Musky Fool Bucktail Grade Breakdown

What’s up, folks? If you’ve spent any time tying flies, you already know that not all bucktails are created equal. Here at Musky Fool, we take our bucktail game seriously. Every single piece that comes through our shop is graded, sorted, dyed, and processed by hand to ensure that when you get your hands on it, you’re working with nothing but the best.

We’re launching a NEW (our fourth) grade and wanted to take a minute to break down our grading system. 

The Elusive AA Grade

First up, we’ve got the legendary AA Grade bucktail. This stuff is incredibly hard to come by—why? Because every single fiber on the tail must be 4 inches or longer. Not just some of the fibers, not just the longest strands—every piece has to hit that 4-inch mark. If you’ve ever seen a tail like this, you know it’s a thing of beauty.

We wish we could breed deer that grow the perfect fly-tying tails, but since these are all wild-harvested animals, we take what we can get. We work out deer butts off searching high and low for the best tail so you don’t have too! If you want to get your hands on AA Grade bucktail, the best way is to sign up for our email newsletter and follow us on social media—we save up as much as we can and drop them all at once to give everyone a fair shot.

A Grade 

Just a step below AA is our A Grade bucktail. This grade has fibers that range from 3.5 to 4 inches in length, with every fiber on the tail meeting this standard. A Grade tails are awesome, high-quality pieces perfect for a wide range of fly patterns.

Link to A grade. 

Clouser Grade

Next, we have Clouser Grade. This is for fibers 3.5 inches or less, making it the go-to for smaller musky and bass flies, as well as all kinds of trout and saltwater applications. Clouser Grade tails come in a wide variety of colors and are some of our best sellers.

Link to Clouser Grade

Hair Jig Grade - NEW!

Now, let’s talk about the new kid on the block—Hair Jig Grade bucktail. Unlike our other grades, this one isn’t sorted by length but rather, by quality. Specifically, we’re looking for hair that doesn’t flare.

If you’re tying hair jigs, you know that finding the right bucktail can be a challenge. Most bucktail fibers have a hollow core, which causes them to flare when tied down—great for streamers, not so great for hair jigs. Hair Jig Grade bucktail is carefully selected to have little to no hollow fibers, meaning when you tie it in, it stays slim and sleek, maintaining that perfect jig profile.

This stuff is also soft and flowy, so you’re getting the movement you want without sacrificing the look. We’re stoked to bring this new grade to the table and hope the walleye crowd loves it as much as we do!

Link to Hair Jig Grade

Find Your Perfect Bucktail

Here at Musky Fool we obsess over the finest fish fooling material on the planet. We sort through and grade every single tail so you don’t have to! No matter what kind of flies or jigs you’re tying, we’ve got a bucktail for you. Whether you’re chasing muskies, bass, or walleye, our hand-graded tails will help you create the perfect presentation

But, this is a natural material after all so if you ever get a tail that isn’t up to your deer butt standards, hit us up and we will be sure to make it right!

Thanks for your support!