Agreed! I like the gravel-bed scenery. An idea for photo shoot #3: Place a young-of-the-year trout in the aquarium. Glamor shots for glamorous flies.
Micro Fishing Photo Tank - Inexpensive Under Water Photo Set Up
Moderators: William Anderson, letumgo
Re: Micro Fishing Photo Tank - Inexpensive Under Water Photo Set Up
John,
We've got to stop meeting this way!
The very long length of feather barbs on hen saddle feathers is an unsolvable problem. Such feathers work great on large flies, but not well on small ones. That's why I don't use hen saddles for small soft-hackled flies. I instead use feathers of game birds such as English woodcock, golden plover, snipe, starling, and various partridge, quail, and grouse species. You know my weaknesses! That's what I mean above by "covet and hoard". The marginal wing coverts of those birds are especially good for small soft hackles, and the body feathers are great for larger flies. I actually don't use much partridge because I prefer some of the others.
What's this "Okay, last one" statement? You think Ansel Adams got it right the first time?
Phil
We've got to stop meeting this way!
The very long length of feather barbs on hen saddle feathers is an unsolvable problem. Such feathers work great on large flies, but not well on small ones. That's why I don't use hen saddles for small soft-hackled flies. I instead use feathers of game birds such as English woodcock, golden plover, snipe, starling, and various partridge, quail, and grouse species. You know my weaknesses! That's what I mean above by "covet and hoard". The marginal wing coverts of those birds are especially good for small soft hackles, and the body feathers are great for larger flies. I actually don't use much partridge because I prefer some of the others.
What's this "Okay, last one" statement? You think Ansel Adams got it right the first time?
Phil
Re: Micro Fishing Photo Tank - Inexpensive Under Water Photo Set Up
That starling fly is gorgeous. A Skues' Iron Blue Nymph, which features starling hackle, is one of my favorite flies when BWOs are on the menu. This one is bone dry, but it looks quite delicious, in a trouty sort of way, when wet.
