Sharptail Grouse wings.

[DNicolson]

I just got two pairs of Sharptail Grouse wings, one dyed PMD and the other natural.
I really like the look of them, beautiful markings. I shall now have to plan some spiders. The larger quills look interesting, I'll have to see if the can make good wings for some of the sparse Clyde, Tummel and single winged wetflies.
There could be some use on old fashioned dries. I'll posted the spiders etc on here, the dries elsewhere.

[CreationBear]

Those are really great feathers, especially if you're tying bigger flies. I'll look forward to seeing a few photos of the "natural" hackle--I really like my PMD dyed skin, but to be honest wasn't crazy about the olive.

[DNicolson]

Thanks CB, I was thinking about the olive.
I'll concentrate on the natural and the PMD.

[CreationBear]

Hopefully Ray will chime in as well--I think he has a full olive skin, too. My only "complaint" is that the natural cream/buff sections of the feather really seemed to take a lot of dye, leaving an olive "muddle" that doesn't seem to me as nicely figured as the PMD version. (As you'll see, the PMD has a bit of contrast between the dyed yellow and natural black barring, but "settles down" once you wrap it on the hook...though whether it makes a plover sub or not is a judgment I'm not qualified to make. )

At any rate, they're a great skin--I'm seeing more and more vendors listing them now, though to be honest, it seems like one of those coals to Newcastle propositions to ship 'em to the UK.

[letumgo]

I haven't tyed any flies with the grouse wings yet. I will be learning along side you, Donald. Let's see what we can come up with. I love the idea of the Tummel and Clyde style flies.

[JohnP]

No need to shout, Ray. I finally got around to trying some of the dyed sharptail feathers you were kind enough to send me. They look good, but the stem is more delicate than partridge, so I have to be careful not to break it when stripping off the fibers from one side prior to tying in by the tip. I did a couple of hare lugs and sharptail that looked pretty good. Won't embarrass myself by posting them on here.

[letumgo]

John - please post the flies. I know they will be great.

PS - The large/bold font was for Donald's benefit. He had eye problems in the past, so the larger font was intended to make it easier for him to read.

[willowhead]

what large bold font? i don't see it........ ........ .......i just scored some Sharptail skins out west and some Hung skins, one of which is dyed Olive. Looks to have come out pretty good.....we'll soon see. Keep ya posted.

[JohnP]

John - please post the flies. I know they will be great.

PS - The large/bold font was for Donald's benefit. He had eye problems in the past, so the larger font was intended to make it easier for him to read.

Thanks. I had that pointed out by someone else. I am sorry to hear about his eye problems.

[JohnP]

This morning I tied a couple of hare's lug and plovers using the dyed sharptail and some real golden plover that I was given by a generous person. The sharptail is more strongly spotted than the plover, and its stem is much thinner, necessitating care in preparation. The plover also has thicker barbs on the feather. Both look like fish-catchers to me. I definitely have some dyed sharptail on my want list. Thanks again, Ray.