Green GP feathers - The Spade

By Martin Joergensen

Why are these green GP feathers never used?

A fly using green GP body feathers Detailed picture (37 KB gif) The fly will probably look like something the cat dragged in, when it's been cast a couple of times. But still: I'll give it a try. I've always loved tying with golden phesant (GP) feathers. Try to have a look good at a GP skin. It contains the most amazing number of beautiful feathers. From the yellow topping for salmon flies to the body feathers which are utilized in all kinds of plain flies. I use GP in The Omoe Brush and The Umbrella among others. But there's one kind of GP feathers I never saw used in any fly: the green metallic body feathers. I've always wanted to use those. So I've been tying all kinds of patterns and methods. These feathers are so dense and closely married that it's actually quite hard to use them. On the other hand they have the most amazing lustre and shape. There has to be somewhere they can go. My pattern was actually inspired by a US salt water pattern - or rather a series of them. Pop Popovic's Surf Candy. In some of these long and large flies I've seen feathers cut down to look like a tail. The shape of the green GP feather just beg to be cut like that.
The pattern	The materials are as follows:
Hook	Short stainless straight eye hook size 4-6 (Like Tiemco 8011)
Thread	Black
Tail	Two trimmed green GP body feathers - one on each side over a small bunch of tan buck tail hair. Length: same as hook.
Body	Black chenille (or dubbing). Dense and cylindrical.
Wing	Small bunch of stacked white buck tail. Double hook length. Over that a few peacock herl.
Hackle	False hackle of a small bunch of tan bucktail. To reach hook point.
Head	Color of thread

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