A Wild Hair

[Brook]

I've been thinking about earlier discussions about strike indicators, here and on other forums. And just got a wild idea.

What if you took some small porcupine quills. Not the big ones, used as bobbers, but the smaller ones, such as are used for quill embroidery. If you used a small needle to burn a hole in each end, you could then thread a leader through them. They would float, be easy to cast (being barely wider than the leader) and point towards the fly.

A little bright enamal to make them more visible, and you'd be good to go.

Obviously, I haven't tried it. But wondered what y'all think of the idea?

Brook
http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com
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[flygoddess]

Looks good on paper!
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]So what part of the quill do you think would work the best?[/size][/#008000][/font]
[center][inline porcquillsUse.jpg]
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[Brook]

Hard for me to tell from those pix, cuz I have no perspective.

Off-hand, I'd guess the ones on the left are a little too thick, and might affect castability---except maybe the one on the far right in that photo.

The ones on the right, which are like thick hairs, are what I was thinking of. Well, maybe "hairs" overstates it. But they're certainly not as thick as the flyline itself.

If you actually clip off the points, you'll see that they are hollow. For quill embroidery that's what they do, then soak them in water, and flatten them. Native Americans flattened them by pulling them between their front teeth, but few modern quill workers do that.

If you clip the points, I think the holes might be too big. But a hot needle would burn a really small hole (and cauterize it as well.

I'm thinking the whole shebang should be able to friction fit on the leader. Casting won't shift them, but you could move them with your fingers if necessary.

Amazing what you think of when the temps are supposed to be in the 50s, and have plunged to the teens.

Brook
[url "http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/"]http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com[/url]
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