cabelas partridge skin?

[govtmule]

anyone ever buy one? i see 2 reviews on the cabelas website and one is good and the other is bad. I have a $25 gift certificate.

thanks
Jeff

 

[gfen]

I have one from the fall, I have no issues with it. Its a dead bird, I mean, what do you want me to say?

 

[afishinado]

govtmule wrote:
anyone ever buy one? i[color=CC0000] see 2 reviews on the cabelas website and one is good and the other is bad. [/color]I have a $25 gift certificate.

thanks
Jeff

Precisely the problem. That's why I don't feathers or tying stuff like that on-line because there's such a variation in quality with natural feathers, skins, and furs. I like to look at, touch and feel them before buying. A couple dollar bag is marabou may be okay, but an expensive neck, saddle or an expensive partridge skin should be hand selected. Just a suggestion.

 

[GreenWeenie]

Never, ever buy a Partridge cape sight unseen. There is a wide range of quality from cape to cape and one cape may be great (smaller feathers, less webbing) while another from the same maker will not be good. Partridge capes are not genetically raised birds so the quality control isn’t there.

And never buy package patridge feathers. Most of the time these are the really crappy feathers.

 

[jayL]

GreenWeenie wrote:
And never buy package patridge feathers. Most of the time these are the really crappy feathers.

I have bought a few packs from FFP because they were cheap. There's a lot of garbage, but plenty of usable feathers. Certainly not a "never" situation, if you're looking for cheap partridge.

 

[whheff]

I have one from Cabelas. I bought it at the store where I could pick the one I wanted. I am happy with that one. It does not pay to buy one without inspecting it first. I do have a guy I trust to get quality deer hair but feathers are a different thing.

 

[govtmule]

thanks for the responses, I plan on driving up to check it out.

jeff

 

[bam]

If you see it first, by all means buy it. IMO, pick out the smallest bird they got. It'll have more feathers in the 14 and 16 range....

 

[BelAirSteve]

I bought one sight unseen from a sponsor on another site, the southeast fly fishing forum. They guys were great on the phone and I was very pleased with the quality. It was my first partridge, as I am new to tying, so I figured I would not know a good one from a bad one even if I could inspect it. For $20 it was worth it for me.

 

[midnightangler]

"Never, ever buy a Partridge cape sight unseen."

right on.

"I have bought a few packs from FFP because they were cheap"

i think those guys will tell you themselves you are better off getting a skin. i tie a lot of flies with partridge, and you will get far more for your money with a skin. a skin has more variety in terms of feather size, color and texture - it is well worth the $15.

 

[DGC]

I'm glad you brought this up because I am clueless on Hun partridge.

Except for hen chickens from the genetic outfits such as Whiting and Metz, grading soft hackle skins lacks clarity, perhaps because the sources are so varied and consumers are not typically very picky, with the exception of die-hard fans of North Country spiders. With these skins selling for $25 to $30 per bird, that strikes me as unacceptable.

I don't know about most tiers, but I can't answer any of the following questions regarding Hun partridge:

What does it mean to be a # 1 skin? Ties down to # 22 soft hackles? Has a certain percentage of feathers that are not damaged? The head is mainly intact and therefore more useful for the smallest feathers? Is it a big bird with lots of feathers or a smaller bird and therefore with fewer feathers (the latter may be preferable).

Is there such a thing as a # 2 skin? What are the parameters for that designation? For hackle sizing, say for tying down to # 14, or a larger percentage of damaged feathers, or both?

Is the skin you get usually a male or female? Does it make a difference?

For patterns that you could use a distribution wrap or dubbing loop on, this isn't a big deal, and you can substitute all kinds of soft hackle feathers, but if by pattern or preference you are winding soft hackle, it is.

I venture to guess that Nemes or Hughes or some other soft hackle writers have sections in their books on this, but my library lacks those to refer to.

While there are a zillion tutorials and videos on "How to tie the Partridge and Orange/Yellow Soft Hackle" there is a severe deficit on the web including Youtube for what tiers neally need--material selection tutorials and videos that go in depth for each material.

I am not a web search wizard so maybe I just haven't found them.

BTW, I would hope the shop owners who sell these could answer the questions above.

 

[jayL]

i think those guys will tell you themselves you are better off getting a skin. i tie a lot of flies with partridge, and you will get far more for your money with a skin. a skin has more variety in terms of feather size, color and texture - it is well worth the $15.

Agreed, but I needed a few feathers to tie some flies on a trip, and the bag cost next to nothing. I wasn't making an investment. I'd buy a skin if that were the case. The bag of loose feathers wasn't bad quality, and I still use them from time to time. I also use a decent amount of bleached partridge, and I don't feel like buying a skin of that-- assuming they are even available.

My point was that "never" was the wrong word to use. It often is.

 

[flyguyfishing]

if you can, you should hold onto the $25 gift card.

I buy most of my supplies from FFP or other shops...mostly FFP.

However, it seems once a year or so cabelas puts some worth while stuff in the bargain cave.

Last time, I got three full grade A, cabelas capes (which were advertised from whiting farms) for $20-$25 a piece. i was shocked at the quality of the capes...very good.

I was going to post a link to the capes I got, but it seems they do not have them any more...they have cabela's capes, but not the grade A whiting farm ones...which I think were orginally $60 a piece.

In case they offer them again, I am talking about Cabela's Grade 1 Premium hackle exclusively from Whiting farms.

My point being, hold onto the gift card and wait til they go on sale.