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Posts: 32
| “Bucktails” I recently tied with Flashabou from Musky Shop are all tangled and matted up. Is this fixable? Is there a better flashabou option? I think I used the magnum type on these. If a hook gets stuck in it, you have to cut it out. |
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Posts: 8881
| You can file the barbs off your hooks. That helps a lot! The thicker flashabou does not get knotted up nearly as much. The action is better with the thinner stuff, and it looks more “alive” going through the water, but the hassle of having to untangle that stuff isn’t worth it! |
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Posts: 2335
Location: SE, WI. | jkurtkrauss - 9/3/2026 8:59 PM “Bucktails” I recently tied with Flashabou from Musky Shop are all tangled and matted up. Is this fixable? Is there a better flashabou option? I think I used the magnum type on these. If a hook gets stuck in it, you have to cut it out. usually when the tinsel is old and sits on the shelf for years is when they get matted and sticky. Try to return it! Try using a wide tooth comb to untangle the tinsel. Yes, comb it out  The .016, 1/16” saltwater tinsel seems to hang , tangle less in the treble . One of the things I do with my custom builds, is to try and stop the coiled wire from spinning on the shaft. That will also help in the tangling. Another thing I use with the mag tinsel is deer hair over the tinsel. This also controls the tinsel with less tangling. JD Customs |
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Posts: 519
Location: Ludington, MI | Dollar Tree fro pick ... |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Leave in conditioner and a comb work very well. I also use gorilla glue in the crotch of the front hook and that helps a ton. Put 5 or 6 upside down, one drop of water, one drop of glue, let dry, and reattach them to the baits. This works wonders for tangles. |
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Posts: 2393
Location: Chisholm, MN | I try to get the solid color flash. Anything with the glittery looking flash gets tangled more. |
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Posts: 8881
| Do NOT, EVER, under any circumstances, leave 3-4 of those baits on the deck in a pile while running 10 miles from spot to spot! Holy #*#*, batman. I wanted to throw the whole pile of double 10s overboard and just fish with hard baits the rest of the week. The good news is that while they don't look like much in the water anymore after having to cut half the tinsel off, the fish still eat 'em.
I really think the key to blades is to bend 'em up, step on them, scrape off most of the paint, and cut off half the skirt. They catch more fish right before the clevises wear through and the blades fall off than they do when they're new. |
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Posts: 1727
Location: Brighton CO. | I bought a Bucktail making machine about five years and made a bunch and they look great. Problem is I fish in the North country late in the fall and other things work better. Sure I cast them here in Colorado from shore and have caught nothing. I could throw a bunch of Depth charges as I walk the shore and not harm a muskie. I use Bucktail, Marabou, half and half and some tinsel too. |
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