A heretic's question: why are bucktails used so much in Clousers and streamers such as the Thunder Creeks? Aren't they kind of too stiff to impart action, especially when compared to bunny fur or marabou?

Is the issue avoiding the "fouling/tangling" of the material with the hook? If so, wouldn't the best compromise be modern materials, which shed water just as easily, yet have some movement to them?

Basically, my real question is: do we still need bucktails or will they slowly fade away (I'm sure they won't disappear, as the Dodo did) as synthetics become more available, more alive, and hopefully more affordable? (And has that started to happen already?)

Thanks, and tight lines,

Gian Andrea