Article about the usage of the effective imitation of Jungle Cock feathers.
Perhaps we are all aware of how difficult it is to get the scalp or even just feathers of the Jungle Cock. We search in stores and e- shops and do not understand why this sort of good is not usually available. Without question, the main reason is the protection of Gallus sonneratii - the owner of these beautiful feathers. Trade concerning these types of goods is ever more severely regulated by The international convention CITES *, because these animals are threatened by extinction. In the EU, protection of them is even stricter, and the import of these animals, including Gallus sonneratii, is practically non-existent.
Many of us may suppose that they do not need to be caught in the wild, since farm-raised animals can produce beautiful scalps, and surely offer even the Jungle Cock. Unfortunately, however, such farms almost do not exist. Raising Gallus sonneratii is not easy, and is usually not profitable. Clutches of young are very small and the percentage of cocks is low. So, nature is almost the only source of these feathers, and therefore they are becoming a scare commodity.
The reaction of some flytying material producers is to offer more or less successful imitations using drops of colour built-up on ordinary feathers or a fully synthetic product.
It is one of these products we would like to present.
The company SYBAI tackle supplies the market with feathers made from synthetic sheeting with realistic printing, the "Jungle Cock Substitute". The main advantages of this product include the perfect painting, color resistance, very long life because of a special finish and easier method of attaching. There are seven colour variants to choose from:
"Natural " - the original Jungle Cock colour.
"Yellow" , "Orange ", "Red ", and " Green " - are similar to "Natural " but can be matched to the fly model being tied, allowing us to achieve the contrast we desire.
" Pink" and " Blue" are used especially for salmon flies.
All the colours are offered in six sizes: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 mm.
We can easily adapt the size by cutting, reducing or slimming the feather as needed. The feathers can be best separated using the flexion of the card.
The back side is self-adhesive, enabling us to quickly and easily fasten to the fly, or to remove abrasions between our fingers. We can either leave the back white or colour it with a water resistant felt-tip pen (after taking off the glue - see the picture gallery for details).
Using the " Jungle Cock Substitute ", our flies incur their desired beauty and effect, both of which can even be increased by using the right colour combinations.
It is also important that we can help protect a threatened species, as well as having the pleasure of saving time and even money. We do have to accept the fact that the feather is not original and is made from synthetic material. On the other hand, we also do not tie actual fish eyes or scales to our favorite streamer.
* CITES is the official short form for the convention on international trade with endangered species (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Link to CITES site: http://www.cites.org
