Looking for interesting fly-tying ideas? These new materials open up many cool possibilities

CURLY TAILS

It’s no secret fish love curly tails, but until recently there’s been no practical way to fasten one to a fly hook. For smaller flies, there are now several brands of curly tails made of silicone. Their action and feel is similar to that of soft-plastic baits, but the material is much tougher, so the thread won’t slice it when you’re tying it to the hook. They add a seductive, soft-plastic magic to subsurface flies, either in original silicone-tail patterns, or as a lively twist on minnow, crayfish or even large insect imitations.

For larger flies for toothy critters, I’m obsessed with Pacchiarini Wiggle Tails, which are made of a thin, yet incredibly durable coated textile. They range from three to six inches in length when stretched out, and come in a bunch of colours, including holographic ones. Wiggle Tails add an amazing amount of flash, vibration and overall wobble to big flies that just screams “wounded prey.” These flies do make a pretty unnerving flapping sound when you’re casting them, but it’s a small price when you see pike literally knock each other out of the way going after them.