Pheasants

[Scott]

So, I'm heading out bird hunting tomorrow. Got the truck loaded, the dog's ready (he was mad at me for not taking him out last week, but hey I was away on business and it couldn't be helped) and I'm ready too.

I love bird hunting because - provided I am successful - I not only get a yummy dinner, I get a cornucopia of fly tying materials! It's kind of hard to catch and release a pheasant when the catching is done with a load of #5 shot.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is - besides the obvious use of pheasant tail feathers - what other pheasant feathers do some of you tiers here like to use, and for what?

A couple of years ago, I cured a full rooster skin. It took me about 1-1/2 hours to skin, flesh out, stretch, and start the cure on the skin. Then I saw them at the Somerset show for eight bucks, and in hindsight it hardly seemed worth the effort.

My favorite are the green and white neck feathers that make up the neck ring for shoulders on a couple streamer patterns I like.

 

[Pete]

About a year ago, a hunter gave me a pheasant wing. I've been using the biots from the primarys for tails on hare's ears.

Experiment using the smaller body feathers as soft hackles.

 

[Scott]

Got a rooster today, and a wing is now in the freezer. I'll use it to refresh my bird dawg's memory before the next outing (he's old and forgets sometimes) and I'm going to try out Pete's suggestion as well.

C'mon now, there are so may cool looking feathers on a ringneck you guys have got to be using them for something!

 

[Scott]

Man o man - all those gorgeous feathers on a rooster Ringneck, and all you fly tying experts out there can't think of anything to do with them other than use the tails for nymphs???

And wing feather biots for tails (thanks Pete!)

Hhmmm, maybe I've stumbled on an untapped feather resource, and it turns out the ringneck is an under-utilized source of fly tying fodder?

Can it be possible?

 

[jmoore]

The rump feathers are often used for some spey patterns. Here is a link to an article that I found. It gives suggestions for uses of feathers from the whole skin.

http://www.blueribbonflies.com/howto/flytying_pheasantskin.shtml

 

[Pete]

If the guy had given me an entire skin, I'm sure I would have found plenty of usefull stuff. All he gave me was a wing.

 

[Scott]

The rump feathers are often used for some spey patterns. Here is a link to an article that I found. It gives suggestions for uses of feathers from the whole skin.

http://www.blueribbonflies.com/howto/flytying_pheasantskin.shtml

I've bought stuff from Blue Ribbon at the Somerset show. I was able to get a silver pheasant skin from them for under $40 I think, and I bought a Jungle Cock cape that was only about 25% splits for $60. On sale, of course - but they had some awesome closeouts on the last day of the show.

 

[Fatman]

Best page I've found for use of pheasant is by Jack Garthside

Jack Garthsides page

He show's lot's of use's for pheasant and a bunch of patterns. Plus if you really take the time to cure the skins you could always trade or sell them on ebay.

Tight Lines,
Fatman

 

[Fly Ty R]

"Windowpane" body feathers are also good for crab patterns in the salt.

 

[oasis man]

feathers

I use an occasional partridge feather for a griffeth's gnat....but don't remember ever using a pheasent feather...
OM

 

[RickW]

Fatman,
Thanks for that website.

Me? tailfeathers for PT nymphs and tails.
I've also heard you can take several strands, tie knots in them for joints, and use them for hopper legs.

Also, body feathers for soft hackles.