There have been alot of different ideas over the years on how to best substitute long flowing heron hackle. The best situation, of course, is if you don't have to substitute it! But, for the majority of us, we need a sub. My favorite feathers so far have been Blue eared pheasant, mallard flank, and ringneck pheasant rump. (in that order) They each have they're drawbacks. All of them will only give about two good turns of hackle, before the rachis is too large and becomes a unsightly addition to the fly. Blue eared is expensive, and sometimes hard to find. Mallard is easy to find, but like most duck flank, you've got to sort through alot of junk to find the goods. Ringneck rump is best on smaller flies, and usually has alot of chipped tips.
One alternative is to use pheasant tails. Just about any long pheasant tail will work. I like Amherst (especially dyed different colors), Golden (see picture below) and Silver or Ringneck will all work. The key to making it work though, is having a "supporting underhackle" of some sort. A simple wrap or two of dyed mallard flank, long schlappen, even blue eared, or ringneck under the pheasant tail will support the long fibers.
Once the body is wrapped leave ample room for the supporting hackle. On the fly pictured I just trimmed olive marabou fibers off of the rachis and tied it in two bunches, rolling it over the hook shank and then using a soft loop to anchor it. This is exactly what you need to do with the pheasant tail fibers. I look for pheasant tails that have fibers that will not marry well. Usually these are the low grade tails that I can't use for full dress salmon flies. I trim 6-10 fibers from the rachis and place the bunch over the shank of the hook, I take a soft loop to anchor them, and press on the bunch of fibers with my thumb to help spread them around the shank even further. You may need to add multiple bunches to get the look you want. Then just trim the ends of the fibers short, add a wing and you've got a pretty slick spey fly. Give it a try, I think you'll like it!
One alternative is to use pheasant tails. Just about any long pheasant tail will work. I like Amherst (especially dyed different colors), Golden (see picture below) and Silver or Ringneck will all work. The key to making it work though, is having a "supporting underhackle" of some sort. A simple wrap or two of dyed mallard flank, long schlappen, even blue eared, or ringneck under the pheasant tail will support the long fibers.
Once the body is wrapped leave ample room for the supporting hackle. On the fly pictured I just trimmed olive marabou fibers off of the rachis and tied it in two bunches, rolling it over the hook shank and then using a soft loop to anchor it. This is exactly what you need to do with the pheasant tail fibers. I look for pheasant tails that have fibers that will not marry well. Usually these are the low grade tails that I can't use for full dress salmon flies. I trim 6-10 fibers from the rachis and place the bunch over the shank of the hook, I take a soft loop to anchor them, and press on the bunch of fibers with my thumb to help spread them around the shank even further. You may need to add multiple bunches to get the look you want. Then just trim the ends of the fibers short, add a wing and you've got a pretty slick spey fly. Give it a try, I think you'll like it!
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