Ostrich herl

[WV waver]

Never see much about using this material as a body for tying. You can purchase it dyed in several colors. When treated as pheasant tail, as in tying pheasant tail nymph, it looks great. Like a cross between fine ultra chenille and the furry segmentation of PT. Is it too fragile (could counter wrap with wire)? Am I looking at the wrong sources for using it, because I rarely see it mentioned? Just wondering.

 

[WWKimba]

I can think of a few good patterns that use this herl - The Strymph (Harry Murray), Gray's Nymph & Stillborn nymph (Lincoln Gray), Ostrich Herl (Bruce Banks), The Royal Ray Charles scud pattern, Hare & Herl (Tennessee's Warren Patterson), Wayne & Kelly Graff's Mysis Shrimp pattern, and the late Al Campbell's To Simple Ray Charles to name a few.

Also, Modern Midges by Rick Takahashi and Jerry Hubka has several patterns that use this fine material.

Kim

Mysis Shrimp - an important pattern in the Great lakes basin watershed.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Ostrich here can make a nice body for a variation of elk hair caddis.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

I can't recall the details, but I know that Eric Nagusky mentions ostrich herl in more than one recipe for wet-fly patterns in his book Favorite Flies for Pennsylvania: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts.

 

[WV waver]

If used on caddis for body, would it waterlog and sink body?

 

[tomgamber]

I use it for the black part in a peeking caddis.

 

[Facemelted]

I use quite a bit on bugger type flies. Instead of chenille I just use about 4 nice full ostrich herls.

 

[Bamboozle]

Here's an oldie but a goody from the November 1982 issue of the PA Angler (you could substitute cylindrical foam for the deer hair):

FWIW- I tied a bunch back in the day and still have a few in my box...

Have fun!!