Would You Eat This?

Comment

Comment by Allen Morgan on October 16, 2013 at 6:21pm

I know it's going to sound pretty bad, but.....

If you come across a freshly-dead Starling (or dispatch one yourself; they're invasive and fair game), skin it, leaving the feathers on the skin.  Tack the skin on some cardboard, feathers down, and apply a liberal coating of Borax.  Give it several days, then check the skin to see if it's dried out.  If it hasn't, apply more Borax.

Some of the feathers from a Starling make excellent soft hackles.  I'm not sure which ones, though.

Also, do you know any duck hunters?

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 16, 2013 at 5:31pm

Alle,

I got some pheasant feathers at Hobby Lobby, not really sure where on the bird they came from. They are rounded feathers, and not hackle types. Im guessing they are breast or rump feathers.

I just wound one of them on to give a stiff, variegated hackle. The idea is to get a modest sink rate, and the ability to move water. The glass beads give about 1 foot/2 second sink rate, and the feather collar should offer a fairly large pressure profile as the fly is worked along shallow water weedlines, drops offs, cover, etc.. 

Comment by Allen Morgan on October 16, 2013 at 5:22pm

What feather did you use for the hackle?  Looks good.

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on October 16, 2013 at 4:56pm

LOOKS GOOD TO ME DAVID and I think the fish will concur with me on this....

Comment by dick tabbert on October 16, 2013 at 4:37pm

No I'm not hungry I just ate but a fish would.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 16, 2013 at 3:12pm

They are common 6/0, or "E" size glass craft beads. You can get them anywhere such notions are sold, including WalMart and Hobby Lobby, to name a few.

I like the slow sink rate afforded by these glass beads, and the transparent colors look nice both in, and out of, the water. I also have them in Bronze, Silver and Gold.

They might not be the ticket where deep fishing is called for, since they are slow to get down.* For really deep work I would go to something else, like a lead jig or spoon.

But for the shallow water cover and such places where bluegill are often found they give a steady, even languorous, sink rate that the fish seem to like. 

Plus they are cheap! Give them a try.

Comment by chris kowaleski on October 16, 2013 at 2:19pm

this looks great! what source did you get the bead from?

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