Brittle peacock herl

[Bimini15 0]

Just gave an idea. I got some beard oil, and I do not use that kind of stuff. It is supossed to be a contitioner, so...

[mikechell 0]

I know what ear wax is ... but I've never heard of beard oil.

[Bimini15 0]

So... I think there is some improvement to report.

 

I unraveled the thing back to the tail and tried again.

I broke off the tips of three herls, where they easily snapped when pulled with fingers. Paired two butts to one tip and tied in at the two butt end. Twisted and wrapped. The tip end of the one herl broke.

Undo, remove a little more of the tips, and repeat, three butts tied in, no twist this time:

 

 

Undo, tie in wire, wrap herl forward, tie hackle in, bring it backwards, counter wrap wire, tie in at head.

 

 

I did not treat the herls. I think I can get away without doing that if I am careful and remove enough of the tips.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Sweet! A longer, fuller tail and maybe a bit shorter hackle and you've got yourself a wooly bugger!

[Bimini15 0]

Yeah... the next section of the hackle was already too long.

It is better, but still not a clean tie.

 

Mike,

I hadn’t heard about it either, till Christmas.

[Tom Cummings 0]

Much better results. Gratzy on being able to use the material.

[SilverCreek 0]

Here's an excellent article on peacock herl.

 

 

http://www.peninsulaflyfishers.org/page-878836

[mikechell 0]

That fly, just the way it is, will probably catch fish like crazy.

It's not a "wooley bugger" by recipe (hackle wrapped too closely and little tail) ... but it looks buggy as anything I've seen. Like a giant Griffith's Gnat.

 

Definitely looks like you've solved your herl problem.

[Bimini15 0]

Thanks Tom, Silver and Mike.

 

Now... Just when I thought I had learnt something...

 

That article is a great short read. The last fibers I used were from the left side, totally by luck.

[Dave G. 0]

Wooly Worms catch fish too and that fly by design is similar. Wooly Worms have short tag type tails usually of yarn and originally red.

 

Incidentally, my wife says you need to buy some new peacock herl . It's her, just sayin.

[Bimini15 0]

Well... That is going to be a hard sell...

 

My daughter’s halloween costume was precisely a peacock. I have twenty of these laying around...

 

The good news is that a few of them are full feathers, so I can select longer strands.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

"Tommy didn't understand why every Halloween his dad insisted he dress up as a different game bird, or why the costumes disappeared afterwards!"

[Flat Rock native 0]

"Tommy didn't understand why every Halloween his dad insisted he dress up as a different game bird, or why the costumes disappeared afterwards!"

👍👍

[flytire 0]

strip away some fibers

 

[Bimini15 0]

Grazie, Signore Flytire!