What have you tied today?

[speydulika]

I would fish with that with all confidence  . If you want to make golden pheasant topping behave itself then saliva on your fingers run through the fibres keeps it in check. Once it dries if it springs away again then just repeat the process. Keep doing this and eventually it just gives up and does what you want. The other major factor of course is which fibres you select.

[corsican dave]

cheers guys!   the golden pheasant topping is a nightmare to tie in properly, but I've had a bit of a brainwave on that; I've got some nice modern, synthetic fibres that'll do the job just fine  :lol:. now I've got the idea I've got some other feathers that will do nicely for the cheeks. silver pheasant is really difficult to get hold of! i maybe need to try and find some REALLY long-shanked hooks too (or maybe add in a stinger... :shock:) and take the rib further back down the shank. not that the aliens'll care particularly  :wink:

I love the translucence of the hackle wings, which is the essence of the patterns along with the action accorded by the slab-sided profile. i'll maybe do another tonight and try to backlight it so you can see what I mean. has great potential for anything predatory, fresh or saltwater. not bad for a 1930's streamer pattern  : (this while Skues & Halford were bickering about gnat-sized things)

[Wildfisher]

silver pheasant is really difficult to get hold of

I would  not get too hung up on that, the fish won't know if it's genuine silver pheasant or a substitute. After half a dozen casts and one fish it will be unrecognizable in any case. 

[corsican dave]

could work quite well for bleak-eaters, Fred  :wink:

[corsican dave]

I tried to back-light this one a bit so you can see the translucent effect. a bit ancient & modern; still got the golden pheasant topping, but bunged in a bit of funky fibre and added some eyes.
[attachimg=1]

[Lochan_load]

Alrighty Dave, guessing this is a dead rubber but GAC has a full silver pheasant skin but it's sixty quid  :shock:

[corsican dave]

cheers Andy! as you can see i'm having fun using unidentified shite from the bottom of my feather box  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

Oliver Edwards' Snappy Poodle. Before setting out to tie one of  these be sure to get a Scammell full of marabou delivered before you start.

[attachimg=1]

[corsican dave]

did you start that back in March, Fred?

[Wildfisher]

Don't exaggerate Dave. April.   :lol:

It's actually dead easy and quick to tie, which for one of Oli's flies is to say the least unusual. Tied in a similar way to a sedgehog, but a bit simpler.