“Rhea feather
To peel rhea, pinch the strands at the tip of the feather and carefully pull down. The membrane should separate from the stem with all its fibers intact. This gets easier with practice, but is well worth a few casualties to be able to have such a remarkable hackle, free of the bulky stem. When tying the peeled rhea onto a shank, wrap the membrane as though it were the stem of a regular feather.” Hatches Mag & FlyGal re Rhea
SwittersB & Exploring 
It is hard for women to be compared to such beauty, they will always feel self-critical. They will always try to compensate with anger, humor, or just plain self-destruction. The “ire” is from the ones who just don’t like the mirror’s image from their bathroom rug, and the images just reinforce that. Quite the flurry of comments over the image! Do you enjoy the controversy or just the image? I think you may like the stimulation of both. I find them both amusing.
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Well, I appreciate a beautiful woman. I think the vast majority of my viewers (male/female) appreciate a beautiful woman. I seriously don’t mean to offend. I see beauty in so many ways beyond the perfect package. The controversy is humorous to some…but, down deep, I don’t want to go too far from my intent of teaching, sharing and certainly encouraging all visiting women to participate. Most of us don’t measure up to the babes & hunks that we see. I am ok with that. As Dirty Harry said…’A man’s got to know his limitations’. Thank you for the visit Tak…always very interesting.
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—-An interesting marketing theme for Rhea feathers ?
Kate
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Well Kate, I am not going there…I have already suffered the ire of Fem’s and Bird Lovers. I guess I should make it clear, even if you may be kidding (hell, I wouldn’t know anymore) that that pic was in now way associated with any commercial interest I had discovered while researching the rhea feather for fly tying. Thanks
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Sarah…there are 1227 posts on this site and I would bet you there are less than 10 that display any ‘sexist’ (or is it sexy?) over tones. Write me a piece highlighting your skills or interests and include face pic sans feather. Always glad to focus upon a woman that enjoys the sport or some facet of the outdoors related to fly fishing-tying. Oh…this is typical of most FF sites that provide the ‘eye candy’ (http://willfishforwork.com/2009/12/21/fantasy-fishing-christmas-list/) I, of course, being sexist and alive….like it….but, I have maybe posted 2 such pics…ok maybe 3
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That feather certainly looks soft!! You have some great taste in feathers Swittersb! Women! Advertisers have sold floor cleaner, toilet paper and butter by using sexy men..Fabio for one. Whatever gets the green into the til. Now, of course you have to figure out what are we going to do with all that sexism on this site… I say we endure..someone has to..I volunteer!
I like to see the women get miffed at you as well!
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I can only lay this fascination for ‘eye candy’ to cabin fever.
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PP…I will let you know just as soon as she delivers them to me to photograph. She calls it the ‘hootchie mama’. In the meantime, there is a link at the bottom re April Vokey discussing the tying of Spey Flies and the incorporation of Rhea into the wing.
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It is interesting to me that none of you have even asked to see the creations this woman has tied with the Rhea feathers. Hmmm? Just because a woman is pretty does not negate her fishing..tying skills…right?
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Looks like you got some feathers ruffled Switters! There might be more room along the banks come spring. HA HA HA.
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David…I am in disparate straights….I am having a hell of a time finding the appropriate guys. Perhaps you will volunteer? I have said before, who am I to judge the studliness to satisfy the needs of the ‘mature’ woman and the not so ‘mature’…..?
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Quite a few shops carry spey fly materials, especially tube fly materials. If they do, they may carry Rhea. If not, the Ashland Shop (Leland) and others that sponsor SpeyPages, carry the Rhea feather.
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