I’m in the process of tying 50+ Crappie candy flies for a swap, and it is taking a lot longer than I expected because I’m having to even up my bucktail by hand. I put it in my stacker, and it doesn’t even out very well because it is isn’t really straight like elk or antelope. Not the end of the world, but when you are doing 60 or so, shortcuts make a huge difference.
Does anyone have any tricks that I’m not aware of that can help out? 
are you using a bucktail sized stacker?
They are larger and might work better with the krinkly bucktail.
A few suggestions here for ya blue, and I might add I feel a little embarrassed because your flies look a lot better then mine but here goes.
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bucktail as we all know is kinky and usually bends. stroke the hair a couple of times to remove the kinks and while stroking bend it against the bend. This will straighten it out and should remove most of the kinks.
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I use the only hair stacker I have which is a small one. Most have hair stackers just for bucktail, and hold the stacker by the barrel and tap the bench to even the ends. I don’t do that with bucktail. I put my thumb and 3rd finger on the barrel and my first and second finger on the top of the stacker then I slam the stacker onto the bench. You know like when you have a drift pin that has been in the motor for 100,000 miles and been overly hot and stuck and you have no press so you punch it out with a drift pin punch. You want to remove it in 3 punchs so you give it what for. That is how I slam my stacker on the bench. Hair evens right out.
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I already know the answer to this question but are you getting to much hair in the stacker? ok dumb question. sorry. Bucktail can be staticy also and some ( my friend does anyway) massage the hair with a dryer sheet. I feel this just puts chemicals in the hair I don’t need put it works for him.
Hope this helps and saves you some time.
If you put to much in the stacker at one time it will not work well. Try putting about half as much. Good Luck.
was having difficulty with the bucktail jumping out of the stacker until i noticed a way to adjust the thing so it was much longer. what a neat idea! where i got it i have no idea; it has two knurled disks that you screw to loosen or tighten the two tubes that fit inside each other to make the bottom of the stacker and that will make it longer or shorter. the top of the stacker doesn’t change.
for production shortcuts, maybe you could make a bunch of little stacked bundles with those tiny elastics they put on teeth braces or the less tiny ones they put on hair braids.
Had to laugh Harleybob87.
Number two is my technique as well.
Wash the tail in mild dish soap.
Rinse it.
Massage in some hair conditioner.
Rinse.
Let dry.
Bucktail will stack as nicely as it can.
Buddy
Thanks for the info. I’ve been stacking several smaller amounts, and then lining them up by hand before tying them in. I haven’t tried the “full blown windmill gorilla dunk” approach yet, but don’t think I won’t. :mrgreen:
And harleybob, I think that is the first time I’ve been told my flies are better than (fill in the blank). Usually I’m the poster child for bad technique. :shock: Remember the scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day off where he squawks into the clarinet and proudly announces he’s never had one lesson? That is the equivalent of my fly tying prowess IMO. Thanks for the compliment. Those swaps are starting to pay off, eh? 
On my Crappie candy flies I don’t even use a stacker. I just cur what I need as long as possible and then cut the ends even to make it the length I want. I am not a old hand at tying flies, but here is a pic of one of mine…
Skip
I like that one, skip. I’ve been tying mine pretty close to Al’s pattern, with the hair and flash a bit more sparse, and not as long. I’ll bet the fish love the longer fibers, though. I’ll have to tie a couple extras like yours are. They look pretty “fishy.” :mrgreen:
I’ll use Static Gaurd to spray hair and stacker. This seems to help with bucktail.
Ol Blue I have a feeling the old saying “we are hardest on ourselfs” definately applies here. The swaps have paid off for me that is for sure. I don’t know how big the crappie candy is you are tying but I stack enough hair in my small stacker for a #10 dry fly and a 2/0 portuguese blond. Sounds like you are tying them up for the geography swap and I look forward to seeing them. 
Thanks, I am waiting on spring for sure and before long the crappie will get in the 2’ of water and I hope to introduce them to this fly, LOL!
Last year I found several places where the Black Crappie got in the 2’ of water and did really well on a Roadrunner just troll motoring down the bank and dragging that RR and I could see them when they came up to take it. Had a great time with that. So Feb-March should be about right.
Skip
Yep, I’m tying them for the geography swap. I’m tying them on #8 hooks, since that is what I use locally. I can’t wait to finish that swap up. It is going to be a GREAT bunch of flies. And I have high hopes for the sale afterward.
This is how I stack buck tail. I call it table top stacking. I’m sure someone else has figured out this way to stack buscktail. As we all know first buy straight buck tail.
Cut what you need. Angle clump so that only the tips are touching the table.
With your finger tip press down on the tips, hold down the tips and pull away leaving only the tips under your finger.
Try to keep a straight line and even tips and repeat this process.
This is what the bucktail should look like when you are done laying it out.
Put your fingers tips at each end at about the center and slide them together to bunch up the bucktail.
Pick up the buck tail and do your thing! After trying this techneic a few times you should be able to stack a clump in seconds. Hope this helps.
Flyster101…thanks for the great post…I was lurking on this thread for a while. Great technique…I am going to go home and try it tonight.