Other Chicken Feathers

A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to visit with Charlie Collins. As he usually does everytime I visit, Charlie gave me quite a lesson about necks, genetic breeding, some tying techniques and feathers. On this particular visit Charlie showed me some flies he had tied and that he was preparing to use in a presentation to some group. There was a 'variant', a 'soft hackle' and a 'streamer'. None of the feathers on these flies came from parts of the chicken we typically use or are available through retailers. The oversized Variant hackle came from the scapula. This is where you get the true 'spade' hackles we always seek for tailing. The Soft Hackle hackle came from the wing, and the feather wing on the Streamer were feathers from the leg. The streamer wing feathers, by the way, were creamy with about 4 or 5 blotches along the stem that looked like parr markings. All 3 flies were nice to look at and I'm sure would work in fishing situations.

One of the points he was trying to make was that there are many locations on a rooster/hen with feathers that can be incorporated into fly tying.

Many of you no doubt have observed how the hackle breeders are breeding out web as well as developing longer feathers with shorter barbs. These traits are evident on roosters and hens. (As an aside: I think it's getting near the point, perhaps it's there already, where todays hen hackle quality for dry flies is as good as rooster hackle was in the first half of the 20th century) Try finding feathers able to tie a good 'skater' pattern today. Not likely. Even good size 10 hackle is difficult. Point being that, if you have an opportunity to pick up a good chicken from some barnyard, grab it for your tying because many of its feathers will prove useful in your tying. It may only set you back $5 or $10. Oh, did I mention the speckled wing primaries on a brown rooster? Excellent for down-wing caddis or small Muddlers. Or the maribou on the butt?

Allan

Allan,

Like I said over at the Catskill Flies Forum, it's nice to have a pet rooster or two of your own. Peanut has been supplying me with a variety of feathers for about 4 years and the feathers just keep a-comin. Now, if I can just get Denny to sell me a nice, young, light-blue-dun bird on the hoof, so to speak, I'd have it made.

Nothing like having a renewable resource for tying up a variety of Catskill dries is what "I" always say. And they get rid of all the bugs in the garden too, so they earn their own keep.

Later, RW

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"Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed." <John Gierach>

RW,

Some, you being an example, have the capacity and willingness to have a pet rooster or property that allows for some chickens. My comment is geared to those of us that cannot.

Oh, yet another benefit: Might end up being a good meal.

Allan

HA! I thought you were talking about keeping a live chicken too.
Thoughts were going through my head like "I wonder what the wifes gonna say about this one?" or better yet "I wonder what my 2 springers are gonna think about this one!"
So when they harvest the necks, capes, sadles .... what do they do with the rest?
Maybe they should start selling the whole bird (dressed of course).

Hi Tyeflies,

I hear ya loud and clear. The wife and I
went to the flea market on a recent sunday
morning and there were two vendors selling
roosters and hens on the hoof. The price
was $7 each but when I asked it quickly
dropped to $4 a bird. What initially caught
my attention were two big roosters that
looked much like cree to my uneducated eye.
We were meeting the kids for brunch at IHOP
after so I didn't get any. However, I'm
thinking I will in the near future. One
gent lives near and he told me to stop by
his farm and I could choose from several
hundred at $3.50 each.*G* Warm regards,
Jim