fly tying with squirrel tail | Fishmadman.com https://www.fishmadman.com Dry fly fishing for salmon and steelhead with Bomber dry flies - Riffling Hitch and wake fly techniques Sat, 23 Mar 2024 16:41:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 34674374 Squirrel tail – Made for Riffling Hitch flies https://www.fishmadman.com/archives/3643 https://www.fishmadman.com/archives/3643#_comments Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:42:55 +0000 http://www.fishmadman.com/pages/?p=3643

Pine Squirrel - Bill Bryden

The squirrel, a large family of rodents divided into five subfamilies, boasts approximately 58 genera and around 285 species. Among these, the Eastern Grey Squirrel and the Pine Squirrel have long been prized as top materials for fly tying. Hair from these creatures features in thousands of recognized fly patterns worldwide. At our fly-tying shop, the Eastern Grey Squirrel stands as a favored material. We procure selected squirrel tails from these animals in the UK by the dozen.

(Photo: Pine Squirrel by Mr. Bill Bryden)

The Eastern Grey Squirrel was introduced to Britain many years ago, spreading across the country and largely displacing the native Red squirrel. Consequently, it is widely regarded as a pest by most Britons.

Suirrel tail fly tying

A squirrel in Western Europa could very well look like this guy …very bright red in its colouration – Here is one from my garden in Denmark, where this colour of the squirrel is the dominant genetic line of the Sciurus vulgaris (Eurasian red squirrel) – once black squirrels were the dominant genetic version in Denmark …now it is rare to see all black squirrels in my part of Scandinavia.

How to Preserve a Fresh Squirrel Tail

If you come across the tail of a red squirrel (Scientific Name: Sciurus vulgaris) by the roadside, seize the opportunity to collect it by keeping a set of pliers in your car.

This process is most effectively carried out during winter when insects are less active.

  1. Begin by freezing the tail in a plastic bag for a minimum of 72 hours.
  2. Thaw the tail and meticulously rinse it under running water to eliminate any dead parasites.
  3. Dry the tail by hanging it outside in the wind and sunlight. Avoid leaving it out for too long; a few hours should suffice.
  4. Completely cover the tail with coarse or fine salt (regular table salt works well). Let it remain in the salt for two weeks to draw out the maximum moisture from the skin and meat.
  5. Shake off all excess salt.
  6. Pin the tail to a piece of plywood and allow it to continue drying for a few more weeks. I prefer to let my tails dry outside.

Your squirrel tail is now prepared to be utilized as part of your fly-tying materials.

Finding the right material for Riffling Hitch flies is important. The wake of the Riffling Hitch fly might be the key point – But the fly and the way it is built is what generate the wake.

Take time to select the perfect squirrel tail

We buy many tails to select the best possible tails for our V-FLY; we want a squirrel tail with thin hair, as we have found that flies tied from this hair have superior fishing abilities when hitching for Atlantic salmon…

Riffling hitch fly tyingWe are proud to offer specially selected Silver tip squirrel tails (Eastern Grey squirrel)

We have been scouting for a supplier of silver tip tails that we could trust to harvest the tails when the hairs had the right texture.

We managed to find a Game Warden in the UK that knew what we were looking for –

Richard, a salmon and trout angler, promised to help us with our extraordinary project.

Setting traps for squirrels is part of Richards’s daytime job – and by doing so at the right time of year, we have secured a small stock of these first-rate Riffling Hitch tails.

Buy tails from us

Barred Brown Squirrel tail – Small Pine Squirrel

We occasionally carry these tiny Pine Squirrel tails in our shop – Take the rare opportunity to buy a perfect squirrel tail for your riffling hitch and other micro tube flies.

Find them here

Pine squirrel for salmon flies

Russian Flying SquirrelRussian Flying Squirrel

A tiny squirrel tail – and very hard to find – Some of the finest fly-tying material we have ever seen.

Siberian Pygmy SquirrelSiberian Pygmy Squirrel

The smallest squirrel we have ever seen – and some of the finest hair we have ever come across – Most  likely not your everyday roadkill fly-tying material

Himalayan SquirrelHimalayan  Squirrel

Rare squirrel material quite close to its cousin, the small pine squirrel

Chinese Pine SquirrelChinese Pine Squirrel

Similar to its US cousin but much softer – A nice tail for small and medium salmon flies

Eurasian red squirrel

Eurasian red squirrel – the black version

Eurasian red squirrel, as they formally are known (Scientific Name: Sciurus vulgaris), is a squirrel species widespread across Northern Europa and the vast forest land of Russia where some squirrels are caught in traps and their pelt is used for various garments – Truly great material. Super quality and perfect for miniature patterns like riffling hitch flies and any other fly pattern designed to lure trout, salmon and char. The Eurasian red squirrel is found in colour variations ranging from jet-black to almost ginger red Buy it from us

Natural black squirrelEurasian red squirrel

Here in a black coloured version

– Buy it from us

Siberian Grey SquirrelEurasian red squirrel

Here is a browner coloured version

– Buy it from us

fox squirrelFox squirrel

The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant’s fox squirrel, is the largest tree squirrel native to North America. Great material for bigger or very bushy flies – less efficient for smaller patterns.

See much more on riffling Hitch

Salmon and steelhead on riffling hitch2See our main Fishmadman page on Riffling Hitch

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