Kicking in on Bass_Bugs ?? If it's fresh and the bone is still in they here's my way of getting it ready. Get a really SHARP knife, or really good sharp pair of scissors and I cut in a straight line on the underside of the tail all the way to the tip. Usually after this you can use a pair of vise grips and hook on to the bony part and peel it right out.

Take your sharp knife and scrape off all the fat you can without damaging the tail. Next using warm water and dawn dishwashing detergent wash it really well making sure to get any and all blood off of it, and rinse it well. This next step is a personal one I use and you can skip it if want but I like doing it: use unscented hair conditioner on the tail and then rinse it really well, take an old hair brush and brush the hair straight.

The next step I take is lay it flat on paper towels front and back and I press out as much water as I can (I've also heard of some who use a hair dryer to get alot of the water off but use a low setting). After that I put it on an old piece of plywood and use three pushpins one on each corner and one down near the tip and cover it with borax laundry detergent (some folks like to use salt, I've tried it and like the borax better).

Leave it in a dry place where no kids or animals can get it, check it every couple of days and if you see any wet spots on the borax use a spoon to get that clump off put some fresh on that spot. I usually leave mine for two weeks then I take all the borax off and check the tail. If you can't feel any wetness and the meaty side is totally dry and stiff you should be ready to go. I put mine in a zip lock bag with a piece of flea collar (usually the pet stores put ones just about to expire on sale and I buy a bunch to use, open one stretch it to activate and cut a piece about
1 1/2) and then it stays away from all my other tying supplies for three or four weeks or more, kinda like a quarantine period.

Usually after this, I make a check of it and then it goes in with my other stuff. Never had any go bad or spoil and only a few went back through the wash, dry, borax cycle.

I learned most of it between Eric Leisers book Fly tying materials and info from different boards. Good luck and if you have any more questions just ask.

Fatman