Soft hackle feathers

[afishinado]

 

[redietz]

Yes, the neck feathers are very useful, but there are two problems:

1) Some of the suppliers (I'm calling out Nature's Spirit) cut the necks off.

2) The neck feathers tend to be gray, which is fine for many flies, but things like the traditional Partridge and Orange, need a brown feather. (I'm not saying that you can't tie a fly with orange silk and a gray feather, just that it wouldn't be a traditional P&O.)

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Yes, the neck feathers are very useful, but there are two problems:

1) Some of the suppliers (I'm calling out Nature's Spirit) cut the necks off.

2) The neck feathers tend to be gray, which is fine for many flies, but things like the traditional Partridge and Orange, need a brown feather. (I'm not saying that you can't tie a fly with orange silk and a gray feather, just that it wouldn't be a traditional P&O.)

You can easily dye Hungarian Partridge brown. Here’s what’s left of one I dyed several years ago.

 

[redietz]

Of course you can, and you can source the bird from a supplier that leaves the neck intact. Both require extra effort, though.

 

[goose54cdd]

Besides for legs and tail, how do you use the rest of the feathers, Tim? I'm speaking the brown ones down the back towards the tail and the ones in the middle of the back? I guess you can use them by shortening the feathers, that technique that allows the use of oversized hackle. I'm just looking for some ideas. I Enjoy your videos. Thanks

 

[redietz]

Besides for legs and tail, how do you use the rest of the feathers, Tim? I'm speaking the brown ones down the back towards the tail and the ones in the middle of the back? I guess you can use them by shortening the feathers, that technique that allows the use of oversized hackle. I'm just looking for some ideas. I Enjoy your videos. Thanks

The brown ones in the middle of the back are the ones specified in the traditional Partridge and Orange pattern (or Partridge and any color except yellow.) They're the most used feathers on the birds.

Use barbs from the tail feathers for tailing material on things like the March Brown flymph in place of pheasant tail.

The wing quills make good quill wings on smaller wet flies.

I use the larger gray feathers like I would mallard or wood duck flank for wings on Catskill style dry flies in smaller sizes. (They're all I ever use for sulfur wings on 16's and 18's.)

There are almost no feathers on the skin that can't be put to use.

 

[falcon]

I have been using Brahma Hen. They come in interesting colors and are not real expensive.