I am about 3 years into fly fishing in which time I have caught lots of bluegill, crappie, bass, a big catfish and some trout on bluegill and trout flies. I am getting an urge to tie the deer hair flies. Before I put a third mortgage on the house to buy lots of dyed deer hair I really need to know if they are effective in catching the elusive bass. Lefty Cray said that deer hair bugs are for those who like them. He goes with other flies. Chris Helm ties them like works of art. Are they worth tying or should I just stick to casting a SWHAPF fly whenever I hear a bass splash and forget about the brightly colored hair, feather, flash, glue, eyes, rabbit strip, look like nothing living bass bugs?
Dear hair isn’t all that expensive. In fact once you start tying them you will hardly notice the extra expense or the extra mess.
Yes, they do catch bass, pike, muskie, …
I got in to bass fishing because I really got a charge out of spinnin’ hair and tyn’ bass bugs.
Now I don’t carry one in my box… all foam
IMO the best reasons to use hair bugs is that they look cool and they are fun to tie.
I’m not sure but I think you can get a “grab bag” of hair from cabelas or elsewhere to get you started.
Natural colored deer hair is good too.
“The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life”
[This message has been edited by dudley (edited 06 April 2006).]
Cardianl,
Spun deer hair baits are very effective flies for bass.
However, you have to ‘want to’ learn to do this. I really enjoy it, find it ‘fun’ to do, and like how the flies work on the water. It does take some time to get it all figured out, though. It’s a ‘skill’ that you can’t get without practicing it, no matter how many instructions you read or videos you see. You still need to ‘practice’ some before you will be satisfied with the results.
All that being said, you can catch the same fish with much simpler foam creations that don’t require the same skill/learning curve to produce.
So, it is completely up to you.
Good Luck!
Buddy
was going to ask a Q…But you may have taken it wrong!!!
For most warm water species…Hair bugs are a very good bet…Bass,Pike,Blue Gill’s,Crappie…even perch at times…
These can be some very serious flies…even subsurface pattern’s such as the Muddler Minnow and all it’s off spring…Spinning deer hair is not the simplest of tying procedures…Not extremely difficult …but rather as was stated above…in the beginning…It requires time…and a willingness to learn to work with the material’s and the techniques used with them…
Deer hair is not an expensive material…start out with just a few colors and add more when and if you really feel it’s something for you…doubt you’ll not find it fun…If you enjoy tying…and the fishing is even more so!!!
[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 06 April 2006).]
hey there Cardinal,
There are some good tutorials in [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/intermediate/archive.html:9ba24]Al Campbell’s fly tying section here on FAOL.[/url:9ba24]
My suggestion would be to look them over carefully, get some deer hair and give it a whirl. It could be an educational experience whichever way it hops 
RRhyne56
[url=http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com:9ba24]Sweetness On The Water[/url:9ba24]
[url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/bgl/:9ba24]Good Ol? Lepomis Macrochirus[/url:9ba24]
“Before I put a third mortgage on the house to buy lots of dyed deer hair I really need to know if they are effective in catching the elusive bass.”
Absolutely!
They may or may not be a bit more time consuming to concoct than some “other type” poppers and bugs. Depends on how intricate you care to be. I think it is hard to achieve the soft squishy “natural” feel of a hair bug with much else though. And once “mastered” hair bugs are enjoyable and relaxing as anything else to tie.
GO FOR IT! 
…lee s.
I’d not go with the grab bagged hair…Choose your hair for spinning in person…So as you can see and test the hair for stiffness and resilience…little things like the tips of the hair being intact can be a bit of an issue at times…
[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 07 April 2006).]
I love deer hair bugs. My biggest bass to date has come off a deer hair mouse. My preference is the diver or slider more than a hair popper. I find that nothing else can pull a trail of bubbles down into the water behind it like a thick deer hair diver with a long hard strip after a pause then let it float back to the surface. Foam poppers are quick, cheap, and easy to tye, and easier to throw but I don’t think they are nearly as life like.
When the bass or pickeral are active I don’t think anything can beat a big diver on a sink tip or intermediate line.
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
Well the short answer to your question about deer hair is YES. Deer Hair can be made inot many type and styles of flies that will work very well for the warm water fisherman.
As has been said before, tying with deer hair can be a little … different. You can use deer hair for MANY things in tying.
I frequently use deer hair tips for tail material on my dry flies made for bluegill and crappie. I find that the extra strength of the tips compared to feather barbs is of great benifit for these little fish.
Spinning and packing of deer hair can almost be described as 1/2 art form and 1/2 voodoo!!! I have packed and spun deer hair bugs for more of my life than I care to admit to. But, I have switched to more durable materials for my popper style of flies. I use foam for my poppers that I want to float high and last a long time!
Hopper imitations just wouldn’t be the same without the use of deer hair! I have tied and used a lot of different types of hopper imitations, and it seem that all of the use deer hair.
Deer Hair can be one person’s best friend OR worst enemy when it comes to making warm water flies. Probably the best thing you can do is to order some videos to help you first! Chris Helm makes some EXCELLENT videos on how to select and use deer hair! Bass Pro also has a video from Whitlock on how to tie and use deer hair flies. If I were to just start out making Deer Hair bugs for the first time, I would get these videos FIRST!!!
And by the way, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get what you need to make Deer Hair Bugs. You just need to know what to look for, both in hair quality AND in the insect in your area! I mostly have olive hoppers on the waters near me, so natural and olive hair is what I use most. No point in buying pink hair if I am not going to be needing it.
Just my thoughts,
Reggie
In my limited experience, NOTHING catches fish. . . but I’m probably just a poor fisherman.
If you do decide to try spinning hair, though, don’t make my mistake- make sure you use “Deer Body Hair” and NOT “Bucktail” (hey, deer is deer, right?)
The body hair is hollow, the bucktail is not. In addition to having different bouyancy characteristics, the bucktail doesn’t spin as well as the body hair.
Best of luck.
Orlando, FL