What flies do you tie with squirrel?

[mike_richardson]

Just wondering what others tie with squirrel hair. I tie the peeking caddis pattern with it, and 2 variations of a grey squirrel nymph.

The first variation is pretty much a hares ear but with squirrel fur instead.

The second is the same but with a brown goose biot tail. I have caught a ton of trout using these 3 patterns, but would like to see what else you guys like to use.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Chaz]

Squirrel pie, Squirrel soup or Squirrel Stew. Sorry, I couldn't resist, I use squirrel tail a bit on nymphs.

 

[dc410]

A classic old pattern that uses squirrel tail hair for the wing is a Picket Pin. Gray Squirrell tail hair is a the material called for on the original (I think) and I also tie a variation of the Picket Pin using Fox Squirrell tail hair. I tie Picket Pins in size 8 through 16. You can fish them as a streamer or wet fly or grease the small ones and fish them on top or in the film as a caddisfly. They flat out catch fish!

I also like to use Fox Squirrell tail hair for the claws on a crayfish pattern that I tie for both Smallies and Carp.

 

[lv2nymph]

Red fox squirrel for these. Dave Whitlock's pattern...

 

[Fishidiot]

I like squirrel hair and tie a lot of nymphs similar to the ones above posted by lv2nymph.

Interestingly, while driving today, I saw a fox squirrel - the first one I have seen in Adams County in many years (I think they're much more common upstate, but I rarely see them around here). Made me wish I had his skin as my last fox squirrel skin has been picked pretty bare.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I really like to tie with squirrel hair as it just looks very buggy. Several years ago a friend stopped by my house with 6 complete skinned fox squirrel hides with tails he had just killed the day before. They went directly into the deep freeze. I have enough fox squirrel to last my lifetime. We don't have any fox squirrels here so I was a very happy to accept them.

 

[LetortAngler]

I use squirrel fur for a few of my nymphs. Like hares ear, it is very buggy in the water. Ill clip some from its back and use it for my cress bugs and caddis nymphs. It's also a pretty good fur to blend with other dubbings if it lacks guard hairs.

 

[attackone]

I dont use squirrel that much any more, to be quite honest i try to get something that doesnt look "buggy"....not much bugginess to a nymph

 

[FGSIII]

various salmon patterns call for squirrel as a winging material.

Claws for a crayfish pattern like the old orvis pattern.

If the skin is tanned it can be sliced into zonker strips.

tails on dries or nymphs.

great dubbing such as shown in the pattern shown a few posts up.

 

[hectortmc]

It's great for collars around beads, make a dubbing loop spin and wrap.

 

[PhilC]

If anyone in the Lehigh Valley wants squirrel material let me know...
You have to do the processing though

 

[tstooge26]

Question about using squirrel fur...I just brought home a tanned hide I preped last fall...do I just want to shave the fur of the body and use as is for dubbing or do I want to put it in a coffee grinder first...i saw making dubbibg out of yarn you put it in the grinder but I wasn't sure if I had to do that with the fur...never used any material I got myself

 

[lv2nymph]

I'd leave some on the hide, easier to put in a dubbing loop or split thread that way( if you want to keep things lined up). And shave some off to use alone or to mix with other dubbing. The grinder gives it a nice fluff so do that for sure.

 

[gutcutter]

What flies do you tie with squirrel?

I like to tie with Moose. When I tie with Squirrel, Boris and Natasha harass me too much.