Soft hackle - mallard flank?

Can a decent soft hackle be made using mallard flank feathers? If so, does it matter if there's still some of the natural oils in the fibers?

I have a bag of mallard flank feathers from a local hunter and they're pretty clean, except for the natural oil. Anyway, I need to start using some of the materials I've gathered over the past couple of years and thought of soft hackles for an outing on Saturday. I don't have any other likely candidates for soft hackles that display the peppered appearance the mallard does.

Thanks for any ideas and info.

:)

Well there are two methods that come to mind other than just regularily hackling it.
The first would be to just tie it on the hook in clumps of the fibers all the way around the fly.
The other way would be to put it in a dubbing loop I have used both of the methods and they seem to work fine, and I doubt that the oils will do anything but im not sure.

The oils keep the fibers together when you stroke them back to prepare the feather for tying in.

I guess I'll try one and see what it does with the oils in it. If it doesn't seem to work, I'll wash one out and try again. (Probably should have done this first and then asked questions...)

:?

I don't think the oils are a problem ...but I do think the length of the barbules will be....

To get the length right cut the tip out. Saddle the feather over the top of the hook stem extending over eye and put a couple of slightly looser wraps to hold it and pull it through to the desired length add a tighter wrap or two trim access and whip it.

Might wanna add a thorax with this method to keep the swept look if ya feel its needed

Ill use any feather that is gonna swim/wiggle in the currents.

JJ

I looked in the archives for a pattern using mallard and found this one, http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...72307fotw.html

I'm not sure why it didn't come up when I did a search for mallard soft hackle, but it didn't. I tied one and aside from needing to take a bit more time with it, the mallard seems to work great. I got what I was hoping to get with it.

I used olive marabou for the body and natural mallard for the soft hackle tied onto a size 12 wet nymph hook (Mustad 9671).

Might get some action on Saturday.

:)

http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/nest/13.shtml

not a true soft hackle collar but it does serve a purpose

no [url] links....interesting. Not sure why.....

I think there is a Steelhead Fly called "Knudsen's Spider" that uses mallard flank.
Doug

The Gartside Softhackle uses mallard, but only as the final wrap
It's really a streamer though
http://www.jackgartside.com/images/f...shstreamer.jpg

In addition to Peter Frailey's Feather Body Soft Hackle, he also has the Conehead Combo, with a similar use of the flank feather.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...42505fotw.html

DShock;
You're right;
The Knudson Spider is tied with both, a Mallard flank feather tail and, a Mallard flank feather collar.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dudley

The Gartside Softhackle uses mallard, but only as the final wrap
It's really a streamer though
http://www.jackgartside.com/images/f...shstreamer.jpg

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Right on, Glad you posted that....Gartside is my HERO :) That fly in two color combinations and different colored mallard are deadly...try using Guinea for the collar....KEWL

Absolutely mallard flank can be used as soft hackle. I've used it for everything from streamers down to size 24. No, it is not traditional but that is only relative to the historians. I always say "think out of the box". For the smaller sizes be sure to use feathers with the narrowest barbs and peel the stem away from the barbs then you can almost spin the barbs onto the hook with the appropriate length. The mottling is great and you can dye the feathers any color on the color wheel. Good thinking!

Goddess
The Gartside Softhackle Streamer is so easy to tie and the profile and action look so realistic in the water
It's amazing that this fly is not more well known

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dudley

Goddess
The Gartside Softhackle Streamer is so easy to tie and the profile and action look so realistic in the water
It's amazing that this fly is not more well known

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I have been using it for several years now, but stumbled accross a little alteration this summer from a good fishing buddy of mine called SLAYER.
Try putting a couple of wraps of Polar Chenille on first around the middle of the hook, then add the marabou and ALOT of flash. When wet, it fattens the body up more and give a real bait fish profile.
We tied them in Blood marabou with red chenille and a big tuft of peral flash. It was deadly!

Took out the kayak today to try for a fish with only an hour on the water. I lined up with my olive marabou and mallard flank streamer and caught one mid-size large-mouth. He was in fine shape and healthy and was returned to continue on his merry way.

I didn't have a variety of marabou colors tied, only olive. But, the mallard works well enough I'll tie some variety and keep trying as time permits.

Thanks for the pattern ideas everyone, they'll help a lot.


:)

Congrats on the Bass MoturkE!

I mentioned this fly, when Dshock asked about it, too. The "Knudsen Spider" using Mallard for both the tail and hackle. Used for Sea Runs mostly,(why Al Knudsen tied it to begin with), but I've caught several species of fish on it over the years, including small and large mouth bass. Just depends on the colors and sizes, related to the fish I'm after at the time.

Super simple tie, two materials. (3, I suppose, if you use lead wire to weight it!?). I like the yellow, hot pink, red and black, primarily.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...es/knudson.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by flybinder

Congrats on the Bass MoturkE!

I mentioned this fly, when Dshock asked about it, too. The "Knudsen Spider" using Mallard for both the tail and hackle. Used for Sea Runs mostly,(why Al Knudsen tied it to begin with), but I've caught several species of fish on it over the years, including small and large mouth bass. Just depends on the colors and sizes, related to the fish I'm after at the time.

Super simple tie, two materials. (3, I suppose, if you use lead wire to weight it!?). I like the yellow, hot pink, red and black, primarily.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...es/knudson.jpg

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AWESOME PATTERN

YIKES!!
ME BIG DUMMY!!
I posted this fly, (Knudson Spider) and mentioned it's "Simple tie, because of only two materials, possibly 3, if you use lead wire under the chenille".

WRONG!!
This pattern calls for FOUR materials, because behind the Mallard flank collar, there should be a quite short, 2-3 turns of GRIZZLY HACKLE, to help in keeping the Mallard flared out, when the fly is submerged.

Sorry; me bad, me stupid, me dumb.
Paul