I was thinking about buying a complete English partridge skin for tying nymphs and spiders. Do you think it's worth it and who supplies the best quality?
get one from cookshill ,i did and wished id done it years ago ,rather than sorting through packets and throwing most of it out as it was rubbish.plenty feathers on a skin including some surprisingly small ones .females are browner than males .speak to Steve on the phone he will advise you.
Garry
Cookshill would be a good choice, he specialises in "natural" materials. I have not used him for some years(have enough feathers) but he is highly regarded in this area. Always thought though he suffered from not having online ordering facilities but when I spoke to him about it he was quite happy about the situation. Must put some off though, maybe it has changed now.
Tight Lines
A second recommendation for Cookshill.
Must admit I have not looked at the cost effectiveness. I suppose you're unlikely to use all the feathers on a skin, however buying packets of feathers there are bound to be damaged or useless feather. For convenience I would go for with a full skin.
http://www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk/index.htm (http://www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk/index.htm)