I can’t seem to find the thread in which I asked about Artic fox…maybe it disappeared during the down time?
Anyway, am I correct in that the consensus was [is] that Artic fox body fur has more movement to it than the tail fur?
Is the body fur long enough for good tailing material e.g. on buggers?
duckster,
I believe the answers are: Yes, Yes and Yes.
Allan
Thanks,Allan…
And to expand…
Folks that use Artic fox seem to like it better than marabou…when using it in the place of marabou are you using just the body fur or will the tail fur also have as much or more movement?
I wonder if the fineness of tails varies…I got a number of AF tails on Ebay and it seems to me it’s not likely to move as much as marabou…haven’t water tested yet…
Ducksterman,
I am one of the many proponents for using Arctic Fox fur and the answer is yes, the body fur provides much more action in the water than the tail fur. While Arctic Fox body fur is one of my favorites and I use it in many patterns in place of marabou, I still use marabou in many applications. As good as Arctic Fox fur is, I still feel that marabou feathers give the most action in the water, it’s just that they are MUCH more fragile and prone to break off after a number of fish. I use them both depending on the patterns I’m tying and/or the fishing conditions I anticipate facing.
Jim Smith
duckster,
Although I answered your questions in the affirmative, Jim’s post leads me to add something. What I’m about to say is really in the form of a question because I don’t use a lot of AF, nor have I tried to observe it in the water: While AF has a nice movement to it, I don’t know that it pulsates like marabou when it is retrieved with a stagnated or twist retrieve.
Comment(s) about that action?
(hey, I remembered the icon!)
Allan
Duck,
If ya want to try some body fur and tail fur from an AF, drop me an e-mail. I still have a little left over from a whole skin I was given a while back.
REE
Hi Folks,
My experiences have been much like Jim
Smith’s, who if memory serves, said the same
about my comments on the previous thread.G
Arctic fox body fur is a great tailing
material with more action than other
furs I’ve tried. (in my opinion).G But,
as Jim said, Marabou feathers are even more
active in the water with less effort, but
lack the durability of the arctic fox.G
(my opinion too).G Warm regards, Jim
Duck,
For the best of both worlds effect alot of tiers will use a 50/50 ratio of marabou and arctic fox in their flies/tails… Works well in most cases the arctic fox adds both durability and body/fullness while still retaining the flow and action of the bou.
Tis a “secret” ingredient to my wooley bugger tails. It’s like adding mink tail guard hairs under a caddis fly wing…just gives that little extra that to make the fly deadly!