Thanks everyone, Fly Goddess, I cheated with the marabou tail- it's a whole chikabou feather, I think I'll try to select a smaller one on the next tie. I started the butt of the feather at the front, so it should be smaller at the rear. It may have to do with my feather selecting skills or the fact that I only used about half of a 3" feather (the butt end). I'll try it how you suggested this evening and post the results. Luke
After reading my own signature line about owning failures... Here is the first attempt: