On my 12 day drive from Aspen, CO back to Virginia this past fall I picked up some pieces of buffalo hide in West Yellowstone, Montana. I’ve got different pieces from different parts on the animal. Some is short and very wool-like, two inches long from further back on the body I think. A few other pieces have guard hairs up to five inches from the shoulders. The guard hairs aren’t as stiff as bucktail and contain a lot of underfur. Only color it comes in is a chocolate brown. Unless of course you found the great white buffalo, the one that got away! Just started playing around with it and here’s what I’ve come up with.
Siessel’s Buffalo Fiddler Crab. This is my fiddler crab imitation for some tailing reds. I think the color will match well. I really like the wool like quality of the underfur, tie it on like deer hair and then trim it to shape. The tail is fox I think, got some of those pelts as well
Another Buffalo Fiddler Crab. These are on size 1 hooks.
This one is bigger - 1/0, and comes with a rattle and coyote hair tail
Buffalo Clousers, the top one has cream bucktail for the bottom half
Some ridiculous Buffalo concoction on a salmon hook. Good bassy lookin’ fly to me
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
SWEET!! Those look deadly Bro…
“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
SC Chapter Coordinator- Heroes on the Water
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Tarpon 160os
Awesome
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
Those look crazy good. Toss on a weed guard, and the tailers are gonna cut a swath to get at em!!! Nice ties.
A tailer will eat it… if he can find it…
I would throw in some brighter legs, or more flash or something…
The problem with imitating a fiddler to the “T” is that fiddlers are designed to blend in so they don’t get eaten… I’ve found that brighter or “louder” patterns will out catch a “natural” pattern 3 to 1…
Not that they won’t eat the natural one… they just won’t eat it as often…
But they look good, and are well tied for sure… .
Mad Mike
"to hell with insane… I’m OUTsane!!! "
Thanks guys. I’ve already gone back and added weed guards. Valid point Mad Mike. These are definitely on the other end of the spectrum compared to a copperhead crab. Here’s some pix of a Buffalo Toad I just whipped up. I bet some schooled up winter reds would eat it.
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
Those are awesome!! Is that underfur hydrophobic??
Don’t wait 'til summer for those crabs, I use black or dark flies almost exclusively in winter…
That joker on a salmon hook would be murder on laid-up tarpon down south (unweighted, on a more substantial hook)!!!
Like the toad too, if you use narrower eyes, you can trim head to a more of an arrowhead shape, allowing fly to track straighter…
Newman
www.gtownkingfisher.com
Great idea on your crab. ive made some ugly stuff but didnt try the crab trim. Captn New i got a good bit of this stuff and happy to share. got a big box of mixed furs off a taxidermy dudes scraps(ebay). it is amazing how many different furs there are on a buffalo. the curly stuff comes off the belly i think so it might be a little phobic for dragging in the snow. it takes up a huge amount of space but compresses to almost nothing so its almost self guarding in light stuff. i think your rubber leg crawler would do good with the stuff. ive used the long stuff for shrimp antenna but havent figured it all out. been meaning to stop at the buffalo farm out by holly hill to see what happens to the hides.
he’s pretty white for a fly guy
Those are great looking flies. I think that they would work well. I would, as Mike suggested, add some bolder colors. I think that just the addition of some copper and Krystal flash to the tail would make them work just fine.
John
JohnH0802
Here’s a laid up buffalo tarpon fly prototype. I love this hair
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
sick! drive em straight to Flamingo! POONS! oh yea, stop by here…punch me in the face…stuff my fatazz in a big ol sack…and wake me in Homestead…
(grab my stuff too)
www.flyfishingsc.com
www.lowcountryflyshop.com
(**()!! that would be murder on 'em!!! Try some “hollow”, ie tie in with tips facing forward, then fold them back into position. Will make a large profile that lands like cotton and breathes like none other…
Hutch, how can I get my mitts on some of this??
Newman
www.gtownkingfisher.com
did you fish on the frying pan while in Aspen?
quote:
Originally posted by scotty d
sick! drive em straight to Flamingo! POONS! oh yea, stop by here…punch me in the face…stuff my fatazz in a big ol sack…and wake me in Homestead…
(grab my stuff too)
www.flyfishingsc.com
www.lowcountryflyshop.com
I'll stop by to pick you up next friday. I am not sure its going to be warm enough to make the trip worthwhile yet. GOing to be a game time decision on wednesday.
Haha, if I had the cash I would Scotty.
Fin, yes I have fished the Pan several times. Are you planning on fishing it?
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
CN. ill try to dig out a bag and give you a call. i still havent reorganized my stuff but i need to get on it before its hot. i found the texture amazing and just havent explored it enough.
he’s pretty white for a fly guy
Thanks Hutch!! you gonna be at PIO for Lefty?
Newman
www.gtownkingfisher.com