Wes, Many of the problems encountered in working with deer hair are the results of the material quality, not the tier. Dyed deer hair can be well done or poorly done. The bleaching process is critical also. If these are not done right, the hair will be weak and brittle. The condition of the animal also plays a part, as well as the season it was taken.
The next problem is selecting the hair from the right portion of the body- hair matching. In some areas there is a downy undergrowth, and in others, the hairs are of different lengths- both undesired. Carefully purchase your deer hair patches by scrutinizing these qualities. Hair too long will give you as many problems as hair too short. Different species of deer have different hair qualities, as well as where they lived, i.e., a Wyoming Whitetail vs. a South Texas whitetail. Depending on the bullet-head fly pattern you're tying, select materials that work well. If you're fighting them to make them work, you're using the wrong part of the animal hide (or the wrong deer). For instance, a bullet head hopper is well-suited by the hair around the top front shoulders, whereas a big bullethead bass bug would need the top rump section. Bullethead streamers are wellsuited by the tail fibers, hence the name 'bucktail streamers'. The long white hair on a whitetail tail can be used well in saltwater bullethead patterns. I don't use bullethead tools, but I would concede their value if I had to tie dozens or hundreds of bullethead flies. Depending on the cost, I might try to make one by drilling different size holes in a piece of 1x1, coning them out and sanding well (dremel?). Then the needed size hole can be pushed over the head, flaring the hair back, while the left hand makes the first few cinching wraps to keep the head in place. If you don't want to swap hands, try sliding different washers over the head, tie off, then remove washer. Something else I might try is small plastic tubes, especially short ones, like those mechanical pencil erasers come in. How about an empty clear Bic pen shell, cut short? Then you could see the head within before you tied off. Dipping each end in epoxy would give a smooth edge and adjust the diameter hole you want. One clear bic pen would make 4 sizes easy. Just some thoughts passing through my mind as I write this. Prob'ly many more ways to ''skin the cat'- maybe some of the others have more ideas. Cheers, DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wes Wada" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2003 10:03 AM Subject: [VFB] Bullethead tips > Hi all, > > Trying to improve my tying of deerhair bullethead flies. Mixed > success! Some hairs tend to break/fold instead of bending over > smoothly. Any tips? Also noticing that Griffin has a set of bullethead > tools, basically a Delrin ring with a neoprene rubber center. There > are three sizes, with a different sized hole in each. Anyone ever use > these? Gimmick or useful tool? Anyone homebrew a substitute yet? > > Photo of bullethead tool: <img > src"http://www.fishingmegastore.com/acatalog/griff-bullethead.jpg";> > > Wes Wada > Bend, Oregon > > > "What a man misses most in heaven is company." > ~ Mark Twain >
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