I was browsing through Cotinga – Classic Salmon Flies on Facebook and saw this little gem! Beautiful tying by James F. Goggans. What is even better is that Jim used a variety of feathers to marry this wing together. Here is Jim’s explanation.
“My own design. 7/0 reworked Mustad. This is what happens when you start with one plan, then have an ephiphany during the night when you have finished the body. I was planning on putting a lurid wing on this. Then it occurred to me that I had never made a wing from two fibers each of many different feathers. So, I made this wing with fourteen different feather fiber pairs, plus two pairs of Kori. I think I will separate these ideas into different flies.
Let’s see if I recall the feathers in that wing; Kori, of course. Both body feather and tail. Florican. Black Cockatoo. Argus wing. Argus tail. Royal Palm turkey. Red turkey. AmGold tail. Lady Amherst tail. Wild turkey. A couple more different turkey tail feathers. Don’t know the names of them. One is called “pencilled” by fly tiers, but I don’t know the actual name of the turkey. The last one looks like wild turkey, but is much lighter. The under wing is a section of Argus wing. Cheek is a Germains peacock body feather. Tail veiling is two slips of mallard, dyed orange. Throat is a dyed green hackle from the butt of the feather where it is marabou like. And a cobalt vulturine guinea neck feather. Horn is blue/gold macaw. Tip is small gold oval tinsel. Tag is purple silk. Butt is ostrich. Body is green silk. Body tinsel is some Gudebrod woven stuff I purchased recently from a fellow who said he got it when they went out of business. If anyone wants a spool, I can provide it.”
That covers the materials in this great looking fly. That might be the longest list of materials I’ve ever seen on one fly. Great work Jim!
