are peacock feathers any good for tying and if so do you need to pephare them
peacock
are peacock feathers any good for tying and if so do you need to pephare them
They are an excellent feather for use in tying. The swords can be used in place of chennile (sp?). You can also strip the sword of its fiber and use the quills for body material. I am sure others will add to this and the list will amaze you of the uses of peacock feathers in tying.
Trout don't speak Latin.
Peacock!
Peacock is excellent. Its "fish catching qualities" are awesome. ( with the right presentation among other things of course.)
Not to confuse anything, but lately, I have been substituting Peacock Ice Dub for peacock herl. Its "fish catching qualities" seem to be the same and it is much more durable.
Lastly, Beware, Peacock not only catches the eyes of fish...It also catches fisherman.
Chris
"There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot."-Steven Wright
http://fishiesonthefly.blogspot.com/
Good post ,Chris....
I'm liking Ice Dub [in all colors] more and more....
mudflaper...some folks...make that ...a lot of folks think peacock is magical....
I would recommend you stroke the feather ..."against the grain"....to make the barbules stand out....gives a fuller wrap
funny thing-when i was tyin' up some PTs today i was thinking how unfortunate it would be not to have peacock for a material- if it did not exist...
it's just great stuff!
i also agree w/ Flyandtie1- the peacock ice dub is very good also- i prefer the darker one- i think they call it black peacock ice dub.
My favorite material!
Fly bodies, wet and dry, made from peacock eye feather herl (unstripped) have a natural iridescence that just can't be beat by any other material. Six to twelve herl fibers from eye or sword feathers also make a wonderful wing topping for most steamers. It's been used for hundreds of years and is still an outstanding material. Oh, lets not forget the Coachman and the Royal Coachman. Wonderful, Wonderful Stuff. 8T
I wish it wasn't so fragile.
And there is the downside of peacock.Originally Posted by ducksterman
I wish it wasn't so fragile.
Peacock being fragile is the main reason I tried the Ice Dub.
Chris
"There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot."-Steven Wright
http://fishiesonthefly.blogspot.com/
For yrs I would always be picky and only buy peacock tails that had thick fibers. Does someone know what the story is about why peacock quality varies so much? Are the thick fibers from a healthier bird?
Thanks,
Doug
Enjoying the joys of others and suffering with them- these are the best guides for man. A.E.
To make peacock herl almost indestructable wrap it around and around your thread before wrapping it on the hook it will then be very strong. I always use two herls instead of one but don't know why. I just remember someone telling me to do that.
You can also wrap pheasant tail fibers on the thread to make a Pheasant tail nymph that is very strong. Pheasant herl should also be stroked backwards for a better effect on fly bodies.
Wooly buggers chenile and Hackle benefit from this method also.
Dshock, i don't know the answer but I suspect it is as you said , healthier birds in a better environment probably grow better herl. Also the age of the bird probably has something to do with it.
Denny Conranch has bred chickens to have wonderful feathers , I wonder if peacock farmers have or could do the same thing with peacocks.
I too look for the really nice ones in every fly shop I enter. I have so far never seen anyone advertise different grades of peacock herl.
Last edited by Gnu Bee Flyer; 01-02-2008 at 05:50 AM.
For God's sake, Don't Quote me! I'm Probably making this crap up!
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