Pelt
Preparation and More Coyote Flies …
Some readers have expressed interest, so we’ll take a closer look at preparing
coyote pelts and using their fur for fly tying. Also, we’re well into fur harvesting season and time is getting short
to procure a coyote pelt for fly tying this year. If you can get one, here are some suggestions for getting the hide from
the coyote to the fly.
Once skinned, the pelt is cleaned up (fat removed), stretched and nailed to dry,
horizontally, on a piece of chipboard or whatever, dusted & rubbed well with borax, a household cleaner and preservative
sold in powder form by grocery or hardware stores. The brand “20 Mule Team Borax”, sold in a box, is the one I
use. In a month or so the hide should be cured & dry, ready for cutting into pieces for fly tying, stored in zip locked
bags with a moth ball or two in each. Cut into pieces with an Exacto knife, skin side up, fur side down, and store, keeping
a generous piece for the fly tying table. The hardest part of all this is harvesting the animal. The rest is quite easy. Experienced
trappers may tan or prepare and store pelts in various ways that I’m not familiar with, and their methods may give better
results than mine. Comments and suggestions are welcome, as always.
We’ve found, as noted
last week, that a coyote pelt is very versatile, enabling use of coyote fur for wet & dry salmon and trout flies, nymphs,
streamers, nymphs, and saltwater flies. Here are some examples:
Coyote Green, a
trout dry fly
Thread:
Black 8/0 UniThread
Hook:
Mustad 94840, size 8 - 14
Tail:
Coyote guard hair (don’t clip butt ends, we need them for wings)
Body:
Green floss
Wing:
Coyote guard hair – the butt ends of the tail hair are looped and divided to form two wings
Hackle:
Brown dry fly hackle
Head:
Black thread finished with ProLac Head Cement
Coyote Orange, a trout dry
fly - Same as Coyote Green except body is hot orange Ice Dub.
Coyote
Bomber, a dry salmon fly
Thread:
UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier thread, any colour
Hook:
Partridge Bartleet CS42 Bomber hook, size 6, 4, 2
Tail:
Coyote Guard Hair
Body hackle: Grizzly
saddle
Body:
Dyed black deer body hair
Head:
Black thread finished with 2 coats Angler’s Corner Clear Wet Head Cement
Coyote
MacIntosh, a dry salmon fly
Thread:
UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier thread, any colour
Hook:
Partridge Bartleet CS42 Bomber hook, size 6, 4, 2
Body:
Black polypropylene (Phentex) ribbed with silver Flatbraid
Wing:
Coyote Guard Hair
Hackle:
Grizzly saddle (one or two hackles, depending on your preference)
Head:
Black thread finished with 2 coats Angler’s Corner Clear Wet Head Cement
Coyote
Muddler, a trout or salmon streamer
Thread:
UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier red thread
Hook:
Mustad 9672 Streamer, size 8 - 2
Tail:
Turkey quill matching sections
Body:
Gold Flatbraid
Wing:
Coyote guard hair
Hackle:
Deer body hair spun collar style
Head:
Clipped spun deer body hair, red thread finished with 2 coats Angler’s Corner Clear Wet Head Cement
Coyote
Green Rat, a wet salmon fly
Thread:
UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier red thread
Hook:
Partridge Bartleet Supreme or Daiichi 2161, size 6 - 1
Tag:
Oval gold tinsel
Tail:
Peacock sword
Rib:
Oval gold tinsel
Body:
Rear half: Fluorescent green floss, veiled on top with fluorescent green floss extending to the middle of the tail
Front half: Peacock herl
Wing:
Coyote guard hair over 4 strands fluorescent green Krystal Flash
Hackle:
Grizzly hen hackle tied collar style
Sides:
Jungle cock (optional)
Head:
Red thread finished with 2 coats Angler’s Corner Clear Wet Head Cement
Please
stay on the line …
