Fowlers' Feathers
One of the many advantages of being both a wildfowler and an angler is that many of the feathers from our winter quarry can be used to dress the flies with which we will pursue the summer sport.
Artificial flies with names such as Mallard & Claret or Teal & Green immediately conjure up the connection but other wildfowl feather are equally useful at the fly-tyers bench. The wigeon flanks that form the cheeks of a Grey Ghost, for instance, or the pintail scapulars which make such deadly elver flies for sea-trout.
If one of the most satisfying experiences is to catch fish on flies of your own tying, how much more fulfilling must it be to find success with a fly or lure which you not only dressed but also invented? Even small variations to standard patterns can be deadly. The bronze feathers from the mallard drake, for example, are much sought after - due no doubt to the fact that only mature drakes have them and, then, only in very small quantities. But substitute mallard for grouse in any number of fly patterns and you will often increase their effectiveness. Bronze mallard wings, incidentally, blend very well indeed with genuine jungle-cock cheeks. Try this combination in patterns such as the Dunkeld.
One wee word of warning. If you ever come across a recommendation for a "Merganser & Primrose", you have been well and truly conned! About fifteen years ago a friend and I experienced unusual success on Loch Leven and were continually being asked what fly was doing the damage. Not wanting to give away our secret, we replied that the caught most of our fish on the Merganser & Primrose - sometimes adding that a size 16 double was required.
Within a few weeks tackle shops throughout Scotland were being asked for this mythical fly and a dressing for it even appeared in the angling column of a local newspaper. Just in case you're wondering, the fly which was so successful at that time was nothing more exotic than a common or garden Invicta.