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3. pet fur for flies, Page 2

Cali-cat would likely sever one of my fingers if I EVER tried to extract a whisker from her face. I've been bitten by her before - thankfully, only once - and she bites REAL HARD.

CaseyP, I'm thinking crayfish antennae or maybe for those little caddisflies with the extra-long antennae. Cali's whiskers are white - are all cats' whiskers white??? - so I would have to take a Sharpie pen or dye them or something to get other colors.

Hmmmm, I wonder if you could use them like a stripped feather quill and wrap them around the hook for a segmented-looking body? Yet another way to tie my beloved White Wulffs...

Jonathon

mostly, i think. we had one young cat whose whiskers were part gray and part white; it gave him a very unorganized look. most cats look pretty well put together, but not this rag bag. he was unique in many ways and died too young. lately his replacement's whiskers have either been breaking or getting bitten off by his house-mate. that looks funny too.

it would seem possible to color the whiskers whatever you want with those prismacolor pens.

I suppose if one wanted to get REALLY nuts one could get one of those superfine-point pens - the kind I used to use for labeling insect specimens during my more active entomology days - and draw little segments on them...or wrap some superfine wire or thread on them?

Hmmm, CaseyP, we might just have to have ourselves a "cat-whisker fly challenge" for those troutnutters out there who happen to have feline creatures in their lives. Mine is currently sitting over by Dad's old "gun bench" staring at me, blinking her eyes whenever I say, "Pretty kitty!"

Jonathon

Jonathon, you just might have an idea there. looking at current felines, i discovered one has two-tone whiskers. the fly could be the "Ricky Ricardo Jacket."

only problem: i don't know how to get hold of the whiskers "legally".

Casey, if your fly is constructed with the whiskers/fur from one of your pixie bobs, you could call it the "Bobalu." Then you could cast it to a promising lie while calling out "Oh, Luuucy...!" However, should you be overheard by some of the younger members of the fly-fishing community, that might leave you with "some 'splainin' to do." :)

not if they're Jimmy Buffet fans. oh--right--that's still the wrong generation!

well, i'll just smile like they're supposed to know what i'm talking about. that's what we curmugeons do, isn't it? i'm still practicing!

Watch your fingers there, CaseyP - you don't want to sustain enough damage to keep you from tying those #16 Royal Wulffs...

Jonathon

in the immortal words of my sainted grandfather,