The holy grail of flytying material...

[Utah DaveII]

I wondered what everyone's idea of the coolest fly tying material one can get their hands on.

Some ideas:

Jungle Cock Cape
Polar Bear
Whiting Midge Cree
Coq Del Leon feathers from Spain

other ideas?

I've got to admit the coolest I've seen so far is the midge cree DB has.

[jdubya]

didn't you leave out golden eagle down feathers and Angelina Joline pubic hair?

[joshuahodges]

how about Starr Jones's facial Hair.

I always wanted a Nice Utah buck hide that I got with My bow. But i know thats not what you mean. I think the coolest tying material would be a midge cree hackle thats atleast what i would use the most.

[Trouty]

My mother has a mink coat that she said I can have to cut up for fly tying material. How about some mink flies? Not sure the qualities of mink but its not your most common material.

[BrianID]

I don't really tie with anything that I would consider "the holy grail". Opossum is the most unusual thing that I regularly tie with but I would guess that there are many others on this board that have tied with possum dubbing. Personally I think anything that you can't buy is novel, like your own buck or elk fur or feathers from your own birds.

[PowerBaitHeppy]

I get some pretty long, coarse, black nose hairs sometimes.....



shouldn't this go in the fly tying forum?

[Jason]

I like your suggestions Dave...Polar Bear, a $300 jungle cock cape, Eagle Quills, mackaw cape, etc. I am pretty excited for my midge saddles I'm getting from Dennis. Yummm, baetis....yumm, midges.

[spotter]

including books 'about' materials:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1886961018/qid=1103127211/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-9556567-8036954?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

I haven't acquired any holy grails such as cree hackle or a jungle cock cape but every now and then I'll get a bag of dubbing that I really like and I'll tie up a bunch of flies and when I go back to get another bag I can't find the same color. I think any 'holy grail' material for me is one that I want/need for a certain fly but no matter how hard I look or what I'm willing to pay it can't be had.

[Cary]

I'd like a kick-ass cree saddle, and some really nice yearling elk for some comparaduns.

[Crosby]

http://www.landbigfish.com/flyfishing/fletcherquill.cfm

[Drake]

Could someone explain to me what jungle cock cape is??? Is it a jungle chicken from Africa or South America or what?

Trouty, mink is really a great material for tying. If you take out the long gaurd hairs, the short fine fur is great for dubbing. Dubs very tight for dries or nymphs. You can also dub it loose for other bugs. If you leave the gaurd hairs in, it creates a nice buggy look for nymphs. The natural oils in mink help it float well. If it is already on a coat, it has been cleaned and washed so all the natural oils are gone. It might still work well, but I have never used mink off a coat.

[nhancock]

I probably wouldn't consider it the "Holy Grail" of materials, but the material I use the most, by far, is antron (yarn and dubbing). Since being introduced to Antron (on this site too I might add), my flies look better and last longer.

[Utah DaveII]

emerger from the old vsf board has a fly that is tied with mink. I got some from Dennis one day. I think it is somewhere in my flytying material.

Jungle Cock is primarily used for eyes on old Atlantic Salmon and streamer flies. I think they still have one behind the counter over at sportsman's. They also have some at times at Western Rivers. I'm not sure about FishTech...Anythoughts carpman. The wild bird is either a threatened or endangered species and there is paper work a mile and a half long to get the birds for breeding. Luckilyt their are some domestic stocks that can be sold. The capes are not cheap. I've seen them run from $80-150 bucks.

I get your issues with dubbing. I bought some micro zelon dubbing from Blue ribbon a few years ago. I really liked it for my stimulators and caddis patterns. The next year I could not get it.

[Mike A]

Could someone explain to me what jungle cock cape is??? Is it a jungle chicken from Africa or South America or what?


It's from central India, actually. They are bred a bit elsewhere, but that's where they are from originally.


I think the coolest material you can get your hands on is whatever you get for free that costs most people lots of money/time if they can even get it. For example, I know someone who used to volunteer at their local zoo where one of the zookeepers one day handed him a garbage sack full of Kori Bustard feathers picked up off the ground from the enclosure. For free. Ends up that the zoo actually has contracts in place with larger tyers/suppliers for the largest feathers so they're already claimed, but the rest - smaller ones, partially dirty or damaged, etc. - just get thrown out.

[Sumner Newman]

Cary's medial posterior orifice hair

[Dennis]

When I was at Whiting I talked to Tom about his breeding program for Jungle Cock. A couple of years ago he was getting young reared successfully but the feather quality was not what he was looking for. The eyes are split. That is a genetic fault in the birds. The problem is that all the sock in the US is from a few original birds that were here in the States. He told me this weekend, that he was able to get some new stock from outside the country that has GREAT feathers. He said that he may have some birds ready in about two more years. I had a cape that I gave to my son last year. The quality is fair, a few split eyes, but they can be fixed with a little head cement. He was happy with it. I agree that Polar Bear is a real treat. I have two small squares that I picked up one time on one of my trips to Canada. I can't bring myself to cut into them. Makes a lot of sense doesn't it.......Buy something and never use it. Right Rod Hog???????

[Lonnie]

I think that some of the older feathers used to tie wet flies like red footed crow, Banded Gymnogene or Scarlet Ibis would be really neat to tie with. Most of them can't be imported any more due to migratory bird treaties.

http://www.rareandunusual.com/gallery2.html

L

[Rod Hog]

Rather than simply getting your hands on a rare neck or hair, why not try to become the single largest holder of those types of materials?

[GotFish?]

What about real seal fur? I am talking still on the pelt. Anybody have some of that stuff laying around that we could play with?

[Dennis]

I have some in about 17 colors. You can call me 557-6182 of 967-2535
Dennis

[steelie]

I have a pet Chinchilla - I just can bring myself to cut into him either.........one day though.

[dan moulton]

WoW Cary, Holy Grail status.
Your life can be complete now.