I'm not real proud of the body on this fly, but the reason I'm posting it is because of the hackle. This was tied on a Size #18 hook using a partridge feather from the middle back area with barbs that were ideally suited to a Size #12 fly if wrapped in a conventional manner. I clipped the very end of the feather out, leaving a "Y" shape that was tied in with two loose wraps right behind the hook eye with the barbs pointing out over the eye. Then I pulled on the stem until the barbs were the length I wanted them to be, arranged them more or less equally around the hook shank, and then tightened up on the loose wraps before building the body.
After finishing the body wraps behind the hackle, I pushed the barbs back behind the eye, gathered and held them with my left hand, and brought the thread forward to take one firm wrap in front of the hackle. Letting the bobbin hang to maintain a bit of tension on the thread, I used both hands to finish rearranging the hackle barbs around the hook before pulling them back to the "set" position I wanted and taking one more firm thread wrap to hold them in place while I did a three-turn whip finish.
Hook: Daiichi 1100 wide gape dry fly hook, Size #18
Thread: Pearsall's Gossamer #18 green
Hackle: Partridge as per above
Body: Thread wraps
Some of the same morons who throw their trash around in National parks also vote. That alone would explain the state of American politics. ~ John Gierach, "Still Life with Brook Trout"
