I am woefully behind in my tying this year and need to catch up quickly! I'm looking for some good feathers/skin to tie #14-16 soft hackles/ flymphs. Dark
brown to black in color. What bird would you folks suggest??
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Preferred soft hackle feathers/skins
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 ttrotter |
Preferred soft hackle feathers/skins |
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Posts: 849 02/05/2009 15:57 Moderator |
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creakycane |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 2052 02/05/2009 16:25 |
I'd skip skins and buy wing pairs of snipe, woodcock, moorhen and starling and jackdaw - jdaw scalp for small dark flies......
You can do alot with just a few wing pairs of starling! Agreed, starling skins are great too, especially for small soft hackles.
Last Edited By: creakycane 02/06/2009 10:42.
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joaniebo |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 1772 02/05/2009 16:50 |
Although I keep buying lots of wings just for a few specific feathers on each wing (and sometimes, these are MISSING!), for black soft hackles, I'd get
a full starling skin ... as the full skin doesn't cost must more than a pair of starling wings.
Best Bob |
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Eric Peper |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 128 02/05/2009 17:07 |
In addition to the two recommendations in the responses above (not instead of), I use a couple of Whiting hen necks in dun grizzly and mottled brown, along
with a couple of Metz hen necks in black and grizzly. All tie down to 16 easily, and the Whiting necks will do 18s.
EP |
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Marty |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 10 02/05/2009 17:29 |
Wow Mike!!! Thanks I looked up Cookshill and looks like an interesting source (I assume they ship to USA but sent them and e to check)
I agree with all of the aboveand would add Hungarian partridge some neat tannish mottled browns if your pelt has small enough feathers. The whiting hen necks have some nice coloring and some have good web. The full hen pelts they sell as "chickabou" have some very nice hen feathers that work well but all the necks I have seen are speckled greyish or dyed black. When you find something you like buy all you can afford b/c it will either get scarce..or the company will go out of business...or THEY WILL DECIDE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH DEMAND AND STOP PRODUCING IT!!!!!!!! I may or may not have hoarding materials issues. |
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narcodog |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 189 02/05/2009 18:54 |
Marty wrote:Cookskill's does send to USA. I just order some stuff an it was here in a week. As Mike said Great feathers and Jim Slattery also have good selections of soft hackle material. I buy from both. |
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Eric Peper |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 130 02/06/2009 10:01 |
A second "thumbs up" for both Great Feathers and Jim Slattery as materials sources. Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone also carries a broad
spectrum of softhackle tying materials including most omestic and imported bird skins, Pearsall's Gossamer threads, etc.
EP |
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Ed Pirie |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 60 02/06/2009 10:28 |
Hey, I just want to thank Mike Conner and everyone who posts here. I have received an education and untold hours of pleasure from this site for the last two
years. The education could not be bought anywhere. Please, all of you, keep on posting and sharing. Your generousity is deeply appreciated and you make our
sport a whole heck of a lot more fun.
Thanks from my Vermont "ice box" (below zero again this morning) Ed Pirie West Topsham, Vermont |
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ttrotter |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 851 02/07/2009 12:22 Moderator |
What happened to Mike Conner's post on this thread?? At least I thought it was here! Am I dreaming, old or WHAT??
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Mike Connor |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 36 02/07/2009 13:31 |
creakycane wrote:I removed my post because of various complaints, I simply don't need the aggravation. Before you set rumours in motion I would appreciate it if you troubled to get the facts. There are no copyright issues, or indeed any other issues, with my work. You can find all the posts here; http://www.flyfishingmary...3j7lej5pj25&board=2.0 When people complain, and send me silly e-mails, I simply remove them, and retire from the field. I see no point in doing anything else. If people don't like what I write, I am surprised they don't simply ignore it. MC |
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tbc1415 |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 164 02/07/2009 15:25 |
Mike
While I understand your position regarding unneeded aggravation, I must say I really appreciated your posts. I noticed them while at work and only had time to skim them, making a mental note to return to them that evening for a thorough read in the comfort of my home. Most likely I would have printed them for future reference, such was the depth of knowledge and research. Thanks for providing the link to where they can be found. TC |
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creakycane |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 2055 02/07/2009 15:48 |
Yes, I enjoyed them too and did not mean to slight you in any way - just offered a possible explanation for why they would be removed? Don't know what
anyone would have to complain about....
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Marty |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 12 02/07/2009 18:26 |
Mike,
I too thoroughly enjoyed your post. I find the indepth history and research both fascinating and helpfull. I love old patterns, materials, rods, reels and love to read well thought research like you presented. I have spent the last couple of hours compiling an order for jimsflyco (kind of amazed I had never heard of it before THANKS).......I love finding new sources for materials never ever enough and never ever enough sources. |
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nesterbc |
sourse of materials for soft hackle flies | #13 | ||
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Posts: 43 02/16/2009 09:49 |
Soft hackle flies have become very popular in the last couple of years. I got into it myself and my trout catching
increased . I read that a lot of tyers on this forum are talking about postage. Getting their material overseas. The fly shop in my area specializes in soft hackle fly tying and stocks all the materials for a lot of english receipes. they do mailorder http://www.theeveningrise.com/ hope this is helpful in locating the materials you need. |
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DrLogik |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 1608 02/19/2009 18:53 |
All of the ones mentioned so far are great choices. I would only add an English (preferably) or Hungarian Partridge/grouse to the mix. Lots of feathers on
that skin to tie a lot of great soft hackles flies. I got one from Cookshill that was the MackDaddy of skins!
Last Edited By: DrLogik 02/19/2009 21:19.
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mvbrooks |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 1724 02/19/2009 19:50 |
Starling, whole skins, yield a range of colors and texture that is hard to beat. You will also like English Grouse, Woodcock wings, and plain ordinary hen
backs. I am not sure, but the Partridge feathers from England look very different from the Hungarian Partridge we hunt here in Oregon. They look like a related
but different species. Are they? At any rate, the variation in color, especially the golden browns, simply cannot be had from our American partridge. Oh, and
that bring up another skin to get, Red Leg (aka French) Partridge - a nice range of duns and honey feather with small stems that will tie down to a #20 soft
hackle. (Likewise, the leading edge of a Golden Pheasant wing has a small feather, close to the color of Woodcock, but a lot lighter, for small February Red
Stoneflies.)
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Eric Peper |
Conranch JV Hens | #16 | ||
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Posts: 150 02/20/2009 09:47 |
Has anyone used the Conranch JV Hen and saddle sets? I seem to recall hearing good thing about them. There are some very nice colors (cree, chocolate dun)
offered, and the price seems fair. That said, the web site (http://www.conranch.com/) hasn't been updated
recently.
EP |
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CtKenC |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 300 02/20/2009 10:06 |
Eric Peper wrote:I tried one of their Hens for using as Soft Hackles ,,,, called them (very nice people) for advise on which one to purchase. Never enjoyed using it ,,, just did not compare to Partridge to me. 
May be just that I don't have the right skills to make it do what others feel it can do.
I just gave it away. Ken |
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joaniebo |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 1789 02/20/2009 10:32 |
I have at least 15+ JV hen skins from Conranch and they are VERY NICE. What is even better is that if you call Dennis Conranch and tell him exactly what you
want, he'll look through his inventory and tell you what he has as close to, or exactly, what you want. His hen skins, even the JV hens are a little
larger than some of the other hen skins that I have but Dennis' birds / hackles are at the top of those that I have seen. It's the old saying of
"You gets what you pay for !" ... lots of usable hackles !
Cheers and Safe Fishing Bob |
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Eric Peper |
#19 | |||
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Posts: 151 02/20/2009 10:55 |
Thanks. I'll probably give him a call today.
EP |
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CMStwrt |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 14 02/20/2009 19:35 |
mvbrooks wrote:The French partridge is very similar to chukar, and you can occassionally get a chukar skin on ebay for little more than the shipping charge. |
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