Leisenring’s Light Snipe and Yellow

This is #9 of Leisenring's 12 favorite patterns as listed in his book.

Light Snipe & Yellow:
Hook: 13, 14
Silk: primrose yellow
Hackle: Jack Snipe from undercovert feathers or lesser covert feathers
Rib: fine gold wire
Body: primrose yellow Button Twist (Corticelli size D shade 3315). I used Ovale primrose silk floss.

Common Snipe and Jack Snipe are different birds. The undercoverts of a Jack Snipe are almost all grey or dun in color ranging from very light to medium. The undercoverts of a Common Snipe are muliticolored or barred with grey/black and white. There are though a few solid dun or grey feathers though and I used those. The color can be replicated with hen feathers but the texture of an undercovert feather is softer. I will let you judge what is important to you in determining a substitute if you don't have common Snipe wings.

The pattern is very similar to Pritt's Snipe Bloa.

Thanks go to Steve Cooper for a picture of a Jack snipe wing next to a Common Snipe wing so I could show the difference. Thanks also go to Lance Hidy, for providing me with a photo of a set of flies tied by James Leisenring that he gifted The Hotel Rapids and which was on display in their main room for years.