Squirrel tails can be used to help bring in fish

A quiet little sideline in the hunting and fishing world is approaching a half century in age. Few people know it exists.

This is the selling of squirrel tails to the Mepps fishing lure manufacturing folks.

Yes, squirrel tails, those tails that you customarily toss away along with the hides when you dress out some tasty squirrel meat headed for the table after an enjoyable and successful outing in the field.

Most Arkansas fishermen need no introduction to Mepps lures. Many who go after trout use small Mepps spinners "dressed" with hair tails. These can also be effective on crappie and bream. Bass and walleye sometimes are taken on them as well.

Mepps, based in Antigo, Wis., uses hair from squirrel tails on its lures. Hair from deer tails, buck tails, is used also, but most of the deer tails come form commercial sources, Mepps said. The squirrel tails, in contrast, come primarily from hunters all across the nation.

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The money involved is not significant. If a good Arkansas squirrel hunter saved all the tails he or she got over a season and sent them to Mepps, the reward could pay for a box of shotgun shells. Maybe.

Mepps has a gimmick on payment, though. The company will give double the amount in the form of its fishing lures in lieu of cash.

Todd Sheldon, the head man at Mepps, tells how it began. Back in the early 1960s met a boy who had a string of large trout. He noticed the Mepps spinner attached to the boy's line had a tuft of squirrel tail tied to the hook so he began experimenting with dressed hooks. Bear hair was tried as well as fox, coyote, badger, skunk, deer, even Angus cow. But the only two tails that provided the pulsating action Sheldon was looking for were squirrel tails and buck tails.

Squirrel tail quickly became the dressing of choice for Mepps trout spinners. Big spinners for trophy musky, pike and bass were dressed with bucktail.

Processing both squirrel and deer tails is a lot of work. Every deer tail must be trimmed to remove any body hair. Squirrel tails seldom need trimming, but they do need to be sorted and graded. All of the tails, however, need to be washed, not once, but several times. After drying, some are left natural while others are dyed brilliant hues. When needed, they are placed in the hands of a skilled fly tyer, where they become a Mepps dressed hook.

Mepps' handling suggestions for squirrel tails:

Tails are best on squirrels taken after Oct. 1. Don't remove the bone from the tail or split the tail. Salt the butt end of the tail generously. Use either dry salt or dip in a strong saltwater solution. Be sure the tail is straight before drying. Tails that dry in a curled position cannot be used. Keep tails away from flies. Best storage is in a freezer. Do not send tails that have been exposed to flies. Do not put tails in a plastic bag for storage or shipment. They could heat up and spoil. The best time to ship is during cold weather, January, February and March. Dried squirrel tails may be shipped anytime.

Details on the Mepps squirrel tail recycling program, including care and handing instructions, can be found at: http://www.mepps.com/squirrels. Interested hunters can also phone 1-800-713-3474.

It is legal to sell squirrel tails in Arkansas, but it is illegal in a few other states, including Texas.

(Log Cabin outdoor writer Joe Mosby can be contacted by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com)