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.