While I don't tie quill body flies I have a friend and he does. I have watched
him tie them for six or seven years now and they look very cool. He does not
use any underbody other that the thread and ties most of them in size 16 and
18. He fishes them for trout in the Big Thompson River and others in that
general area of Colorado. He finds they seldom catch more that one trout before
they come apart. He ties them in the style that A.K. Best ties his quill body
flies. Steve buys the stripped quills and keeps them in moistened paper towels
while he ties them. One of the reason he likes tying them is that they give the
fly a very slim abdoman that he just cannot get any other way. He prefers to
use hen wings and the spent hen wing spinners are tied with overlong tails so
that they look more like the naturals. His boxes of these flies always bring
good bucks at out local club auction because they are things of beauty. I am
sure that there is quite a learning curve to stripping your own quills and the
proper selection of which feathers to use for the quills for which size flies.
I have tied a few with him looking on as I tie them, but I tie a lot more
gurgler knock-offs for the bluegill that I fish for. I prefer to tie much more
durable flies for the bluegill and usualy fish hoppers, beatles, and soft
hackle flies the few occasions every few years that I fish for trout.

Big Dale