Hareline Veevus French Tinsel

What it is

Veevus French Tinsel is an oval, metallic French tinsel for the tying bench. The oval cross-section gives it a slightly rounded profile on the hook, with clean metallic flash. It’s built to take tension: high tensile strength, tear resistant, break resistant, and it stays wound on the spool instead of springing loose.

What to tie with it

Use it for segmented ribbing over dubbing or floss, or wrap it as a full tinsel body when you want a bright, durable look. It also works well for metallic butt sections and for streamer bodies where you’re winding under steady tension to keep the oval tinsel from twisting. On classic salmon patterns it’s right at home for butt sections and other durable, flashy wraps.

Flies and the fish they're for

On a Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymph, this tinsel is a natural choice for the rib that protects the dubbing and adds a subtle flash line; that fly is a go-to for trout in rivers and stillwaters, and it’ll also take panfish in ponds. In a Mickey Finn, it can be used to add a tinsel body or flash component in a classic baitfish-style streamer, a pattern commonly fished for trout as well as smallmouth and other aggressive freshwater predators. The durability matters in both cases because these are flies that get bounced, stripped, and chewed.

How it compares

Compared with other oval French tinsels, it’s noted for greater tensile strength with less snapping, and it doesn’t open up while you’re winding. Versus flat tinsel or mylar, the oval shape sits more rounded on the hook and reads as a subtler flash. Compared to typical spooled tinsel, it stays wound rather than unwinding off the spool between uses.