Had the pleasure of exchanging a few emails with Denny from Conranch Hackle today.

I was ordering another JV Hen Hackle --they are a fantastic product--and we got into a discussion of soft hackle patterns. I thought I would share something of great interest to us soft hackle fans:

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I found a neat combo using this hackle. I am a dealer for Pearsals gossamer
silk. Alex Jackson is a friend of mine and he informed me that the color
"Jasper" is now available. I picked up a couple spools in my recent order.
Jasper is a variegated color, subtle yellow/black. Using one of the silver
colored hooks (1182) Daiichi, just make the body by wrapping on the silk,
then sparsely hackle with the JV hen hackle, whip a head and presto a real
killer. By using the silver hook one does not need to under wrap a silver
tinsel. The silk acts somehow differently in color when wet. Alex suggested
this trick to me and it actually works.
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I will get my items the middle of next week and will report back once I try this combo out. I am always on the look out for a better mousetrap so to speak and this sounds like a great combo

Take care.