MAINE - Life in the Slow Lane
Dave
Right now I am not doing much tying so I am not a good source for an answer. But if have the choice of real or artifical I will always go with the real.
Lee
Dave
I tie with both but mostly natural. I do love Crystal Flash and it works well in a salmon fly.
Mike
I have to agree there are times when synthetic works better then natural. I like to tye most of my flies natural. Its funny I have heard some fly fisherman say unless your dry fly fishing then your not fly fishing. I say what ever catches the fish i'll use except a can of worms. 
Yah Garden Hackle is not nice stuff.
Lee
Hi Dave
Seems that over the past few years traditional flies have changed.
Innovative fly tiers have discovered new materials that can be very
successfully incorporated into old and new patterns. I also use
crystal flash to add a little sparkle to the odd salmon fly. Heck, I
even saved a bag that parts for my puter came in....As well as some
of those holographic icicles from last years Xmas tree. The only
thing that aggravates me is that they have to rename the material.
I asked a prominent tackle shop owner what they were using for
the bodies of their whiskers flies.. His response was "only the finest
of polypropolene fibres"...Why didn't he just say phentex?..Available
for a buck a skein at the haberdashery across the street.
Stephen
Oh how true,, I guess they have to make a living to. Yes I must admit I have raided the kids easter basket for the plastic grass. 
I have come across in my travels people who only tye with natural materails because they believe this to be the only way to keep fly tying traditionally pure. I have also come across others who don't really care what materails they use as long as it catches fish. What catagory would you fall under. Myself I like to use natural but will use synthetic if it works better in place of the natural feather or fur
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was
cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.
On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words,
and some of the words are theirs.