Un-Real Jungle Cock

I have always been a big fan of jungle cock for many reasons. It adds contrast and the paddle shape of the feather increases movement when tied in correctly. I have never really used it as a finish at the head or forward eye like a baitfish pattern. I have always preferred to use it in the back of the pattern as a focal point near or around the location of the hook like my Dirty Hoh and most of my intruder patterns. It adds black and white contrast and it resembles an eye. I think they are a magical addition to any steelhead or salmon pattern. The only problem is that a quality jungle cock cape with long thin nails are expensive and most capes only have a very limited number of matched sets that are of the length and shape that I prefer for my patterns and used in most of the modern steelhead and salmon patterns. I have used every fake JC I could find and found them too stiff, didn't really like the look or they just fell apart after a few fish. Not only that, none of them would swim due to the shape, length and the thickness of the material they are printed on.

Fast forward to the Aqua Flies Un-Real Jungle Cock.

This was a dream come true. Photographs of real jungle cock in multiple sizes were taken. Then these photos were color corrected and printed on an incredibly durable and flexible waterproof material. This material is supported by a scrim that makes it very tough. The best part of this is that the Un-Real JC comes in multiple sizes and every sheet is all the same size and shape. The longer versions are shaped like a paddle. The stem is long enough to be cut to the desired length and thin enough to allow the eye to paddle or swim in the current along with the rest of the material. Other fake JC is too stiff and just sits there motionless, which can make the pattern spin in the current like a winged bobber

With a range of sizes, it's easy to find one that will work perfectly for your favorite patterns from long and swimmy, to short and sexy for those that like to finish the head with JC. And last, but definitely not least, is that you can use a Sharpie or highlighter to color the front or back of the Un-Real JC this way you can match the color of your fly or give some contrast to the fly. I prefer the hot fluorescent colors; those just so happen to be very UV reflective.

So, if you like jungle cock, but don't like the price, give the Aqua Flies Un-Real JC a try.  

https://jerryfrenchflyfishing.com/collections/fly-tying/products/un-real-jungle-cock