Here's a recipe for a bucktail I like:
wire - stainless steel, .043 or slightly heavier
weight - 3/4 oz egg sinker
skirt - bucktail or flashabou combined with a front layer of bucktail tied on a 2" piece of 1/8" copper gas line tubing.
beads - solid brass nickel plated, size 1/2" 4 or 5 beads for the body, 2 size 1/4" or 9/32" beads for clevis bearings.
clevis - solid wire easy spin type, size 6 or 8, 2 per lure if double bladed.
blades - can be willow leaf, indiana-fluted or plain, colorado, french. Blade choice, color, size, is all personal preference depending on how you want the lure to fish. My favorite is a size 6 or 7 willow leaf. Blades .040" thick create a lot of torque and give the tail the best action.
The latest craze in bucktails is the flashabou/double blade style. I have never tried this but plan to experiment with this style this summer.
I like bucktails with a single 4/0 or 5/0 round bend treble. VMC makes a good one, Gamakatsu an even better one but pricy.
Favorite color combo for me is solid black tail, silver plated or chartreuse blade. Spent the first 20 yrs of my 40 yr musky career casting this bucktail or homemade jerk baits. Bucktails are easy to make, fun to fish.
All you need is some basic fly tying skill for constructing the tails.
Finished lure should be about 1 1/2 oz, 7-8" long.
As for tools, wire cutters, needle nose pliers and maybe a file is all you need. Attach the treble directly to the wire or use a quality split ring, personal preference. There are many styles, ways to make this lure, the one above is very good and very effective around here, Chautauqua, Western PA. The recipe is for a straight shaft lure. Safety pin, spinner bait style is just as easy to make.
post edited by Plum Bob - 2010/03/04 16:28:54