It will come as no surprise that I disagree in part with my Dutch (Swiss) friend. My local friends and I tie hundreds of palmered (actually wound) marabou flies every year (highly effective fall patterns for Atlantic salmon). The trick of course is to find long plumes with reasonably thin stems (as someone just mentioned). These aren't as hard to find as may be believed, I find that 50% or more of the feathers in the packages I buy are acceptable. Now, if you are tying smaller flies, the blood feathers work nicely wound but they don't result in a "hackle", rather more like the CDC in the CDC & Elk. This is the principle behind the One-Feather Damsel. For Gary, the Popsicle style is what I referred to above. I find the spot where I think stem is getting too thick to wind well. Tie the feather in there, clip, and wind away until the fibres start getting too short. Tie off, cut, and then use another feather if required (I typically use 3 or 4 on a salmon fly starting about mid-shank). Splitting the stem makes the "hackle" too sparse. You need a bulky "hackle" because it slims down so much when wet.
PS for Hans: 219' eh! I'm jealous! Cheers, Paul -- Paul Marriner Outdoor Writing & Photography. Member OWAA & OWC. Author of Atlantic Salmon, Ausable River Journal, Miramichi River Journal, and Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies.
