Bucktail jigs and teasers are oldschool lures for catching fish. They have a number of advantages; they are durable, inexpensive, easy to use, and work on a wide range of fish species. Bucktail jigs and similar products can be purchased from tackle shops or made by hand.
Authentic bucktail jigs are made with white-tailed deer tail hair. Despite their name, bucktail lures are often made with hair from female deer tails, which tends to be longer and fuller.
Deer hair has several traits that have been useful to anglers for centuries. Perhaps the most important trait is deer hair is its movement in the water. Its underwater action is simply unsurpassed by other materials.
In their natural state, deer tails contain three colors that are essential for lure making; white, black, and brown. In addition to natural colors, deer hair is easily dyed.
Bucktail jigs are the most popular type of natural deer hair lure. They are used for casting, jigging, trolling, and other applications.
A few variations are important in niche fisheries. The shad dart is the gold standard for catching American shad, hickory shad, river herring, and numerous panfish. Bucktail teasers are rigged onto leaders for flounder fishing. Deer hair flies are also popular in both freshwater and saltwater fisheries.
How To Articles
How to Make Bucktail Jigs (saltwater)
How To Make Bucktail Jigs (freshwater)