Materials

[nfrechet]

Poor quality materials and tools are destined to discourage beginner and experienced tiers and cause greater expense when the time comes to replace them.

I tried and tried to tie a winged wet fly using duck wing quill slips using the shitty quality wings I had and just couldnt get it right. after 5 attempts i just gave up

the wings were matched (left and right) but definately not from the same bird. they might as well have been the shitty feathers from the craft store

off to the fly shop in either massachusettes or new hampshire to inspect some duck/goose wing feathers. 

[Theroe]

Norm: it’s an omen - stay with the wingless wets!!!!

Dana

[billems]

I'm 90 percent soft hackle fishing when fishing wet. But I tie the Leadwing Coachman and the Hares Ear with the traditional duck quill wings. Took me a while. Once you've got it, however, you've got it. If you can find someone who's noted for tying the traditional wets, as him or her to help you. It's a form of vanity to them; they'll help you tie them. I use them in sizes 10 and 12 and think of them as little streamers. They catch trout.

[MrWickhams10]

Norm,

With your superb tying skills, it has got to be the feathers that are causing you headaches.

For the best quality duck and goose flight quills, look no further than the matched pairs from Nature's Spirit. If you don't have an aversion to buying from the UK, Craftingwithfeathers, on Etsy has excellent matched quills at an affordable, bulk price as well. He's also the best source for matched pheasant wing quills. Lastly, if you are tying smaller bugs, starling and wood duck quills are very forgiving for wet fly wings.

I do about 500 traditional winged wets every season and I don't screw around with anything else any more.

Hope this helps.

Mr. W

[Terrestrial12]

Im an avid waterfowl hunter so I haven't had the need to use them personally...but I second using etsy. There is a guy on there that sells duck quills and also all kinds of other exotics and domestic feathers I have used extremely cheap. You can get like 10 matched sets for the price of 1 pack from natures spirit. I don't really fish them much because other styles of wings are much more effective, easy and life like...but I do like to tie some for nostalgia sake and on some dry flies. One of the tricks that helped me a great deal was told to me by Davy Wotton. He showed me to pinch the slips between your thumb and MIDDLE finger. Not between your thumb and index finger. I'm not sure why it makes a difference but it does. Hope it helps bro!