’S AND JASON’S TYING ARE CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF UNDERSTANDING A MATERIAL AND MAKING IT WORK FOR THEM THROUGH ALL THEIR PATTERNS.”

One of Jason Taylor’s 3D bucktail patterns with peacock herl.

THE TEACHER – GUNNAR BRAMMER

IG: @gunnar_brammer, streamersbygunnar.com YouTube - youtube.com/user/TheTardyDuck1 Gunnar Brammer, a US-based fly-tier and educator, and one of the finest bucktail experts out there, has one of the best approaches to the teaching of fly tying I’ve ever seen. I believe fly-tying has always been better taught in person and, while videos can be amazing for learning specific patterns or simple techniques, they often fall short of conveying an understanding of a material or technique. Gunnar has managed to impart his incredible wealth of knowledge in a unique way by breaking down every element of what he is teaching, with super clear examples of what works, why it works, how it works, how it doesn’t work, and all the while inspiring and encouraging the viewer to persevere. I stumbled across Gunnar’s videos on Youtube when my bucktail addiction first started and his approach to the material inspired me to dive deeper. Gunnar’s videos cover a huge range of fly tying, but his Bucktail and Predator flies’ series really struck a chord with me so I asked for his input on bucktail.

A squad of BULKHeads and Beast flies tied by Gunnar Brammer

“Every tail is unique. As a fly-tier, this is my favourite aspect, because tying with bucktail is never easy. The decision on which tail; where the fibres are selected from that tail; the spacing on the shank between stacks; the density per stack; the wave, the length, the flair, the angles… every single application is a fine work of craftsmanship. To me there is also a prestige in working with bucktail. You can’t just follow some recipe and get it right, right out of the gate. The number of tails and the time behind the vice that it takes to have enough perspective to even appreciate what a given tail is offering you, is something that is special. I don’t think you can say that about any other material out there. Nothing has as much variation, as much individuality, and as much potential as bucktail.” Gunnar’s videos will definitely accelerate your learning curve dramatically and I cannot recommend them enough.

Jari’s pike Beast tied by Jari Koski Paul Monaghan Flashy Hollows Pink Punks

Rupert Harvey’s bonefish Beast

“IT IS BUCKTAIL’S INHERENT PROPERTIES THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DRESS THESE OTHER MATERIALS OVER AND AROUND IT TO ACHIEVE INCREDIBLE FLIES.”

THE ALL-ROUNDERS – RUPERT HARVEY, PAUL MONAGHAN & JARI KOSKI

IG: @rupertharveyflies, rupertharveysflies.com, https://www.youtube.com/c/RupertHarveyUkflies IG: @paul.mono.monaghan, flashtailspredatorfliescom, https://www.youtube.com/ channelUCu3eYUxwfvWRUvHFnhxXM5Q

IG: @tjabster, http://keepitsimpleflyfishing.blogspot.com https://www.youtube.com/user/Tajapi While bucktail is perfect on its own, it does cook up incredibly well with other materials, both naturals and synthetics. I’ve been very fortunate to learn from some incredible fly-tiers who use bucktail both on its own, and in combination with synthetics to produce art on a hook. People such as UK-based Rupert Harvey and Paul Monaghan, and Jari Koski from Finland use bucktail both on its own and incredibly well as what I call a “scaffolding” platform in combination with synthetics or other natural materials. That creates a framework over which to lay other materials, bringing in flash, colour and length. It is bucktail’s inherent properties that allows you to dress these other materials over and around it to achieve incredible flies. Jari is similar, using bucktail exceptionally across both fresh and saltwater patterns, from simple Clousers and Half and Halfs, to Beasts, to Pike and Perch Streamers, almost all of which have a large part of them rooted in bucktail.

THE PERFECTIONIST – GIOVANNI DE PACE IG: @giannidepace , https://www.youtube.com/c GianniDePace

The Italian wizard Giovanni de Pace, brings in a level of neatness with bucktail that’s difficult to fathom because, not only does he embrace a technical approach to a natural material, but he manages to do it while maintaining heart and soul in his flies. His technique of tying bucktail in, as well as managing the butt ends, and his carefully studied approach to length is phenomenal. Pay special attention to where bucktail is applied in his pattern. Each placement - on the tops, sides or bottom of the shank – is deliberate and the desired effect is amazing.

Gio’s videos will show what technical proficiency, patience, as well as a ‘less is more’ approach can do for your fly tying. Watching him tie has improved the neatness of my tying tenfold! I learnt enormous amounts from all of these fly-tiers and from the greatest teacher of them all – the material itself plus, of course, time spent at the vice.

Gunnar put it rather well in his last email to me: “From a fisherman’s perspective, hand crafted artisan bucktail flies give you the best shape, the best movement, and the best cast-ability that is achievable in a large fly. The bucktail’s ability to flair gives it volume and dimensions. The slight crinkle fills in the silhouette with minimal amount of hair. The thicker bases create a rigid under-silhouette, while the thin and wispy tapered tips swim over the fly. The trapped air and compressible butt ends allow you to create flies that hover, pause, glide, and balance. And for all of this, the fly slicks down for casting to reduce air resistance and absorbs minimal amounts of water. Bucktail is the greatest fly-tying challenge, and has the greatest fly- tying potential.” In other words, the juice is worth the squeeze. In a world full of mass-produced, soulless man-made products, finding magic in the unique is something more and more of us are searching for. The fact that a little hairy patch of skin that covers a deer’s butcrack can produce that unique magic is something that really brings me joy. However it got here, by whatever divine or serendipitous turn of events, I’m pretty thankful that bucktail found its way onto this fly-tier’s bench.

Giovanni De Pace Half and Halfs, a Fake Deceiver Ultimate Candy and a Fake Deceiver

“FROM A FISHERMAN’S PERSPECTIVE, HAND CRAFTED ARTISAN BUCKTAIL FLIES GIVE YOU THE BEST SHAPE, THE BEST MOVEMENT, AND THE BEST CAST-ABILITY THAT IS ACHIEVABLE IN A LARGE FLY.”

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