First the boo... Now I've got the wet fly bug. Anyone know where I can obtain fly grade Starling or Sparrow? It would be fun to go traditional.
Thanks, Dana
Hope to see you at the Idaho Fish-in!
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First the boo... Now I've got the wet fly bug. Anyone know where I can obtain fly grade Starling or Sparrow? It would be fun to go traditional.
Thanks, Dana
Hope to see you at the Idaho Fish-in!
Dana,
A quick chek of our sponors shows at least two of them carryl full startling skins, J. Stackard and Hoo & Hackle
Larry ---sagefisher---
Sorry, the Hook & Haclke won't go directly to the starling skin so just type in Starling in the search box upper right.
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/...ling-Skin.html
http://store.hookhack.com/searchprods.asp
Dana,
There are several dealers (stockists if your using the UK vernacular) that carry Starling. Sparrow is impossible to purchase unless you try the UK (my favorite source is Cookshill Fly Tying). Prime Starling skins used to come from the UK, but they are now protected there so the quality has dropped off considerable in the last year or so. I still keep 3 or 4 Starling skins on my desk because it is such a versatile bird for hackle, wing slips, etc.
PM me if you have trouble finding anything, cobblers wax, pearsall's silk, water rat, keene wax, mole, etc.
Baillie's Spiders work a treat on the Lochsa and Selway Rivers, as does a proper Partridge and Orange.
REE
My backyard, with an air rifle. Not protected here in Texas. ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Colorado
Starling is relatively easy to find ... thank goodness, because it's fantastic to tye with!! Sparrow, on the other hand, is hard to come up with! As REE suggests, the UK site may have some. You could watch along the roadside ....
If you want to go traditional, do ask REE about the wax! Once you've used it, you'll never look back!!!!
REE ... what is water rat?
Betty,
Water Rat is actually a water vole. It provided wonderful dubbing until it became protected. A good substitute is natural mole. Gotta love some mole dubbing.
REE
REE,
Can you tye a traditional fly without mole?? LOL!! There's a great fly shop just outside Yellowstone that has WONDERFUL mole skins! (as do a few of our sponsors!) Avail yourself of a mole skin or two, and a little bitty rake ... combined with some wax ... you'll be amazed at what you can do!!
Betty
I've been part of the starling discussion before, but here's a new question: are there parts of the skin/feathers that are best to tie with? Can it be substituted for most kinds of wet fly feathers?
Teachmarkey,
Simply put, the answer is yes.....and no. Substitution is and was a common practice among fly dressers. However, there are qualities that some feathers have that are lacking in Starling such as color, marking and size limitations. Certain feathers were originally used so that the imitation would more closely ressemble the natural insect. Substitutions were usually chosen that had similar qualities to the original recipe.
While I always have several Starling skins on my tying bench, I also have a wide selection of other birds as well, four large drawers full to be precise. Besides breaking the bank, this also allows me to match the original recipe or have a viable sub on hand.
REE
Thank you all: the BB gun is long gone. I'm excited to see the choices out there.
Also, The gentleman from Norway (can"t recall his name - Hans Weileman?) has an excellent site that shows what feathers go to what type flies and the location on the wings. He's done alot of research and was very informative to me. I've been there 3 times over the years.
Dana
Correction: Donald Nicholson.
Colorado,
Just so you know, the trout at Lowell only take drys, fished upstream.
Unless they are taking something else.
See ya there!
Z
Hi, my name is Art and I am a hide-a-holic!
Just to describe neurosis in terms a fly tyer might understand... I have taken trips from AK to AZ (K to Z? ;) ) just to hunt quail for skins to tie with... I have skins from every North American quail, both rooster and hen for tying. I have dozens of species of pheasants, grouse, prarie chickens, ptarmigan, chukars, and chickens... I have full skins from ducks in lots of flavors... turkeys, peafowl, crows, and the list goes on... Did I mention geese? ;)
I like to keep them on the skin because it is a better filing system than I could ever come up with and makes finding matched pairs much easier. The majority of these are for Atlantic salmon flies, especially whole feather wing examples.
art
eta: quick count shows skins running well into three digits...
Dana,
Donald's web site is an inspiration to many (including me). That particular elder gentleman would be shocked to know that Edinburough has moved from his beloved Scotland to Norway. Hans is from the Netherlands and also has a wonderful web site full of fly patterns and a search feature that allows you to enter a material, fly name, or fly style and get a list of patterns. Here's Hans' URL http://www.danica.com/flytier/
REE
with help from Betty HinerQuote:
Originally Posted by Ron Eagle Elk
There REE ... I fixed it for you!!! ;)
Thank you, Ma'am.
REE
OUCH! Maybe the dumb ones...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Z
well yeah, everyone knows I only catch the dumb ones!!
Z