Subject: RE: feathers & fly tying
Date: Mar 21 13:14:52 1995
From: "Nunnallee, Dave" - DNUN461 at ecy.wa.gov



Irene wrote:

" does anyone collect feathers for tying flies (for fishing)? I don't mean
kill birds for
them; just pick them up...."


People who tie flies are VERY fussy about the feathers they use. Basically,
feathers are used in flies for four purposes:

1. As the wing of the fly
2. As the "hackle" of the fly (the bouncy, hairy part that
sticks out perpendicular to the hook shank)
3. As the tail of the fly
4. As a wrapping around the body of the fly.

For the wings of the fly, a matched pair of feathers from opposite wings of
the bird is needed. As single feathers found loose are never in matched
pairs, they would be of no interest to fly-tiers. Favorite wing materials
include duck wing feathers and duck flank feathers (both from hunters or
game farms). Note that duck feathers float, adding a very important
bouyancy to dry flies. Feathers which do not contain oils and thus are not
bouyant, such as from most song birds, are of little interest to fly tiers.
Some of the intricate "eyed" wet-fly wings historically came from rare
exotic birds such as Indian Jungle Cocks, but now that importation of this
species is illegal, artificial substitutes are being manufactured.

Hackles are used in dry flies (those intended to float on the water
surface). Fly-tiers are especially fussy about the quality of the hackle
they use. The prime hackles are virtually all from the long neck hackle
feathers of rooster chickens, which are bred and raised domestically for the
purpose. An exceptional "neck" of hackles can command prices in the $100 +
range.

The tail of the fly is the easiest part to find; many materials will work
pretty well. For some "barred" fly tails, such exotic feathers as Golden
Pheasant neck feathers are used, obtained from breeders of exotic birds or
importers.

Fly bodies consist of various materials, frequently artificial yarn, floss,
fur, and a variety of other materials, used to give the fly body bulk, to
look more "buggy", and often to add floatation. Sometimes feathers are
used, such as "herl" stripped from the big tail feathers of Peacocks.

Anyway, the bottom line is that fly-tiers are very fussy about their
materials, and have very little interest in our wild birds, save for ducks
and to a lesser extent Ring-necked Pheasants, which are obtained from
hunters or breeders. It should also be noted that size is important; the
wing or hackle feathers from a small bird are simply too small to be used
for fly-tying.

Dave Nunnallee
dnun461 at ecy.wa.gov
Bellevue, Wa