Furnace - Greenwells - Golden Badger - difference?

[shpeil]

Are these capes actually different colours, or just differnent names for the same thing?

Pay day isn't that far off, and I'm aiming to get a cock cape good enough for dries. Specifically, I'm aiming to do some Greenwell's Glories. Obviously, the Greenwells would suit, but what about a Furnace or a Golden Badger? If they're all much the same, I get a bit more choice about what to get, since most places are permanently out of stock!

Cheers,

Neil

[sculpin_crusader]

Greenwells are ginger with a black center, Furnace is red game with black center and black tips (I believe) and Golden badger is golden/cream with black center. Hopes this helps.

[coasty]

I tie and use Greenwells a lot . A greenwells hackle is described as ginger with a black centre and Furnace as a black centre with red game outer. A golden badger seems to cover almost every other shade of badger which isnt a true white.

I found it really hard to get a decent genetic hackle for smaller sizes in a colour that I was happy with. But you can tie the pattern with many variations on a theme as it is a general pattern.

Here are some capes that I have :

These two are an indian greenwells that colour wise is pretty good but like most indian capes no good for anything under a size 10 or 12 . The other is a whiting cape that I managed to find that ties very close to what I think is the right colour for a greenwells.


the next two are a Furnace and a Golden badger although the pic has washed out the colours on the golden one somewhat...You can tie good greenwells style flies with those and they will catch remember a Greenwells is a general imitative pattern.



Hope that helps :

[shpeil]

That's great guys, many thanks!

[Ephemerella]

Originally Posted by sculpin_crusader

Greenwells are ginger with a black center, Furnace is red game with black center and black tips (I believe) and Golden badger is golden/cream with black center. Hopes this helps.

The 'furnace' you describe is sometimes known as Coch-y-bonddu in Wales.
Interesting term 'golden badger' I don't have a reference for it but some of these could be close:

[coasty]

Coch-y-bonddu is a red game hackle with a black centre and black tips...ie a furnace with black tips....

[mancfly]

Originally Posted by shpeil

Pay day isn't that far off, and I'm aiming to get a cock cape good enough for dries. Specifically, I'm aiming to do some Greenwell's Glories. Obviously, the Greenwells would suit, but what about a Furnace or a Golden Badger? If they're all much the same, I get a bit more choice about what to get, since most places are permanently out of stock!

Some of us on here have been fortunate to recieve some superb, bargain priced, genetic Whiting capes through this forum via Top quality capes back in stock at Lakeland

I bought some saddle capes (4 @£19.50 each), which i prefer to neck capes as the hackle length is amazing, up to 12", and the barb length is short and even along the length. Just brilliant for dries! If you only ever buy one cape, make it one of these. You will save ££s as against buying Chinese or Indian capes which do not have enough, or even ANY feathers for small dries!

If you do go for the Indian cape option, i can't rate Cookshill Fly Tying high enough! I examined some of Steve Coopers products a few days ago at our local guild meeting. There were some top quality, nicely priced, capes with plenty of long, narrow hackles, amongst all the other top quality materials that he stocks. Cookshill Fly Tying Materials

P.S. you can't buy online from Cookshill, you need to phone, but at least you will be talking to a good bloke that can give good advice. This company is highly rated by many forum users!

[mancfly]

Originally Posted by Ephemerella

The 'furnace' you describe is sometimes known as Coch-y-bonddu in Wales.
Interesting term 'golden badger' I don't have a reference for it but some of these could be close:

Well on the top page, No. 15 seems to be golden badger, but with small black tips. In the index that refers to the hackle collection, it is named as "Yellow Furnace". It seems to be the closest of the samples to "Golden Badger" tho.

Ooh, my neck hurts now!

[Ephemerella]

Originally Posted by mancfly

Ooh, my neck hurts now!

Sorry... if I'd have turned it around the Forum would have downsized the image further.


Moc Morgan in Flies of Wales advises, for Welsh rivers, that early season dry Greenwell patterns are best dressed dark with a Coch-y-bonddu cock hackle, changing to lighter coloured Greenwell (black and ginger) as the season progresses.

[A. Fluker]

Ephemerella

What a lovely feather reference book. Do you put it together yourself, buy it or did it come your way? Any history to it?

Just interested.