Step 1.
Clip a large bunch of bucktail as close to the hide as possible. To save time and material, cut off enough hair for several applications. Prepare the bundle by dividing the different lengths of bucktail into three or four separate piles. Hold the longest tips of one bunch tightly between your thumb and index finger and pull softly on the remaining hair to separate the longest fibers from the shorter ones. Repeat for each shorter length of hair. Re-align each length of bucktail so the tips are relatively even.

Attach the tying thread near the bend of the hook shank. With two loose wraps, tie in a bunch of long bucktail on top of the hook shank so the tapered tips face forward past the hook eye. Push down on the butts of the bucktail so the fibers radiate 360 degrees around the hook shank. Take six or more tight wraps over the butts to secure the hair, and then make numerous turns to cover the tie-down point. Apply a quick-drying head cement such as Sally Hansen Hard As Nails over the exposed thread wraps. Do not trim the hair butts. These exposed fibers are a fool-proof method of keeping the fly from fouling as they help keep the longer, tapered fibers in place.

Step 2.
Slide your thumb and index finger down the hook shank from the eye toward the bend to open the cone of reverse-tied bucktail so the fibers stand out perpendicular from the shank. Push the hair toward the bend with either your fingers or an empty ballpoint pen tube and hold it in place. Weave the thread forward through the bucktail fibers and make the necessary number of thread wraps in front of the hair. The number and placement of thread wraps has a direct effect on the final appearance of the fly. A small thread wall allows the bucktail to flare and stand out from the hook shank at a sharp angle. The more thread wraps you make, the more the hair flattens along the hook shank.

Step 3.
Add as many bucktail bunches as required to fill the length of the hook shank. A short-shank hook (shown above) often needs only three bucktail bunches. A long-shank hook may need five or more bunches. As you move forward along the shank, use shorter and shorter bucktail and increase the angle of the hair for a realistic baitfish profile. Add flash as desired.

Step 4.
After the final bunch of bucktail and thread wall, tie in tab prismatic or jungle cock eyes. Whip-finish and apply head cement. After the head cement dries, hold the fly-with the hook-eye facing up-under warm running tap water to give the fly a beautifully tapered, fusiform shape. Place it on a paper towel to dry.

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