Tying Dressed tailhooks

[BILLC]

Here's a couple more if your interested. I use Beacon Fabri Tech glue on all my tails. Put some on the hook before you even start the thread. The glue will envelope all the material and thread as you wrap giving some squeeze out between strand. This stuff is completely water proof, stays clear, and is cheap too. I get it at Wally world or Michaels. When done tying I clean up the excess and then coat in epoxy. You can put the eye of the hook in a pair of pliers and the material end in another and pull as hard as you like to test. The material that you made the tail out of will break before it comes off the hook every time. I also would make them a little shorter, say 1" past the bend of the hook. Also get a vise if your going to do your own.

You have made a good start, keep up the good work.

[numbskull]

Tease out the bucktail, or use a few batches of different length and roll in your fingers, to get more taper to the the tail.
Keep it sparse.
Try thin hackles with a short collar of bucktail around them.
Don't cut your flash material the same length and only use a few strands each side (important).