Veevus French Tinsel

Veevus French Tinsel is an oval metallic tinsel built for fly tyers who are tired of their ribbing material snapping mid-wrap or unraveling on the spool. It is built differently from other oval French Tinsels on the market, with noticeably greater tensile strength that lets you wind it tight around the hook without fear of breakage, and it won't "open up" while winding. It comes in a range of diameters and stays put on the spool, so you're not chasing a loose coil of tinsel around your desk every time you reach for it.

Great for classic streamer bodies, salmon and steelhead flies, or adding flash to your favorite pattern, Veevus French Tinsel is available in three sizes (extra small through medium) in copper, gold, and silver. That covers just about every ribbing and body application you'd encounter, from a size 18 nymph to a full-dress Atlantic salmon fly. Made by Veevus, a company that built its name on tying thread, this tinsel carries the same attention to core strength and consistency.

How to Use It

Veevus French Tinsel works anywhere you need a segmented rib, a metallic butt section, or a full tinsel body. It's ideal for tying the butt section of classic salmon flies and ribbing anything from a wet fly, nymph, emerger, or traditional streamer. Tie it in at the rear of the shank, build your dubbed or floss abdomen, then spiral the tinsel forward in evenly spaced open turns. The oval profile grips the underbody better than flat tinsel, so your rib stays put even after a few fish. For full-body applications like a Mickey Finn, you can wrap it in tight touching turns over a smooth thread base to create a clean metallic sheath. Counter-ribbing with wire is always smart insurance, but the strength of this tinsel means it holds up on its own far better than most competitors.

Why We Like It

This French Tinsel stands out from other products on the market due to its superior strength. It is significantly more tear-resistant, giving you the chance to wrap the hook tighter and produce more durable patterns. That matters most on flies that take abuse, like streamers stripped through current or nymphs bounced along the bottom. We've had other oval tinsels snap on the second or third wrap when cinching down on a dubbed body. This one doesn't.

The Veevus French Tinsel comes in a variety of diameters, and it does not unwind off the spool by itself, which can save you a big headache at the vise. The three color options (gold, silver, copper) and three sizes mean you can stock a handful of spools and cover everything from a delicate midge emerger rib to a chunky steelhead wet fly body. The oval cross-section throws light differently than flat mylar, giving your flies a subtle, rounded flash that mimics baitfish scales or the segmented sheen of a natural nymph abdomen without looking synthetic.

Example Flies

Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph: The classic recipe calls for fine oval gold tinsel as the rib, making Veevus French Tinsel in gold (extra small or small) a direct fit. The rib spirals over the dubbed hare's ear abdomen to create segmentation that suggests a natural mayfly or caddis nymph. Veevus's extra tear resistance means you can cinch the rib into the shaggy dubbing without worrying about the tinsel breaking, which is a real issue with softer oval tinsels on buggy, loosely dubbed bodies.

Mickey Finn: The traditional recipe calls for silver oval tinsel as the rib over a flat silver tinsel body. Veevus French Tinsel in silver is a strong choice for classic streamer bodies like the Mickey Finn. The oval rib protects the flat tinsel underbody from tooth damage while adding a raised, segmented texture that catches light as the streamer swings. Use medium or small depending on hook size.

Silver Doctor: Kelson's original dressing calls for a silver twist tag, a silver tinsel body, and silver oval tinsel ribs. Modern simplified versions also specify oval silver tinsel for both the tag and rib. Veevus French Tinsel in silver handles both duties. On a full-dress or hairwing salmon fly, the oval rib does double work: it reinforces the flat tinsel body underneath and adds the raised segmentation that defines a properly dressed salmon pattern.

Comparisons

Veevus French Tinsel vs UNI French Oval Tinsel:

UNI French Oval Tinsel is a non-tarnishing metallic tinsel with an extra strong core, and it is available in four sizes in gold and silver. That's the first real difference: UNI only comes in two colors, while Veevus offers copper in addition to gold and silver. If you tie a lot of copper-ribbed nymphs or steelhead patterns, Veevus is a strong option between these two. One advantage UNI has is that it comes pre-varnished, so the metallic color will never fade. Both tinsels are strong, but Veevus tends to have a noticeably higher breaking strength when wound under tension. For most tyers, the two are interchangeable in gold and silver, but Veevus edges ahead on strength and color selection.

Veevus French Tinsel vs Wapsi French Oval Tinsel:

Wapsi's French Oval Tinsel is genuine French tinsel, varnished to resist tarnishing, with an extra strong core for longer-lasting flies. It is imported in bulk and spooled in the U.S. by Wapsi, with lengths ranging from 20 yards (extra small and small) to 6 yards (large). Wapsi's offering tends to be slightly less expensive per spool, which matters if you burn through tinsel on production runs of nymphs or streamers. Veevus, however, is built differently and offers greater strength, meaning it won't open up or fray under tight wraps. If you tie a lot of salmon flies or streamers where the tinsel is doing structural work on the body, Veevus is the safer pick. For simple ribbing jobs on trout nymphs where cost matters more than brute strength, Wapsi does the job well.