I just got a package in from Fly Tying Furs, one of our board sponsors. I didn’t have a huge order, just some red squirrel tails for a swapf swap, and some other misc tails like raccoon, coyote, grey and pine squirrel and muskrat to make the $10 minimum. Service was fast, and the product appears to be a great value. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for tying fur.
Now I just have to find some good patterns for the raccoon, coyote and muskrat…
I didn’t have a huge order, just some red squirrel tails for a swapf swap, and some other misc tails like raccoon, coyote, grey and pine squirrel and muskrat…Now I just have to find some good patterns for the raccoon, coyote and muskrat…
You can make some great clousers and streamers with the coyote and the raccoon…
I haven’t a clue what you will make out of a muskrat tail!!! :lol:
I have bought from them as well and their hares mask are wonderfull, you can buy them in 2 different sizes as well. I love this dealer.
Is the muskrat the tail or art of the body fur? Body fur makes nice spikey dubbing for a variety of flies. Somebody posted a video last year showing how to tie the Sparrow (which got its name from the originator, not from the materials)…it’s tied pretty much with only muskrat…
Thwack,
I feel pretty confident he is talking muskrat fur and not muskrat tail. I was just “pulling his chain” about making a fly from the tail. 
Hopefully, he understood that.
Actually, I did pick up a muskrat tail also. It is similar to a kiptail or some of coyote tail sections. It has some interesting potential. I did tie with some of the raccoon and the squirrel tails today. The underhail on both look like they will make great dubbing, especially the raccoon.
I didn’t see their hare’s masks when I ordered, or I would have picked up a couple of those too.
They are actually Cotton Tail and Jack Rabbit Faces but they are much nicer than the regular Hares Mask you find in the tying Supply Stores.
I’ve seen a number of muskrats, but I have NEVER seen one with a hairy tail. They have even less hair on their tails than beavers. They are in the same league, with regard to hirsute tails, as opposums. Let’s see a show of hands, whose legs have been pulled.
Ed
Oops. Not pulling your leg…just trying to get my memory to work properly. Insert woodchuck for muskrat and we’re all good at this point. :oops:
ol’blue,
Now I can come up with several very good flies for woodchuck, but, I just could not figure out how you were going to come up with any flies with muskrat tail!
If you want some good patterns for woodchuck (groundhog) just go to Peter Frailey’s web site and look at some of his patterns. His mini jig is fantastic in fast water. His web site is: www.fishingwithflies.com
That does tend to change the context just a little bit, doesn’t it? :lol:
Thanks for the link. I’ll have to play with that hair. It definitely has some potential.