Post
by William Anderson » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:16 am
Donald, thanks for posting that. I was looking through the "Soft-Hackle List" that I put together a few years ago. I remembered that Hans was kind enough to provide some notes about species materials substitutions. You gave me a list of hackles and descriptions that were invaluable and Mike Connor decyphered the different thread and wool designations. Anyway, Hans said this about the water rat.
"** Note: Hans Weilenmann: Where “Water Rat” is referenced in patterns this generally refers to a critter called a Water Vole. The Water Vole (Arvicola terrestris) is a semi-aquatic mammal that resembles a rat. In fact, water voles have often been mis-termed, “water rats”. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike the rat their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair. The Water Vole is a protected species, so substitute material may be required. A good substitute for water-rat would be Hare, Muskrat, or Mole. This of course depends on the location of the under fur.
I have a bunch of soft-hackles/flymphs tied with muskrat bodies. Great stuff.
w
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