Need substitute

[Betty Hiner]

Help! Need a substitute for "brown owl wing" feathers! Haven't a clue what might work, as I've never seen brown owl wings up close and personal!

[MOturkE]

Betty,

I did a quick search and found this page with a very short description and possible substitute. Submitted by Donald Nicholson, of all people. Just scroll to the description for brown owl.

http://www.flymph.com/html/hooks_and_hackles.html

Hope it helps


Tim

[JeffHamm]

Hi Betty,

I've not seen them either. From Donald's description on the provided link (reddish brown) woodcock came to my mind, but I don't think owl would be as mottled. Perhaps a saddle from a Rhode Island Red hen?

- Jeff

[Hans Weilenmann]

Help! Need a substitute for "brown owl wing" feathers! Haven't a clue what might work, as I've never seen brown owl wings up close and personal!

Betty,

It is not the coloration match which makes finding a substitute for owl so difficult, it is locating feathers with the same very soft and long barbules which allow an own to fly silently.

Sorry, have no close-match substitute to suggest.

Cheers,
Hans W

[Donald Nicolson]

Aha!! Someone mentioned my name in surprise [lol]

The info was taken from my web-site. I don't mind as it
was hardly mine in the first place.
It is a free of copyright zone.

Skues
**Owl, Brown (Tawny Owl, Wood Owl). - The small mottled brown hackles on the upper edged of this bird?s wing are used in some north country patterns. The blue for from the base of the plumage is also recommended by one writer for the dubbing of bodies. The larger wing feathers are used for winging large moths or night flies.

Roger Fogg
Brown Owl: Now very difficult to obtain but once commonly employed and very useful. Any reddish-brown marginal covert feathers may be substituted and I recommend French Partridge hackles colored with a Pantone pen.

Fogg's suggestion of French partridge wings is a very good one as they are very cheap over here, a very good
alternative to dyed hen. For tying a few flies, you don't need a whole dyed hen neck.
At 2BPounds a pair from Cookshill a real bargain.
http://www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk/wings.htm

Here is a picture of French partridge wings.

[Betty Hiner]

WOW! Fantastic information! And the Cookshill site is wonderful! Need to get out my LB to $ conversion chart out and place an order!! Thank you all!!

[wsbailey]

Having had an opportunity to compare; I would choose a feather from a bobwhite quail. The color is close and the wings are readily available. Bill

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Another suggestion would be feathers from a cock Golden Pheasant's wings. There are some nice mottled brown feathers on that which I've used for soft hackles. On the trip where I first tried spiders, just such a pheasant and orange landed me my largest for the trip. It weighed in at about 2.25 lbs; not huge by any means, but a lot of fun!

- Jeff

[Betty Hiner]

Well, darn!! I have bobwhite quail in my tying arsenal ... does that mean I have to put off the order to Cookshill??