whiting farms capes spey hackles

[Wildfisher]

but, where do you get the menstruating yak hair from as a matter of interest?

I believe Whiting Farms have started a breeding programme  :lol:

[corsican dave]

in Denmark, by any chance?  :

[Wildfisher]

Seriously, do not get conned with this nonsense.  As Geoff says the fish don't give a rat's arse what the name of the feather is or how much it costs. The robust tips from turkey marabou (you know, the bits that sometimes  get thrown away  :roll: )  would also  do for the front feelers / legs admirably.

FF&FT and  T&S were famous for this crap. A list of obscure materials , suppliers of which were usually listed at the end of the article. At best silly, at worst dishonest.

[Wildfisher]

Here's another tying using a dubbing loop. It demonstrates good tying technique without even having a voice over!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJrMLXBcBZc

[rannoch raider]

I like the effect this has on the pattern. Yes, I agree that there will be other ways to get a similar effect and some will be cheaper. I suppose its like jungle cock in a way. Its expensive but there is no real substitute that's as good as the real thing so we just buy it. Blue Elver type feathers, Bronze mallard, The long, webby, green blue hackles of the Goats Toe, Blue Jay feathers, Chadwick's Killer Bug yarn.There are a lot of materials out there that can be copied or omitted from patterns but if you want the full on effect that makes these patterns as effective as they are, then the original materials usually win hands down.
I've never really considered myself to be a tackle tart but I do think that if you are spending big money on sage rods, fancy reels, casting lessons, reading books, learning about presentation and travelling world wide to pursue sport then the next most impactive thing you can do to increase your chances of success is to present the best possible pattern on your hook. It all comes down to that. All other things being even, what you put in front of the fish can make the difference between success and failure.
If I fish a shrimp imitation all day long in the knowledge that I might cover just one fish, I'd want to be very confident that I had done everything possible where the metal meets the meat to give me the best possible chance of a hook up. I couldn't fish a fly that I thought was second rate.  :?

[Wildfisher]

It's all a confidence trick. Don't let The Man fool you!  :lol:

[Lochan_load]

I get both sides off this coin, fish will take any fly that looks like food but confidence is a massive factor in both catching fish and enjoying your fishing;There's nothing worse than that niggling feeling that you might be fishing the wrong fly!
This may be a case also where fly tying becomes a stand alone hobby/craft all on its own. Bob wyatt talks absolute sense about flies and tying but I still strive to tie better flies and seek out very specific materials (sometimes at some expense) in order to achieve a specific look. I say if it makes you happy and you enjoy the search and the end product go for it! Do we really need it? Na but there's worse things to spend money on than overpriced premium feathers  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

Na but there's worse things to spend money on than overpriced premium feathers  :lol:

Indeed, like £800 fly rods - another bit of nonsense!  :lol:

As you say Andy, whatever floats your boat, but my recent return to using good photographic gear has really underlined what a complete and utter rip off fishing tackle can be when you see what you get for your money. Sage et al must think we are daft and they are probably right.  :lol: