"Hooked" wrote in message
...
I have been trying to tie up some flatwing streamers, as in smelt
patterns,
but have had no luck in tying in the wing. I haven't had much luck
searching
the www for instructions about this. The ?'s I have a
1) What is the best type of material for these type wings? Most flies I
see
look like they use a duck flank feather.
2) Are these tied in using a whole feather, or just bunches of barbs?
3) If they use a whole feather, how do I get them to appear bunched up, or
narrow looking, instead of looking like a moth wing?
4) Does anyone have any links to some good tying instructions for these.

Thanks to all helpful replies.

Sandy gave you links, and Jamie gave you some key info on feather selection.
I can give you a couple of pointers. Picking the right feather is key. You
want one that's symmetrical with virtually no curve to the stem. In a 2 oz.
bag of mallard flank feathers you might get 10-20 ideal feathers.

One of the techniques I've been taught (we have two popular regional
flatwings in my neighborhood) is to strip off the base fibers. Measure the
feather against the hook so the tips are just beyond the tail (or whatever
length you want). Measure it about 1/16 inch longer than you want it.
Strip off all extraneout fibers so you have bare stem. Take 3 or 4 wraps of
thread, and when you have the feather positioned on top of the hook, right
where you want it, pull the stem so about 1/16 inch gets pulled under the
thread. This will trap some fibers and compress the feather into the shape
you want. If something goes wrong, unwrap and try again. It helps if you
dampen the feather and stroke the fibers into shape - the best feathers
don't need that step.

Another technique, if you're less worried about perfect appearance is to use
a rolled wing. This is a way to use up your less than perfect feathers.
Strip off a bunch of fibers or pretty equal length. Roll them between
finger and thumb to mix them and tie in like a hair wing. Sometimes you can
do that with a whole feather but the stem usually causes problems.

Here are the two I tie:
http://www.gula.org/roffswaps/recipe...e=FS2000&id=16 (a flatwing
nymph)
http://www.gula.org/roffswaps/recipe...=PNW2000&id=16 (not a very good
example - head twice the appropriate size, and the feather is a bit too
long)

--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps