The Classics : The Stoats Tail

[roll cast]

The Classics: Stoats Tail

This is a pattern designed for fishing for salmon and sea trout. I’m told that it can be fished by most salmon fishing methods but that a full floating line and a small stoats tail fished on a low river is a good option. There appears to no definite originator of this fly with a couple of people said to have designed it. Sutherland and Chance say the Stoat's Tail originates from Park on the river Dee, while Conrad Voss Bark ascribes James Wright of Sprouston-on-Tweed devised.

Also in the Irish Angler Stevie Munn says that the Flies and the Patterns by Jospeh D. Bates Jr and Pamela Bates Richards, who quote Peter Deanwho states the fly came from a Scottish surgeon who was operating on a patient using tubinhg and being a fisherman, took some home and cut it into small lengths and attached some hair which happened to be the dark tipped hair of a stoats tail. He then threaded the tube onto his line and attached a small treble and the first modern tube fly was born. This “tube fly” then became the Stoats tail in one form or another.

Stoats Tail


• Hook Any Salmon Hook, sz. 6 – 14
• Thread Any Black Thread
• Tag Silver Oval Tinsel
• Tail Golden Pheasant Crest
• Body Black Floss, silk or synthetic
• Rib Silver Oval
• Hackle Black, soft cock or hen
• Wing Black tipped Stoats tail / dyed black squirrel
• Head Black Thread Varnished

Stinchar Stoat

• Hook Any Salmon hook sz.6 - 14
• Thread Black
• Tag Gold Oval tinsel
• Tail Golden pheasant crest
• Body Black floss
• Rib Golden Oval tinsel
• Hackle Orange, soft cock or hen
• Wing Stoats Tail, dyed squirrel or buck tail also.
• Head Black, Orange or Red

Pearly Stoats Tail


• Hook Any Salmon Hook size 6 – 14
• Thread White, gives better effect off pearl
• Tag Silver Oval
• Tail Golden Pheasant Crest
• Body Black Floss
• Rib Silver Oval
• Hackle Black, soft cock or hen
• Wing Stoats, dyed squirrel or buck tail
• Head Black, white, red, your choice


Silver Stoats Tail


• Hook Any salmon hook sz.6 - 14
• Tag Silver Wire
• Tail Golden Pheasant Crest
• Body Silver Tinsel
• Rib Silver wire
• Hackle Black, soft cock or hen
• Wing Stoats tail, dyed squirrel or buck tail
• Head Black or Red


There you go. Feel free add any variants

Thanks
AL

[maharg]

A good effort there roll cast.
If I may offer a few pointers?
The tails are too long by a fair bit and the over all style of the fly is a little heavy. It should be tied as slim as possible, even tied in a low water style.
ATB
Graham

[noeyedeer]

Have I been tying my GP crest too short?

[roll cast]

Am going to redo the pictures and flies in a minute after lunch.
So slimmers better and shorter tails.

Thanks
AL

Think I'll take the fotos in the vice.

[maharg]

Slimmer all round.
Keep the body inside the line of the hook point.
Shorten the hackle and a few less turns.
Take your time.
No rush.

[arkle]

Use a finer & stronger thread such as Moser's power silk. Reduce the gauge of your tinsel & split the floss down to 1/2 it's size for those sizes of hooks. Aim for as smooth & compact a head as possible & varnish it with at least 2 coats. Use a black varnish on the ones with white thread.

The true test of any hairwing fly is that when the hair/flase hackle is held by ones right hand (tightly) & the hook is pulled away with the left there is NO movement of any material. The rib/body should withstand being moved by ones thumbnail as well.

[roll cast]

Arkle and maharg take a look at the first picture at the top of the page(one with ly in vice) and see if thats any better.

Thanks
Al

[shuck raider]

One could do worse than use the fly on Gray's of Kilsyth website as a pattern reference

[maharg]

First one is better roll cast.
Would reduce the hackle length a little, wing is good. What are you using for it though, it looks a little coarse. Natural black Russian squirrel or dyed black squirrel is good if you cant get stoats tail. Looks like bucktail you have used, is it?


Shuck raider the reason this post is being redone is because Mr Gray decided to delete his pictures from the initial post. Kind of spoiled the party if you take my drift.
Some of the other guys and myself have decided to re do the posts he deleted.
ATB
Graham

[arkle]

The heads better, but the choice of bucktail for that size of hook is not ideal; black dyed grey squirrel would be preferable. The hackle is far to long & dense. There is a gap between the butt (which is uneven & possibly not as tight as it could be) & the body which can form a weak spot as the gloss will roll into it when wet causing the floss body will come loose. I's still have a shorter tail for that hook, say 3 or 4 mm.

Have you tried the destructive test on it yet ?

Sorry if all this sounds (a bit) hyper critical, but it's going to help you produce stronger, more durable flies. Get the best possible results from your materials & time.