wrote:
Tying up a batch of small wulffs for a trip.

Royal I presume? My comments follow: YMMV

1) Do you guys rib them? They look better in my eye with some fine
gold wire or crystal flash, though this is not apparent on any
pattern or references.

I don't tie these too often anymore. In most of the places I fish an
Ausable (Fran Betters' variant). I rib most of the peacock bodied flies I
tie with fine gold wire because I think it looks good with the peacock and I
like a fine wire better than tinsel on smaller flies. I have seen gold wire
ribbing in at least one of my tying books - don't recall which offhand. I
would guess one of Dick Talleur's. I don't rib an Ausable except on really
big ones and then I just use thread.

2) Do you use deer or elk? Can you articulate what makes good hair?

I use woodchuck tail most often. It's fine, stiff, waterproof, pretty
straight, and often has some color variation at the tips.

3) When you tie in the wing is it about 1/2 way up the shank?

Depends on how heavy you intend to do the hackle. I like a size-too-small
hackle covering half the shank on my Ausables so I put the wing just about
1/3 shank length back from the eye. If I'm going sparser, I'll put the wing
1/4 of the way back, I also usually substitute snowshoe hare for the calf
tail on the wings. Not as bright but floats better.

4) How long do you make the tails?

Shank length.

I ask 3 and 4 because I have had some problems with Wullf's riding on
their noses though they look fine.

You can always clip the bottom hackle to help them float 'right'.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps