What it is
Hareline Grizzly Barred Flashabou is a grizzly-barred flash tinsel made from Mylar fibres. The strands are wide, long, transparent, and highly reflective, with a black barred pattern built in. It’s tough in the water and on the hook, and it doesn’t break down the way natural feathers can.
What to tie with it
Use it anywhere you want flash with a barred look: blend it into bucktail skirts, build full skirts for spinnerbaits, or layer it through large baitfish profiles. It’s also at home in intruder-style flies and saltwater streamers where long, durable fibres get pushed, pulsed, and chewed. Most tyers either tie it in as a sparse accent line, or stack and fold it to bulk up a body and keep the flash distributed.
Flies and the fish they're for
Flashabou is often used as body material in small attractor patterns like the Goldie, a handy trout fly for rivers and stillwaters when you want a little extra shine. In bigger baitfish patterns and saltwater streamers, it’s a common add-in for species like striped bass and redfish where reflective fibres help a fly read like a fleeing baitfish. In intruder flies, it’s used to add a barred, flashy trigger for anadromous fish like steelhead and salmon in river systems.
How it compares
It’s a practical alternative to grizzly saddle feathers when you want that barred look with flash, and it won’t degrade like feathers over time.
