Got a free turkey fan today. What should I tye with it?

[JSzymczyk 0]

Turkey Tail is some beautiful stuff. That is a good score! You can use matched pairs of feathers, just like wing quills, to make really nice streamer-length quill wings, hopper backs, TTN (turkey tail nymph) instead of PTN (pheasant tail nymph), crayfish shells (Bobby Clouser Jr ties a small version of the Clouser Crayfish with a turkey tail shell instead of the furry-foam shell, and it is a killer on any stream trout and all panfish).

[Istripbuggers 0]

Yeh the work great as the back on a hopper, i got some free wild turkey feathers from a friend this summer. they really add something to my basic foam hopper!

[bowmike 0]

i ;ike to substitute turkey fibers instead of pheasant tail, the white tips look good when the fly transitions to the brown.

 

yep. works great. When i first started tying nymphs that looked good i couldn't afford pheasant tail. Yes i was 17 lol. Anyway while archery hunting i found a turkey tail feather and tied it like a pheasant tail nymph size 14 bead head. Slammed them with it. It will be a little chubbier. I will tie some up and put up a few pictures for you.... I need some in my box right now anyway

[Will K 0]

You can use it for wing casing on many nymph's - even if the pattern does not specifically call for it, tweak the pattern to fit your, um, abundant supply

 

You can use it like pheasant tail fibers. it's bigger, so you need fewer or use it only on larger patterns (14+)

 

You can use individual fibers for legs on nymphs or large realistic dries instead of pheasant tail on patterns like Jason Borgers emerger.

 

Many wet flies can be tied using turkey as a wing option. several streamers too.

 

Get creative, you have hundreds of flies worth now... experiment!

[BattenkillBum 0]

bluecharms, i also use as cheap bustard sub. marries very nicely.

[bowfin47 0]

Wow, response #21 and no one has given the correct answer...which is "Remove the feathers from the tail."

 

Feathers without the tail will not attract bugs, nor grease up your other feathers, nor with the whole mess start to smell at some future date... HA!

 

Then pair the feathers and use them on all sorts of neat patterns, like everybody recommended!

 

Too many of use keep too much extraneous animal materials, when all we really plan on using are the feathers / fur.

 

Enjoy!

 

in the words of Big Dale, "Ya' gotta have fun with this stuff!"

 

Bowfin47

Co-founder Classic Atlantic Bream Fly Society

[BrookTroutAngler 0]

You can also strip the quills which you would normally not use and then use the resulting material for bodies on wets and dries.

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

i pay a decent price for 2 matched turkey quills here - around $9.99 so you have done well.

 

@ BattenkillBum - what is the sub you are talking about this is the kori bustard quills? I found Peacock Quills have a really nice pattern.

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi throwinflys,

 

A Cate's Turkey is a nymph we learned about from an old Kaufman book. That pattern is a real killer as a midge imitation. Take care & ...

[flytire 0]

Midges, mayflies, stoneflies, caddis etc

 

Wet flies, nymphs, dry flies, streamers etc

 

Be creative

[Nortrad 0]

Carapace on top of your Psycho Princes...

[blackdog1101 0]

I often use turkey tail in place of pheasant tail. I like that it's longer and easier to work with. As has also been suggested, it is excellent for wing cases, shell backs, and knotted legs.

 

I once saw a turkey on the side of the road get hit by a truck. I stopped and took all the tail feathers, cut off the wing quills, and plucked the maribou and the brassy colored body and breast feathers. I'm sure people wondered what sort of freak I was.