Sourcing Jungle Cock.

[josephcsylvia 0]

Ok so ive decided I want a jc cape, I am going to be getting into tying classics and some of my saltwater flies actually bennefit from jc eyes.

 

Heres my dilema, I want a good cape (not best of the best) but I dont want a thousand splits either.

 

Who can I buy through that I can trust to give me a cape of the quality I paid for? I live in Florida, nobody stocks jc here

 

Also how many pairs of eyes can you expect roughly, to get on a nicely feathered cape? Trying to give myself a rough price per set idea.

 

If any of you guys have a cape you want to part with or a quality source nearby please let me know as well.

[mikechell 0]

While you're looking for the real thing ... you might want to try synthetic jungle cock.

It might not tie in the same, but it's much more durable and you don't have to worry about split nails.

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/ti-rite-imitation-jungle-cock-eyes

[vicrider 0]

Mike, if you've ever used or even seen them you'd not say that. They are crap. Look terrible and nothing like JC eyes. You can get ones off ebay for as good as you'll get anywhere. Some of the better ones specify you're getting the one you're looking at and it's not a bait and switch. I was lucky enough to jump on a decent one on a Classified on another board and it's the only one I've seen on there in 4 years. As for splits, you make up your own mind on them. I don't bother to fix them for fishing flies. If you're going to tie for customers or show then it's a fairly easy fix but small splits don't look bad and doubt fish are that particular. Here's a couple with minor splitting I wasn't going to fix while trying to learn to tie a basic salmon fly.

 

[flytire 0]

Check eBay

 

Splits are easily fixed

 

If you want perfect be expected to pay $$$

[flyty1 0]

Earlier this year, I started a thread concerning substitutes for jungle cock:

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=83009&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

 

I have since played with Feather-Tuff which I found at Fly Shack and both golden pheasent tippets as well as barred wood duck - I found both to make a reasonable jc sub - very affordable and can be size adjusted for the fly - something I think is a big drawback to real jc - since you have to pick a feather that will match the size of your fly, the yeild from a real neck is pretty low...

[vicrider 0]

NO NO NO...No matter how good you think the substitute looks to me they all like...SUBSTITUTES... The fish know.

[josephcsylvia 0]

Thanks guys, ill check ebay. This is not something going on every fly I tie and I really like the look of jc I dont mind small splits as these are not destined for a frame but I want the best fishing quality I can find. The fact that you have different sizes on a cape is actually a bonus for me as I tie fresh and saltwater flies.

[mikechell 0]

Mike, if you've ever used or even seen them you'd not say that.

 

 

The other side of that coin.

I've tied with the synthetic ones. They looked good and the flies caught some fish. But I am not a fan of eyes, period, so I never bought more when I ran out.

 

On the other hand, I've never had "real" ones, so I have no comparison issues. If I ever get back into those kinds of eyes, I'll probably buy more synthetics.

[Dave G. 0]

If you're used to the real ones you can spot the synthetic ones from almost across the room, literally.

[johnnyquahog 0]

Every fly should be your best effort and plastic jungle cock eyes just have no place in fly tying. I spent a minute or two on the big auction site and either I didn't look close enough or availability is very limited right now driving up the bids on what is available. Could be the time of year but I recall seeiing lots of choices (grade, color, density of nails and so on) over the past few years and don't recall a scarcity. Good luck in your search.

[RexW 0]

Very few seem to be available right now. The way I understand it, there is a specific time of year when the colors are brightest and the skins are harvested.

 

Based on the lack of supply, this must not be the right season...

[Kudu 0]

Google it! Lol!

[mikechell 0]

Every fly should be your best effort and plastic jungle cock eyes just have no place in fly tying.

Every fly I tie is tied for fishing, not for display. I don't care if it's not my "best effort" as long as a fish hits it and it makes it through several hits.

Plastic JC eyes worked just fine for me.

Do you also stay away from synthetic threads, adhesives and head cements, craft furs and synthetic hair?

[rstaight 0]

I have used the mylar eyes before. The just looked, well, fake. Then I got a JC cape off of Ebay.

[JSzymczyk 0]

I have used the mylar eyes before. The just looked, well, fake. Then I got a JC cape off of Ebay.

I'm definitely split opinion on this... EVERYTHING WE TIE looks "fake". With that said, I do really love the way JC eyes look on streamers and bucktails, my favorite styles of flies. I have only ever owned a few small pieces of JC over the decades.

In probably 1991 or 1992 after we were only married a couple years, my wife went to a fly shop and bought me some materials for a Christmas present (we were pretty broke, living on junior enlisted pay) and my material collection was more a box of necessities than a collection...

Anyhow, the guy at at the shop sold her a package of artificial JC eyes which were "photo realistic" and they more or less were photos of JC nails... they are still laying in the bottom of one of my material drawers. I tried one fly with them and they looked so weird and out of sorts that I just couldn't use any more of them.