Jungle Cock

One of the most prized materials of all time for fly dressing has been Jungle Cock. This is ised to represent eyes on various flies, especially streamers, fish imitators, lures and salmon flies.

I will now own up admit that I have never used Jungle Cock in my life on any of my dressings. Mainly I suppose that in the past it has been difficult to get and quite honestly, I have never bothered.

And I have caught my share of trout make no mistake.

But when you see the cost of reared jungle cock capes today it makes you whince!

Probably I never will use it. But have you, and has it made a difference?

Yes I have used it. Yes I have caught fish on vivas, diawl bachs and hares ears with JC eyes.
Did it make a significant improvement - I don't have enough data to judge this. It is known as the magic feather. But it may make a little difference to your confidence which may be a big difference in fishing.

Only ever used jungle cock substitute by Veniard.
Also made my own once by using black cock hackles and painting a white patch on them and followed with a yellow spot over the white using Humbrol model makers paint.
Seemed to work okay.

Can't say I've ever used it. One feather I do have a lot of faith in is Golden Pheasant tippet. When used in tails on black flies a la Black Pennel it can be very effective. Its saved many a lost cause on a dour day on the reservoirs.

Ron,
I use JC a lot on Sea Trout tubes over 3/4 inch and on snakes. Also on salmon flies when the dressing calls for it. Does it make a difference? Haven't got a clue. Does it make the flies look better and increase my confidence in them? Yes.

There is a serious point though. Lots of evidence to suggest that salmonids have a particular tendency to 'lock on' to the visual triggers provided by spots, circles and stripes. Interesting point that when you think of the make up of a lot of traditonal proven patterns incorporating teal and mallard, JC and/or strong ribbing. Think the same thing happens with wing buds on buzzers.

One very good sea trouter (with fly caught sewin to over 19lb to his credit) doesn't use JC just a dab of tipex on the head of his tubes to suggest an eye.

What i'm saying is having something to suggets an eye on a fly (particularly on some for of bait fish imitation) IS an important component, but using JC to get that effect is a different matter.

Tom

Name one organism, marine or freshwater, with a tippex-coloured eye?

Yet it works. More questions, by far, than answers in this caper!

Alan,

At night all things are either black, white or shades of grey.
Also salmonid vison is a lot less acute than we might think.

Tom

But the pupil of any non-compound eye is black.

I thought salmonid vision was supposed to be super-sharp - how else could trout feed on reed-smut/blackfly larvae? They don't come in planktonic clouds, as Daphnia may, but one by one, and must be picked out visually. And they are seriously small!

I think the "chinaman" principle is at work here, big-style. However, I seem t

..what the??
...seem to remember Kingsmill-Moore (?) ("A Man May Fish", anyhow) saying that three feathers seemed to have almost magical powers - I think they were Jungle Cock, Blue Jay and natural Black Ostrich.
Other forces may be at work!

Alan,
Reed smut larvae are pretty big to a trout.

Have a look here.

http://www.sexyloops.com/articles/whatsalmonidssee.shtml

That's a fascinating article, and a great-looking site; many thanks for the link, Tom.

Back to the issue of special materials. I used to tie the wings on all my blue and silver sea trout tubes under 2 inches long using the expensive cobalt blue hackles from Fisherman's Feathers at Bransford (the ones used in the hackle of Ransome's elver lure, vulturina if memory serves ).

They made lovely looking flies especially with a bit of peacock herl mixed in the wing and they were effective too. The blue really does look like it belongs on the back of a sea fish.

However a sea trout trip at short notice when I was low on supplies forced me to tie some using normal blue hackles as in a teal blue and silver sort of blue. I caught just as many sea trout on them. So now I don't bother with the expensive feathers.

However having said that the cobalt blue ones really did look the part. So I have to admit that I'm tempted to splash out and get some more cobalt blue hackles just to have some flies that look nice to me.

I think the point is if you tie your own flies then either go ultra functional as in crisp packet buzzer or undressed aluminium tube andd black squirrel or make something special for your own satisfaction and confidence, but don't mess about in between.

But special materials don't exist as such just a question of fitting different materials to their function.

i.e. wings on sea trout tubes: you might use feather for a fly to be used in slowish pools, squirrel as standard and bucktail in bigger water. Cock hackles tied as a collar for more disturbance, hen as a beard for maximum movement and so on.

Tom

Years ago I used to spend a lot of time painting eyes and other "aiming points" on trout and bass lures.

Recently, over the past 15 years or so I stopped doing it and my catches didn't seem to suffer.

One thing I have noticed. When I tie a black buzzer, I put a few turns of hot orange thread behind the thorax. This suggests, I guess, the wing cases of the emerging adult insect. I think my buzzers are more effective as a result.

There is no doubt that trout, and other predatory fish have excellent eyesight. I am truly amazed by what they can see.