Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

I may be coming into possession of some squirrel tails. If they are good for fly tying, do I need to do anything to preserve them/keep them from getting rotten and stinky?

If they're good for tying and worth mailing, I'll share them with my friends here on BBG.

Thanks!

Jonathan

Views: 275

Replies to This Discussion

Squirrle tails are good for fly tying. The first thing you want to do to preserve them is to skin them out to remove the bone, then split them up the length of the tail so the flesh side is showing. Then lay them on some cardboard flesh side up and cover them with borax. You can find this at the grocery store with the laundry soap. The borax will draw the moisture from the tail and preserve it. After a few days, shake the borax off the tail, and apply another layer of borax. In about a week your tails will be preserved. I have a fox that I shot back in my teens, and preserved the hide this way. The fur is still tight on it. 

I cured two road-kill squirrel tails this past winter, doing exactly what Vince said.  One additional thing you might want to do is to package the tails in ziplocks and freeze them after they are cured.  Let them sit for few days in the freezer, bring them out, and let them thaw.  Let them sit at room temp for a few days, then repeat.  This way, if there are any bugs and/or eggs in the fur, those are killed.

Be advised when tying with squirrel tail.  That stuff is SLIPPERY!!!

I noticed adding the fur into the bath of hydrogen peroxide, soak for a day, then spray the fur well with cheap strong alcohol before freezing process eliminate nearly all the slippery effects during tying.

Thanks for the info! Squirrels have stripped my nectarine tree bare and eaten up my wife's cucumber and radish plants this week. Action must be taken. I'll let you know how it goes :-)

Wow, ground squirrels smell really, really  REALLY bad. I think I'm gonna give up on that preserve-the-tails idea :)

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Some quality Warmouth I caught in my early years on the Albemarle….."
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Thanks for sharing John……you have patterned your available species pretty good over…"
yesterday
John Sheehan replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Only caught five of these Species up here in New Jersey. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Red Breasted…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Crackers Saved This Morning Behind A Cold Front…..7/23/2025

If I get out the remainder of July it will probably be a crappie stalk on the coastal marsh……
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Slow Moving Cold Front Went Through Overnight and Shifted the Wind to the North so our rivers were dumped, but we wanted to go anyway…."
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"There’s multiple variations in the Spotted Sunfish….in Louisiana the Red Spotted…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Growing up in Louisiana into a fishing family I got many introductions to the Sportsman’s…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"I have personally caught 11 of the 12 panfish featured in this discussion. I have never lived in…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a discussion
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
DAVID L EITUTIS commented on DAVID L EITUTIS's photo
Thumbnail

THIS COLOR COMBINATION SEEMS TO WORK THIS YEAR

"Yup blue and white is an essential with my oldest son......."
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"My glass boat is going to the shop tomorrow, need an ignition system tune up, figured I would give it up during this extended heat wave.."
Sunday

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service