Saturday, November 21, 2020

Soft hackle feathers ...Waterhen Bloa Variant

This is another post on various feathers used in tying North Country spiders and Soft Hackle flies. The feathers above are, top and bottom left California Quail and the tow on the right are hen feathers dyed light and dark dun. The two types of feathers are very good substitutes for the feathers from the waterhen. Waterhen is a difficult feather to obtain. And the price is somewhat high. The California Quail feathers were given to me and the hen feathers can be found in most fly shops and they are a bargain.

Below I have tied a progression showing the tying in of the California Quail hackle in the creation of the Waterhen Bloa, a North Country spider with a well known history.

 

 

The feather is prepared as such. The fibers are stroked away from the tip. The tip is then clipped to just a small wedge which is used to help anchor the hackle to the hook.
 

Here you can see how the hackle is tied in.
 

Here the hackle is being wrapped. This is where you need to take your time. Wrap three turns of hackle making sure each turn is in front of the previous one, this will prevent the hackle fibers from being trapped. When your done with the wraps then whip finish and the fly is complete.
 

The Waterhen Bloa variant.

The body is primrose silk thread loosely dubbed with natural mole fur. The hackle is a California Quail.
 


 

 

16 comments:

  1. Nice sequence of steps Alan and those stuffed clams look tasty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. billp
      Thanks
      Bill it's a great fly in time of need. Clams are pretty easy to make and provide such comfort.

      Delete
  2. I can't decide what looks better: the fly, or the stuffed clams.

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    Replies
    1. mike
      Thanks
      Mike the fly looks great but the clams taste great.
      Decisions decisions.

      Delete
  3. Hi Alan

    Aahh, the Waterhen Bloa, probably the most successful wet fly ever devised (?). There is something about the olive hues the fly has from the waxed primrose thread, with its haze of mole (or water rat) dubbing, and the tones of the waterhen hackle. Waterhen is quite difficult to find in the UK as well now - I have a dwindling supply from decades ago which I am eeking out. I have tried substituting with Coot which is OK but is more steely gray than olive gray (I haven't really spent much time testing if the trout & grayling have a preference). One thing I have tried is using a pearlescent butt (a tip proffered to me from the great Cumbrian fisher Paul Proctor) and this has been successful.

    Take care & stay safe

    Alistair

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    Replies
    1. Alistair
      Thanks
      Alistair I believe there's no question as to the effectiveness of the WHB...getting the right shade of feather is tough but it can be achieved with a good eye.

      Delete
  4. Alan,
    Your Waterhen Bloa Variant is gorgeous! You have done a great job in matching the dyed quail to original waterhen! WHB's are killer in my neck of the woods and especially effective in sizes 14-16-18!
    Your sausage, sauce, and bread look delicious (from the previous post) and the stuffed clams are mouth watering as well! I can almost smell the sauce! Be ever thankful for your fine Italian heritage!
    Hungry in the den,
    Dougsden

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    Replies
    1. Dougsden
      Thanks Doug I have tied them in #14, but never smaller. I will try the smaller sizes. I love cooking, and Italian is a favorite but Polish is a close second.

      Delete
  5. Alan
    You make it so easy; headed to the Sipsey Monday to fish some of your soft hackles. Thanks for sharing

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  6. Bill Trussell
    Thanks
    Bill it's great your going to get to fish the Sipsey. Let us know how the soft hackles work for you.

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  7. Very nice, Alan. As usual it's the simple things. :)

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    Replies
    1. Matt Grobert
      Thanks
      Hey Matt it's good to hear from you.
      Simplicity seems to always be the better route.

      Delete
  8. Great ties there, the Waterhen Bloa is popular at the stream I fish in the Poconos. Completely agree on the California quail, perfect hackles and more in the small sizes than an actual waterhen wing you have to import from England. Lately I’ve been tying Winter Browns with brownish CDL brahma hen hackle, and stripping one side of the hackle for a leaner look.
    Kevin

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    Replies
    1. Ned Zeppelin
      Thanks
      Kevin the Winter Brown is a outstanding little fly. I agree with your making it on the sparse side.
      Do you tie the February Red? Another good fly to fish in the colder months.

      Delete
    2. It is now on my list to tie, thanks for the recommendation. I also found the recipe posted by an expert tier.

      http://smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com/2015/01/february-red-soft-hackle.html
      Thanks, Kevin

      Delete
    3. Kevin you are quite the researcher. I forgot I did a post on that fly. And by the way the February Red is just not for February. Honestly tie some up and use them.

      Delete