Grouse Feather Patterns?

[ceviche]

Over in the Cast & Blast forum, someone was wondering about patterns that use grouse feathers. A friend just gave me a batch, and, after looking at them, they looked like they'd do well in just about any soft-hackle patterns. It seems that the inherent size of the bird will restrict the possible hook sizes I might work with. Nonetheless, I have one or two patterns I'd like to try them out on. Anybody out there have a grouse pattern they especially like?

--Dave E.

[Philster]

work great as sides on a variety of minnow and sculpin patterns and I believe Mr. Gartside showed us they work great in hopper patterns as well. Great as beards on a variety of extended butt caddis... My feather of preference on birds nests and for hackle on prince nymphs even though in both cases not traditional. great legs on lake nymph patterns. great wing on traditional style dark wet flies, scuds...

[cabezon]

As Philster indicated, they are often used as legs on nymph patterns (in addition to his other excellent suggestions). Shane Stalcup shows how to tie several mayfly nymphs with grouse as legs in his book, Mayflies: Top to Bottom.

Steve

[Don Johnson]

There was a soft hackle pattern called the St. Joe Special I came across when I lived in Idaho a few years back. It's very similar to the Iron Blue Dun except the hackle is from a Ruffed Grouse.

Hook: standard wet fly, sizes 10-14
Thread: Pearsall's crimson
Body: mole fur dubbed light and scruffy
Hackle: greater covert from a grouse wing

[Tim Cottage]

The following patterns are from A Handbook of North Country Flies by Roger Fogg.

Some of these patterns are pretty old. All use Grouse. Some creative interpretation and substitution may be necessary.
Keep in mind that the grouse used is the English Red Grouse but you can use our Ruffed grouse. Alternative local names for the English Grouse are Moorcock and Moorgame.
Top quality Cookshill Red Grouse skins can be bought from http://www.jimsflyco.com/html/wet_fly_supplies.html I can not recommend Cookshill skins highly enough. Jim is a great guy to deal with, as usual when looking for something specific it is best to call and discuss your order.


Black Game
Tying thread: Well waxed purple
Hackle: A small marginal covert from the male Grouse in its prime winter plummage
Body: Purple tying silk waxed until it darkens to almost black. Add a small thorax of green peacock herl behind the hackle.

Grouse Quill
Tying thread: Brown
Hackle: A small orange freckled, dark feather from the Grouse marginal coverts.
Body: Stripped and undyed peacock quill with a dubbing of dark hairs ear up close against the hackle
Head: Peacock herl

Dark Moorgame
Tying thread: Orange waxed to a dark shade
Hackle: A very dark freckled feather from the knuckle of a dark cock grouse wing.
Body: A slim body of Orange silk tinged with blue water rat's fur (muskrat).
Head Peacock herl

Poult Bloa
Tying thread: Primrose yellow
Hackle: A slaty-blue or 'bloa' feather from the undercoverts of a young grouse
Body: Waxed yellow tying silk very lightly dubbed with red squirrel fur. The yellow silk should clearly shine through the dubbing although the fur may be a little heavier behind the hackle to form a thorax.
Note: The word Bloa is a dialect word referring to the color of blue grey clouds on a day when rain threatens.

Grouse and Purple
Tying thread: Purple
Body: Purple wool, mohair or seals fur, ribbed with oval embossed gold tinsel.
Hackle: Dyed purple hen hackle
Wings: Barred or mottled slips of feather from a female Grouse's tail
Tails: Golden pheasant tippets

Green Grouse, Orange Grouse, Red Grouse, Yellow Grouse (the only distinguishing difference between the patterns is the body color)
Tying thread: Green, Orange, Crimson or Primrose Yellow
Hackle: A small mottled, red-brown, marginal covert feather from the wing of a Grouse
Body: Insect green, hot orange, crimson or yellow floss silk. A thorax of peacock herl or hare's ear may be added.

Indian Yellow
Tying thread: Lemon or Primrose yellow
Hackle and Whisks (beard): Pale buff-colored Cochin cock
Body: Floss silk about the color of a natural Russia? feather, ribbed with bright lemon tying silk.
Wings: Inside Grouse wing
Head: Three or four turns of orange tying silk

Yellow Spider fly
Tying thread: Light yellow silk
Hackle: Light brown mottled Moorgame feather
Body: Light yellow silk with a light dubbing of yellow marten's fur (belly or throat)

Brown Shiner
Tying thread: Light orange
Hackle: Light brown mottled Mooregame feather from the bottom of the neck
Body: Light orange silk at the tail with a peacock herl thorax
Head: Peacock herl

Dark Dun
Tying thread: Brown silk
Hackle: Dark brown hen (chicken)
Body: Brown tying silk, well-waxed, or brown floss silk
Wings: Any small and dark feather from a Moorcock.


Some final notes from Fogg:
It would be nice to think that modern fly dressers might once again make full use of the old traditional materials, not only in the dressing of standard artificials but also in developing new dressings of thier own. I am convinced that if anyone is willing to follow this advice, they will have very little to grouse about.


TC

[Randy Diefert]

Wow, Thanks for sharing that Tim, That was alot of info.

[Tim Cottage]

Wow, Thanks for sharing that Tim, That was alot of info.

My pleasure entirely. Tis better to give than....... well, you know the rest.

TC

[ceviche]

Wow! All I can say is, "Schwannggggg!!!"

Some cool info to get me started. Much thanks, Don and Tim. Since I'm big on lake fishing, Philster, I'll definitely will be tying up some patterns for my favorite stillwaters.

Right now, I'm still making sure the freshly killed feathers I have are completely dried and cleaned before I nuke the bugs out of them. Anyone done that before--microwave bugs out of a bird pelt?

[Philster]

Wow! All I can say is, "Schwannggggg!!!"

Some cool info to get me started. Much thanks, Don and Tim. Since I'm big on lake fishing, Philster, I'll definitely will be tying up some patterns for my favorite stillwaters.

Right now, I'm still making sure the freshly killed feathers I have are completely dried and cleaned before I nuke the bugs out of them. Anyone done that before--microwave bugs out of a bird pelt?

Used to, until one particularly fat covered skin... I was banned from the nuker after that:eek:

[Tim Cottage]

One last tidbit about using these patterns in lakes.

From the same source as the patterns.

"In addition, the Orange Grouse achieves success as a stillwater pattern even when the natural flies do not possess orange bodies. Nevertheless, as suggestions of sedges, particularly the pupae, the green and yellow bodied varieties work best. From mid May to mid August and even on calm days when little else seems to work, the Yellow and Green Grouse are capable of matching the success of most lake nymphs. During the daytime they are best fished deep down, while in the evening they may be fished close to the surface".

TC

I would not be too concerned that he mentions sedges in particular. I think the above can apply to our local lake insects as well.

[Philster]

One last tidbit about using these patterns in lakes.

I would not be too concerned that he mentions sedges in particular. I think the above can apply to our local lake insects as well.


The UK is a wasteland in terms of insect variety. When you say "olive" in Ireland EVERYBODY knows exactly what to grab and in what size... We have sedges coming out of our ears in comparison. Most of our local lakes will have 3 or 4 varieties at any given time coming off! Caddis are one of the most underfished lake flies going. Everybody grabs damsels, mayflies, and midges...