# bucktails



## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

I was watching some videos on fishing bucktails in surf/jetties/ any other area with current or structure. I know I probably won't catch any striper with them, but I figure other fish such as blues, flounder and maybe puppy drum will hit them. Do any of you use bucktails with any success in the surf or anywhere from shore? I really want to learn how to use this lure as it seems very versatile and very effective. Thanks for reading.


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## Phaedrus (Mar 25, 2011)

Buy John Skinner's Fishing The Bucktail. Also watch his videos on YouTube. I have been tying his flouro rig and fishing it the ways he teaches and it is awesome. You can use different sized swim baits like Gulp and it produces!

I caught my biggest flounder ever out of Rudee with it and I gave one to a friend that hooked into a cobia on the oceanfront with it.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

Hard to say, but between bucktails & spoons, not sure which is the most versatile. An angler with both can catch anything that swims IMO. Yes, many fish species will readily strike a bucktail. Not sure how many different species I've caught on them, but I can honestly say it's been several in both salt & freshwater. I mold & tie most of my own, and have even tied "spinnerbaits" with bucktail hair to get the combination of action from the hair & the flash/vibration of the spinner blades. 

IMO, like with spoons, there's no wrong or right way to use a bucktail. You simply have to try different things as the conditions & situation dictates. At times I've used very light weight bucktails in currents, dead drifting them a fly angler might a fly. Other times casting & retrieving with varied cadence & speeds. From a boat, even jigging them vertically has been productive.

Your best consideration is to have some in various weights & tied in various degree's of sparse or full dressed. This will allow for changes in current strengths & flow speeds, plus depths. Fuller dressed bucktails tend to sink slower than sparser with the same weight jig head, plus fuller dressed pushes more water which can be important in places where water clarity is an issue. 

There are also various jig head styles to consider. In surf especially sand & open water, much of the time it won't matter a lot what you choose, but add currents & structure to the equation it can make some difference as far as spending your time fishing or spending it snagged. That of course is a consideration with any type of jig. Some head designs cut thru currents better than others and of course some will be better for specific bottom compositions to limit snagging. Consider too the head design as far as hook eye placement. Some will have the eye on top of the head (90 degree hook) while others will have the eye more towards the front of the head. I like bucktails with a more forward eye placement if I'm simply casting them, and especially in relatively shallow water. Deeper waters or vertically jigging I like the eye to be more on top the jig. 

Balance is another consideration and balance can be affected by the hook eye placement. Consider too the hook. Depending on the jig size & the species you may be targeting, there can be advantages to selecting bucktails with different types of hooks. Likely the two most popular today are the black nickel, heavy Gamakatsu style such as those that Spro uses & the stouter O'Shaughnessy style such as the Mustad 34184D. There are other decent hooks too, and each can have a place. Just be sure what you're using is appropriate for the situation & targeted species.

Last thing is color. IMO, it's often not extremely important, but can be another factor that makes a difference in fishing success. For the most part, you can't go wrong with white. 

There's nothing set in stone about fishing with bucktails. All of what I'm mentioning is the "fine" details that you may learn as you progress with using them.

Here's some I've made for general use.


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

Phaedrus, I was watching John's stuff on youtube. It's what got me interested in this particular lure. bigjim5589, thanks for all the information. Where does one acquire the stuff to tie your own bucktails?


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

There are numerous sources for the supplies. If you wish to pour your own jigs, Do It Molds or Hilts Molds are probably the most popular. Do It has the biggest selection, but both have good molds. There are also numerous sellers who have painted & unpainted jigs, so if you do not wish to pour the lead, that's another option.

The hair & other tying supplies can be purchased at fly shops, or many tackle shops & online retailers have the supplies. I buy a lot of my supplies from sellers on Ebay such as the bucktails and have bought used molds there. Actually, more accurately they're "deer tails" as they come from both the buck & the doe. The thread used is fly tying thread or rod building thread, or some suppliers do call it jig tying thread. There are threads available in sewing shops such as JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts that can be used too. Any good nylon thread, of which there are many & various sizes can be used to tie jigs.

The only tools that are really needed are some type of vise, a tying bobbin for holding the thread spools & a cutting tool such as scissors. There are other useful tools too, but they are not necessities. I also tie flies & use a Regal fly tying vise for most that I do. However, it will not hold all the larger size hooks that I use so I have a home made vise too, made from an old pair of Vise Grips. There are inexpensive hobby & crafts vises that can be used for tying jigs. All in what you're willing to spend. BTW, Regal makes a vise that will hold larger hooks, they call it their Big Game vise. Mine is older & has the "standard" jaws more suited for tying smaller flies. The design is such that the jaws are not replaceable, but it will hold hooks up to the 2/0 & 3/0 sizes depending on the wire diameter of the hook. Regal Vises are excellent products, but pricey. (http://regalvise.com/)

I've bought quite a few of the Do It Molds I have from Barlows Tackle in Texas. They carry a lot of different items for tackle making. Zeiners Bass Shop in Wichita, Kansas is another I've dealt with many times. There's also Jann's Netcraft & Mudhole Tackle. Terminal Tackle Co in NY sells such supplies as well. All of these sellers have websites.

It's best to look around & see what's out there & compare prices, but the ones I've mentioned are all reliable sources. 

For learning to tie, it's not difficult, but there are techniques that need to be learned. YouTube is a good place to get some instruction & many fly or tackle shops have tying classes. Once you learn the basics, you can pretty much tie any type of jig.

I hope this answers your question.


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

bigjim5589 said:


> There are numerous sources for the supplies. If you wish to pour your own jigs, Do It Molds or Hilts Molds are probably the most popular. Do It has the biggest selection, but both have good molds. There are also numerous sellers who have painted & unpainted jigs, so if you do not wish to pour the lead, that's another option.
> 
> The hair & other tying supplies can be purchased at fly shops, or many tackle shops & online retailers have the supplies. I buy a lot of my supplies from sellers on Ebay such as the bucktails and have bought used molds there. Actually, more accurately they're "deer tails" as they come from both the buck & the doe. The thread used is fly tying thread or rod building thread, or some suppliers do call it jig tying thread. There are threads available in sewing shops such as JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts that can be used too. Any good nylon thread, of which there are many & various sizes can be used to tie jigs.
> 
> ...


It does answer my question. Thank you again for all the info. I was thinking of going to bass pro next weekend, and I might pick up some materials there and maybe tie a few of my own to try out when the weather warms up. I've tied flies for freshwater pan fish before and caught fish on them. I'm no expert but I have a basic idea of how it's done.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

You're very welcome! Sounds like you have the basics covered, so tying the jigs should not be a problem. 

I've been tying now almost 50 years, but I'm still learning too. I think when I stop learning it will be time to lay down & leave this world. 

Once you tie some jigs, please post pictures if you can. I for one like seeing what others tie & a bit of critique can help with the learning process.


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## OrangeCap (Sep 26, 2014)

Bigjim, those are nice! Do you sell your bucks? These days, shops charge so much for good bucktails. Maybe I need to start tying my own. How much material cost would you say it takes to make one of your bucktails?


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## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

bigjim5589 said:


> Hard to say, but between bucktails & spoons, not sure which is the most versatile. An angler with both can catch anything that swims IMO. Yes, many fish species will readily strike a bucktail. Not sure how many different species I've caught on them, but I can honestly say it's been several in both salt & freshwater. I mold & tie most of my own, and have even tied "spinnerbaits" with bucktail hair to get the combination of action from the hair & the flash/vibration of the spinner blades.
> 
> IMO, like with spoons, there's no wrong or right way to use a bucktail. You simply have to try different things as the conditions & situation dictates. At times I've used very light weight bucktails in currents, dead drifting them a fly angler might a fly. Other times casting & retrieving with varied cadence & speeds. From a boat, even jigging them vertically has been productive.
> 
> ...


those are pretty and trout would love them flounder too..

JAM


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## Phaedrus (Mar 25, 2011)

afout07 said:


> Phaedrus, I was watching John's stuff on youtube. It's what got me interested in this particular lure. bigjim5589, thanks for all the information. Where does one acquire the stuff to tie your own bucktails?


For the surf and inlets, I just bought the SPro's that he recommended in different weights and colors. If you tie them like he shows with fluorocarbon and a loop at the bottom, you can switch out sizes and colors and not have to change your rig. He ties a dropper loop near the top of the rig and puts a bait holder hook on it. Gulp swimming mullets on the buck tail and the bait holder. Fish it like he shows it in the inlet. You can do it on the beach and it produces beautifully. Keep it slow as you are pulling it over the last lip as the flounder will crush it there.

Buy his book, if you can find it. It is definitely worth the read.


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## Phaedrus (Mar 25, 2011)

Bigjim- those are awesome!


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

> Bigjim, those are nice! Do you sell your bucks? These days, shops charge so much for good bucktails. Maybe I need to start tying my own. How much material cost would you say it takes to make one of your bucktails?


I sold my flies & lures for about 15 years, but gave that up back in 2003. I drive a tractor trailer for a living so that limits my time so much, that I now stick to making tackle only as a hobby. Maybe after I retire I might give the business side a go again if there's any fish left to catch.

I'm not sure about the cost for a single jig, easily less than a dollar if you're only talking materials and not the time involved. Maybe a bit more if you buy the bare jigs & tie them yourself, of course that depends on the size too. Tying is not difficult or expensive, although it can get expensive if you let it. I've got over 300 molds now for pouring lead, many purchased back when I was selling lures, and perhaps still have 100,000 hooks around here so still that's a pretty penny tied up. There's a wide range of prices with tackle making supplies, so you really got to shop around. Heck, a good bucktail will cost at least $5 in most places, and then there's the tools & other supplies. However, it's still cheaper in the long run if you use a lot of jigs to make your own. Even if you don't pour them yourself, just tying can save some money. If you only use a few, then there probably won't be much savings.

Costs aside, the best thing about making your own is you can make them exactly as you want them, and it's a fun hobby to get into, because you're supplying your own lures. There's a great deal of satisfaction when you catch fish on lures or flies you've made yourself!


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

Just finished tying a few bucktails. I bought the bare jigs, thread, and a bucktail. Total cost was about $25 for everything. It was fun. I stole some nail polish from the girlfriend for color purposes. It's definitely something I could get into. Won't be long I'll be wrapping my own rods lol. I'll post some pics tomorrow


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

Sounds good! So, for the $25 spent, how many did you tie, or can you tie? A lot of folks use nail polish for jig & fly tying. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails is popular and works well.
I've been using it for many years. 

I tied a few too last night. I had some heads that were purchased & the hair, so decided to tie some. I'll post some pics too later.


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

bigjim5589 said:


> Sounds good! So, for the $25 spent, how many did you tie, or can you tie? A lot of folks use nail polish for jig & fly tying. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails is popular and works well.
> I've been using it for many years.
> 
> I tied a few too last night. I had some heads that were purchased & the hair, so decided to tie some. I'll post some pics too later.


I tied 2 1 ounce jigs and 2 3/4 ounce. I figure I got enough bucktail to tie 4 or 5 more.


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

I cant upload pics to this thread but I added them to my pictures. Tell me what you think. I know theyre not the prettiest, but I think they'll catch something.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

That's not a bad saving then. If you figure that size jigs are $4 to $5 each in a tackle shop, you're making them for about 1/2 the price. 

These are 1/2 oz. Only got two of them tied as yet. We're watching the grandkids, so I don't expect to get the others tied this weekend. 

I tied these a bit sparse. The collar on the jig heads really causes the hair to flare out. I'll expect these to be great with a curltail grub or sassy shad added. 

The painted heads. (purchased)


Tied jigs.


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