Fly-tying materials, particularly for new tiers, can be confounding. And it doesn’t help when professional tiers go all out with exotic materials that are both expensive and super hard to find. But some materials are easy to get a hold of, and, with some advice from seasoned tiers, can be put to use right away, even by those new to the vise.
Above, Tim Flagler talks about biots, both from geese and turkeys. These feathers are great for nymph tails (mostly goose) and they can be wrapped to make great segemented bodies. They’re not terribly hard to work with, and the results are usually pretty good. I’ve taken to using goose biots for tails for stonefly nymph patterns, but I’ve also used them for tails for dry attractors, like Stimulators. I haven’t tried turkey biots for bodies, yet, but after watching the video above, it’s next on my list.
See what you think.
— Chris Hunt