Starling and Sparrow

[Colorado]

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!

[sagefisher]

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

[Ron Eagle Elk]

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

[millerwb]

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!

My backyard, with an air rifle. Not protected here in Texas.

[Betty Hiner]

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?

[Ron Eagle Elk]

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

[Betty Hiner]

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

[teachmarkey]

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?

[Colorado]

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

[Colorado]

Correction: Donald Nicholson.