I am surprised that Guinea Hen doesn't have as much following as it should. The feathers are readily available and the mottling is terrific. Better yet is to dye Guinea in colors like brown, tan, olive, etc.
It is a great feather that looks fantastic on a fly.

Unless you intend to tie a gross of one size of one pattern in one session like Al Troth did as a commercial tier I suggest plucking what you need as you go. What commercial fly tiers like Al Troth would do is cut necks in sections by size. You can measure hackle size on the neck and determine with ...

Another method for the wire is to simply wrap the wire from tail to thorax. Grab the tail end of the wire with a lead wire hook clip and tightly wrap the remaining wire forward. I prefer to cut both ends rather than helicopter. At the thorax back wind your thread through the last few wire wraps and ...

Was anyone from this site the winner? https://www.doyle.com/auction/lot/lot-129---anglinghidy-vernon-s-and-leisenring-james-e-the-leisenring-color--materials-book-for-fly-tying-a-pocket-reference-for-anglers/?lot=1345566&so=2&st=&sto=0&au=8784&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=0&am...

Here is a hair hackle wet fly version a' la Franz Pott using Swannundaze for the body. Certain sections of the Beaverhead harbor large populations of crane flies. They are very active in the mornings and the fish knew all about them. The bite would continue until around 10AM. Swinging was the ticket...

Where the original marabou came from. This is the Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumenifer, photographed two weeks ago on the Serenghetti. It's down feathers were replaced by turkey but this is where the name originated. They appear to be rather common in the wild. Other fly tying feathers I saw roamin...

The best rod is the one you are fishing that day. Flymphs, soft hackles, winged wets can be fished with any type of rod. Having said that, historically a longer rod with a softer tip has been recommended for some good reasons including absorbing the strike and providing a longer reach. As has been s...

I have no experience with Isonychia. Where do you find them?

My best sizes were 6 thru 10. These would be on either 1XL or 3XL long hooks, Mustad 3906B or 9672. Use it all over the Park but it is especially effective in meadow waters like the Madison, Gibbon, Firehole. The larger sizes are good in the riffle areas and that's where I believe fish take it for a...

My favorite damsel nymph.
It was all you needed to fish a great damsel hatch in a lake that literally thousands of fly fisherman pass by each year in MT. Few know of the hatch or the browns and rainbows that feed on it each year.