John Shewey P.O. Box 12275 Salem, OR 97309 503-551-6555
John Shewey—2005 Catalog
The finest extra-select, hand-picked materials for tyers of salmon and steelhead flies.
I hand-pick every single item on this list, often right down to individual feathers. No fly shop scrutinizes its
materials more closely than I. My philosophy is simple: If I wouldn’t tie with it, I won’t sell it. Period.
Please Note: All Under-lined items are in short supply and require that you contact me ahead via phone, email
or mail to check availability (email is generally the easiest way to catch up with me).
Extra-Select Waterfowl Plumage
I am proud to offer the finest waterfowl plumage on the market. My experience as a duck hunter and fly tyer allows me to sort and grade waterfowl feathers better than anybody else in the industry. My precise grading means you get no mixed bags as is usually the case. Typically in the tying trade, for example, bags of so-called teal flank will actually contain a mix of several different kinds of duck feathers. All my feathers are hand-picked so you get no waste and all are washed before packaging.
Item No. 01 X-S Gadwall Flank. One of my favorite flank feathers for collars and throats. Like teal or pintail, but larger and distinctly darker with a rich grayish-brown tinge. Each feather hand picked (50 per bag). $8.95 each.
Item No. 02 X-S Gadwall Side Pairs. These are exquisite! All X-select. For sides, roofs, wings. $7.95/8 pairs.
Item No. 03 Dyed Gadwall Side Pairs. Same as above but dyed! Specify: hot orange, red, cerise. $9.95/8 pairs.
Item No. 04 Jumbo Gadwall Flank. Beautiful extra-large centers for use as collars/throats on very large flies or even as hackles in spey styles. Each feather is exceptional. 20 per bag. $9.95 each.
Item No. 05 Barred Woodduck Flank. Beautiful select black/white barred flank packaged by Hareline Dubbin’ Inc. $4.95 each.
Item No. 06 X-S Pintail Flank. Markings are like teal, but bolder and lighter. Used in place of teal on large patterns and as the best substitute for Eurasian Wigeon (called for in many classic dressings). 50 per bag. $8.95 each.
Item No. 07 X-S Pintail Side Pairs. Marry with woodduck for side veilings or wing components. Beautiful large, matched pairs,
all x-select. These are hard to find. Per 8 pairs. $9.95 each.
Item No. 08 X-S Green-wing Teal Flank. A must for salmon/steelhead tyers. Fine bold black barring against a bright white background. Each feather hand picked; these are exceptional. 50 per bag. $5.95 each.
Item No. 09 X-S Large Green Wing Teal For Throats. I hand-pick these specifically for throats on the largest hooks. Ideal for large Dee/Spey flies. Long fibers and fine stems. These ARE NOT suitable for whole wings (see Item No. 11). Per 20. $14.95
Item No. 10 X-S Green-wing Teal Side Pairs. For use in wing veilings. These are very rare and are exquisite with their characteristic jet black/bright white pattern. 5 pairs per bag. $15.95 each.
Item No. 11 Jumbo Green-wing Teal Flank. Rare and beautiful. Great for collars, throats and, because they are elongate, especially for use as whole wings. Plumes at least 2 inches long. 20 per bag. Supply limited. $9.95 each.
Item No. 12 Asian Falcated Teal Flank. Rare and beautiful flank from the Falcated Teal (Anas falcata) of Asia. Bold, vivid, black-and-white barring. 50 hand-picked plumes per bag. Supply Limited. $9.95 each
Item No. 13 Asian Falcated Teal Side Pairs. Very rare and spectacular. Like large pintail side pairs, but with more bold and striking black-white barring. Marry with woodduck for side veilings or use as wing components. Absolutely stunning when so used on large salmon flies. Supply very limited. 5 pairs per pack. $19.95.
Item No. 14 Jumbo Falcated Teal Flank. For whole wings and for throats/collars on very large flies.
Rare and beautiful. Packaged 20 per bag. Supply very limited. $15.95 each.
Item No. 15 American Wigeon Flank. (Anas americana). Beautiful, unique brownish-rose colored flank with varying degrees of darker bars and vermiculations. Especially nice on spey-style flies. 50 per bag. $8.95 each.
Item No. 16 Hooded Merganser Flank. Remarkably beautiful and very rare. Highly prized by American Spey tyers, these striking plumes feature broad black bars against a rich chocolate background. Syd Glasso used them for throats/collars on some of his Spey-style patterns. Supply Very Limited—please enquire.
Item No. 17 Northern Shoveler Flank. (Anas clypeata). Amongst the most beautiful of all waterfowl flank and very hard to obtain. Rich cinnamon brown in color with varying degrees of striking vermiculations. One classic pattern—the Brittania—uses a matched large pair for the wing. These make beautiful collars or throats. Supply Very limited.
50 extra-select plumes per bag: $24.95 each.
Item No. 18 Dyed Northern Shoveler Flank! NEW. These are spectacular! They make beautiful collars and throats on creative salmon and steelhead patterns. Sold as a set of 25 orange and 25 red. (50 plumes total). $29.95.
Item No. 19 Northern Shoveler Matched Pairs. Very rare. Per 3 matched pairs to tie the Brittania (see Kelson): $15
Item No. 20 X-S Large Bronze Mallard. Extra-select, large pairs. 8 pairs per bag. $7.95 each.
Item No. 21 Jumbo Bronze Mallard. For very large spey flies, etc. Supply very limited. $15/5 pairs.
Item No. 22 Dyed Bronze Mallard. Create a new look with spey- and eagle-style flies by using these as the wing.
Specify: hot orange, red, claret, purple, fl. cerise, chartreuse. 8 pairs per bag. $8.95 each. Set of 6 colors: $48.
Item No. 23 Medium/Small Bronze Mallard. Ideal for sizes 1/0-8. Per ¼ ounce, un-sorted: $12
Item No. 24 Natural Mallard Flank. Each feather hand-picked. 50 per bag. $6.95 each.
Item No. 25 Dyed Mallard Flank. Many uses for these vividly dyed flanks. 50 hand-picked feathers per pack. My vivid colors will impress: Please specify: fl. yellow, yellow, hot orange, fl. orange, red, claret, purple, cerise, kingfisher blue, chartreuse. $6.95 each. Complete set of all 10 colors $60.
Item No. 26 Dyed Gadwall Flank. These boldly marked flanks are beautiful when dyed. Specify: yellow, hot orange, red, cerise, claret, purple, blue. 50 per bag. $8.95 each.
Item No. 27 Dyed Green-wing Teal Flank. Specify: yellow, hot orange, fl. orange, red, cerise, claret, purple, blue, chartreuse. 50 per pack. $8.95 each.
Item No. 28 Dyed Pintail Flank. Same colors as dyed green-wing teal. 50 per pack. $8.95 each.
Item No. 29 Canvasback “Elvers.” These extremely rare feathers, from the shoulders of the Canvasback duck, are used for tying flat-wing smelt patterns and other streamers. Long and slender, silvery in the middle with white edges. Nearly impossible to find these days and in very limited supply. 24 graduated sizes per pack. $25 each.
Item No. 30 Pintail “Elvers.” Same type of feathers as above, but the pintail elvers are dark and bold: black centers with light edges. Used for wings on flat-wing streamers and other streamer styles. 24 graduated sizes per pack. $14.95 each.
Wing Materials—Dyed White Turkey
Item No. 31 Dyed White Turkey. Very hard to find and the best wing material for large salmon flies. Mine is the best on the market—and often the only on the market! A-grade pairs and I also throw in a few “A-minus” feathers because they will yield plenty of good fiber. Colors: yellow, golden-yellow, orange, hot orange, red, crimson, claret, magenta, cerise, kingfisher blue, royal blue, purple, highlander green, black, white. Supply limited. (call or email to check on current stock of colors). $18.95 each. Complete 15-color set, $250
Item No. 32 Dyed White Turkey, Flourescent Colors: These aren’t much fun to dye, so I don’t do them often, but please email or call for current availability (usually in stock). Colors: Fl. yellow, Fl. orange, Fl. flame, Fl. hot pink, Fl. Chartruese. Great for steelhead flies and creative Dee or full-dress patterns. $19.95 each.
Item No. 33 Dyed White Turkey, Cinnamon I die these as an imitation for the very rare Gled (Kite) tail used historically on classic Dee Flies. They tend to show stress marks prominently, so I package them 10 quills per pack. $29.95.
Item No. 34 Dyed White Turkey, Dun. These are dyed medium gray to duplicate the always-scarce natural dun turkey favored for Dee-style flies. Very nice. As with above, the gray dye tends to highlite rather than hide the stress marks in these feathers, so I package them 10 quills per pack. $29.95.
Item No. 35 B-Grade Dyed White Turkey. Ideal for practice, fishing flies and for teaching classes. Same colors as Item No. 31 above. Packaged one dozen quills per color. $10 each.
Wing Materials, continued
Item No. 36 X-S Large Goose Shoulder. Excellent winging material. All feathers dyed by me in exquisite colors and then
steamed prior to packaging. Appr. 12 select quills per bag. Colors as follows:
Yellow hot orange magenta purple highlander green
fl. (lemon) yellow fl. orange claret silver dr. blue chartreuse
golden yellow bright red hot pink kingfisher blue white
orange crimson fl. cerise royal blue black
$5.50 per pack; Complete set of all 20 colors only $100
Item No. 37 Jumbo Goose Shoulder. Very long fibers will tie up to about 6/0. Some tiers prefer these to dyed turkey and they are every bit as rare. 3 pairs per color and available only by the complete set of yellow, orange, red, claret, blue, highlander green, black, white. $90 per set. Supply Very Limited.
Item No. 38 X-S Peacock Secondary. Beautiful, large feathers; well matched. $12.95 per pair.
Item No. 39 Peacock Secondary B-grade pairs. These are still quite nice, but have minor flaws. $8.95 per pair.
Item No. 40 X-S Mottled Turkey Tail. (Cinnamon-tipped) all hand-picked by me. $3.95 per pair.
Item No. 41 X-S Fine-speckled Turkey Tail. I hand-pick these as an inexpensive substitute for speckled bustard.
(dark brown with lighter speckling). Supply limited. $7.95 per pair.
Item No. 42 White-tipped Turkey. Grade #1, $10/pair. Grade #2, $8/pair.
Item No. 43 “Tiger” Turkey. Bold black-and-light tan stripes with whitish-buff tips. Striking. Grade #1, $12.95
Item No. 44 Ocellated Turkey. Beautiful and hard to find tail plumes from the Ocellated Turkey of Central America. These make a remarkable substitute for speckled bustard. These are very rare and the supply is limited.
A-Grade Pairs, Large: $55 A-Grade Pairs, Med. $25 Collector’s Grade: $75
Hackle, Spey Hackle, Throat & Collar plumage
Item No. 45 Super-Grade Marabou (“marabou spey hackles”)—simply the best marabou on the market
You would literally have to buy several ounces of the typical fly shop grade marabou to come anywhere close to one bag of my super-popular “marabou spey hackles.” I sort through thousands of marabou plumes looking for the finest quality. These will tie marabou Spey flies and are ideal for any other uses requiring extra-select-grade marabou. Dyed in my vibrant colors, these long plumes come in packs of 50 hand-sorted feathers. Colors: fl. yellow, yellow, fl. orange, hot orange, bright red, claret, hot pink, cerise, purple, kingfisher blue, chartreuse, black.
$9.95 each. (complete 12-color set, $110).
Item No. 46 Jumbo Strung Chinese Neck Hackles.
These awesome strung hackles are the best on the market. Very high quality; beautiful long, glossy, densely fibered hackles with fine stems and perfect amount of web and dyed by me in my vibrant colors:
fl. yellow hot orange magenta chartreuse
yellow bright red purple highlander green
golden yellow claret silver dr. blue gray
orange hot pink kingfisher blue black
fl. orange fl. cerise royal blue white
$5.95 per pack. Complete Set: $110 per all 20 colors
Item No. 47 X-Select Chinese Salmon/steelhead Capes. An economical source of hackles in a full range of sizes. I hand-pick every cape. Yellow, hot orange, hot pink, red, claret, purple, silver dr. blue, kingfisher blue, chartruese, highlander green, gray, white, black. $9.95 each. (2/6/05: No longer available. I have a few colors left in stock—please enqire)
Item No. 48 Steelhead Saddle Patches. These are great for selecting feathers for hackle-tip wings on flies like the Orange Heron; also a great source of glossy hackles. Colors: white, hot orange, red, purple, black. $9.95 each.
Item No. 49 Strung Dyed Schlappen. White, yellow, orange, hot orange, fl. orange, red, crimson, claret, hot pink, cerise, magenta, silver dr. blue, kingfisher blue, royal blue, purple, chartruese, highlander green, gray, black. $4.95 each.
Item No. 50 Dyed Coque—NEW! Rooster side-tail feathers used to tie classic-style Spey flies in steelhead colors. Colors: yellow, hot orange, red, cerise, purple, black. 1-ounce packs (appr. 12 inches strung). Per pack: $12.95 or $70 per set.
Item No. 51 Spey Cock Substitute.—These beautiful, strung jumbo schlappen hackles are nearly identical to the original Spey Rooster hackles used on the classic Spey flies, including the Kings, Riach’s and Speals. Each string includes a variety of natural shades ranging from the rare natural brown to half-bronze, gray and black plumes. Each package includes appr. 3.5 ounces of feathers—you will need to grade through them to pick out the best Spey hackles, but you will find a wealth of excellent feathers. $34.95 each.
Item No. 52 X-S Large Blue Eared Pheasant Hackles. The standard heron substitute. These are all hand-graded, large hackles. Best on the market. Packaged 10 hackles per bag. $11.95 each.