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Dry fly tailing material ?

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Was wondering what the best source of hackle was for tailing . The Spey feathers that use to be on the edges of capes I guess are being breed out and I wondered what people were using as a substitute.

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coq de leon seems to be a favorite choice

 

i like moose body hairs on some dries

 

microfibbets

 

spade hackle should still be available

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OK, you haven't explained yourself fully. Are you working with a full cape, or just, like, Whiting-100's? With all the full capes I have, the largest feathers at the bottom/back still provide adequate tailing material for up to a size 12.

 

Harder to find, these days, because of bone-headed, ignoramus bureaucrats, are Chinese or Indian capes (a dried out skin cannot carry a virus. Bacteria maybe, but not a virus.) These were always marginal for dry flies, but they made good tails and wings. I think you can still get the feathers in strung format. Strung saddle is, for the most part, too soft, but there are usually a few feathers in each pack that will work.

 

I have purchased "tailing packs" from one supplier that turned out to be a waste of money. I can't recommend them. They were just body feathers that were better suited to making feather pillows.

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Anything and everything. I don't find tailings as that important and is probably the biggest area where I don't spend the money on ensuring I have the exact material called for in a pattern for tails. Just depends on if I want a soft tail or a stiff tail. PT fibers, bucktail, moose, elk, cdc, marabou, wood duck, grouse, pheasant, micro fibets, pretty much whatever I have in arms reach at the time needed.

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I have purchased "tailing packs" from one supplier that turned out to be a waste of money. I can't recommend them. They were just body feathers that were better suited to making feather pillows.

 

That's been my experience as well. The barbs just aren't stiff enough.

 

I've grown to love Coq de Leone.

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Spade hackle can be gotten from Charlie Collins give him a call to see if he has what you are looking for

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This is part of why I like a cock neck cape. Those broader outer feathers generally have long enough fibers for tailing, sometimes to size 10 dry flies and they match the flies hackle if you choose from the same cape. Most recently ( in fact I posted on it) I've been doing this from my barred ginger cape and I'm liking that look, seems ( maybe more buggy) nicer than just one solid color..

 

Of course, according to pattern, I also use other materials as well, from Pheasant tippet, to Moose Body, deer body. More generically,I have micro fibbits as well. Those work well but they aren't very descriptive, pretty plain Jane, especially compared with barred hackle fibers.. Sometimes even regular grizzly fibers look nice.

 

I own no Coq DeLeon..

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synthetic tailing material (microfibbets)

 

MayFly-Tails-Tan.gifbarred_mayfly_tails_380_222.jpgMayFly-Tails-Mayfly-Olive.gif641.Jpg

Those are all a lot nicer than mine, Norm ! Mine are an old iteration though, I don't use them very often. They work fine enough, tie in nice etc.

 

Hmmm, I just went on a search and found at JStockard that under Hareline, the fibers that look like the ones you are showing above are listed under "tinted mayfly tails". And the listing says they are unlike the solid colors of microfibbets.

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Fibers from a laquer brush. Need to taper to a poit at the tip. Therefore laquer brush.

 

H

I think lacquer and varnish brushes were always traditionally hair brushes, things like camel hair, I think badger, if I remember correctly. But hair anyway, like half a dozen types or so...

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I have purchased "tailing packs" from one supplier that turned out to be a waste of money. I can't recommend them. They were just body feathers that were better suited to making feather pillows.

 

That's been my experience as well. The barbs just aren't stiff enough.

 

I've grown to love Coq de Leone.

 

 

Any chance that you can identify what the place is where you bought these pillow feathers from? It might save someone else some time and money if the feathers are that crappy for tailing.

 

Regards,

Mark

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