Thanks guys. The yak hair ties nicely. Very strong Dana. I had no problem with pulling it tight and wrapping it, no cracking etc. As Hank said it is used a lot down here for salt water streamers and is considered very durable. The purposeful taper Ray is just a function of how I tie my spiders using...

Yes, tail off same feather. The thread is Kimono silk. A good 6B substitute.

The partridge was a cheapo I picked up at the show in PA.

The hook is a #12. Actually a Firehole #14

The rib is some classic silk rod wrapping thread I have that I used instead of buttonhole.

Along with the March Browns I worked up a few Dark Hendrickson's. This one is my pattern. Silk: claret Hackle: dark dun hen Tail: bronze mallard Ribbing: very fine copper wire with a red tint Body: Rear half (50/50 muskrat and hare's poll). Front half (50/50 muskrat and hare's ear with a pinch of re...

Mixed up a bunch of Hidy's March brown dubbing today (hare's cheek and reddish brown wool) then worked on a couple flies.

Excellent Charlie! Thanks a so much for doing this. The photos are great. It is very cool to see the structure of the patterns up close. The hooks and the detail in the dubbings are super. There is certainly some attention to "flymph" detail in these ties.

I have a pair of those, they tie well! Never seen dotterel in person so never thought of them as a substitute. But good to know. Thanks Tom. Speaking of small game birds, my wish list includes a skin of the Band-tailed Pigeon. This is a native migratory pigeon found in the Coast Range of the Pacific...

I may have posted this before but it falls in connection with the interests in Horse hair bodied patterns. For this body I used natural yak hair (commonly found for saltwater streamers) and wrapped it over primrose silk. It is a great easily found substitute for horse hair. reducedYak-bodied Spider....

I was given a bunch of nice white (clear) horse tail for tying by a friend many years ago. I used it all up. Makes a great body just like you have tied here. It is a little difficult to obtain if you don't have a mustang running around the yard. I have found that natural Yak hair often used for salt...

Superfood! Doug. What great patterns! I know what you mean about the small partridge. Those small feathers hold a special place in my tying space too.