Mink tails? Whadda ya tie with 'em?

[Steeltrap]

I've got two mink tails that have been in my supply box for years. Both still in good shape. A cream color one and a very light tan one.

What do you use these for? I've read where the guard hairs make nice mayfly tails and the underfur can be used for dubbing. I would guess since it's mink, the dubbing would float better\longer than other materials, but I have nothing that tells me that.

So, if you have tied up any useful patterns that work using mink, could you share?

Thanks much!!

 

[Tigereye]

I used to use guard hairs for winging material on caddis flies. The cream and light tan would work well with cream, ginger, tan, and apple green caddis.

Our cat stole the last one and carries it around the house. His favorite toy. With fur prices as they are, I doubt I'll replace it. Woodchuck and deer hair are free.

If you already have it, use it up. I wouldn't pay what they are asking for one now, around $5.

 

[tomgamber]

Our cat stole the last one and carries it around the house.

This is a fear of mine. 🤔

 

[lestrout]

Decades ago, I hung around Elsie and Harry Darbee's place (trying to get on the list for a blue dun neck), and their tying area had a bunch of large (4-5 gallon size) tins, full of mink tails. I think they got them from a mink farm, back when mink coats were more in fashion. I recall The Sudden Inch guy Leonard Wright liked their stiff hairs for caddis wings. This may have been before Al Troth created the Elk Hair Caddis, and before Hoffman had his super grizzly out, so the downwing caddis was my go-to. The stiff hairs were slippery, and cyanoacrylate glues weren't in our market then either. Nowadays, I might use those for tails for large variants if I didn't have the right color in coq deLeon.

 

[Bamboozle]

I bought mink fur pieces at flea markets and the used the guard hairs for mayfly tails and Len Wright style caddis. The underfur on reddish brown mink was my go to for cinnamon ants & Hendrickson nymphs & mayflies.

These days my mink, fox, raccoon, muskrat and other natural fur sits unused in bins as I much prefer Microfibbetes, EWC & synthetic dubbing.

 

[JeffK]

The guard hairs mixed with underfur can make a nice spiky dubbing for nymphs. But other than muskrat, I don't do much with natural furs these days.