Feather Fly

how do you preserve a pheasant cape to keep feather’s fresh for fly tying?

If you’re harvesting the cape yourself, you want to tack it out on a hard surface, skin side up. Scrape all of the fat and meat from the skin, then treat it liberally with Borax. Let it sit for a couple of weeks, scraping off any moist areas and reapplying Borax as needed. If the cape is from a wild bird, a couple of cycles through the microwave and the freezer to eliminate any bugs is probably a good step to take as well.

If you’re wanting to have best storage for a purchased cape, keep it in a cool, dry location. Keep it away from your dogs and cats. If you’re concerned about the quality of the cleaning on the cape, put it through a couple of freeze/thaw cycles, or store in a ziploc bag separate from your other tying materials for a couple of weeks. Observe the bag for signs of infestation, then store with your other tying materials.

Tight lines!

Riesa show dance 2006, Birds of feather fly together by Blaž Godec