SilverCreek

I made a post many years ago on buying and grading hackle. It is not longer available so I cannot link to it, Here is what is what I wrote: 1. You must know what patterns you actually use enough of, so that tyeing your own would save you the most money. 2. Then you must decide what sizes of those patterns you use enough of, that tyeing your own would save you the most money. Once you know that, you will know what kind of hackle to buy. For example, I use parachute dry flies much more often than the Catskill type of dry flies. Most mayflies that I fish are size 12-16. I also have some midge patterns like Griffith's Gnat. Size 14 to 16 are the sizes I use most often so I can use the same hackle for my parachutes. Saddles will tie 3 sizes of flies. Most of the hackle will be one size with some that are 1 size larger and 1 size smaller. Therefore a saddle that is centered on size 14 will have mostly size 14 with some size 12 and some size 16. So I buy size 14 saddles in the colors for the dry flies I want to tie. Since the parachute hackle on dry flies DO NOT represent the wings of the mayfly, you can even tie a fly that is larger or smaller than the size you should use if you just need a few flies our of the size range of the hackle and don't want to buy the proper size. Then there is the quality of the hackle to consider. It used to be that hackle came in grade 1,2, and 3 with grade 1 being the best and most expensive. Now there is "Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze" as the top grades for Whiting hackle and below that is the "Pro grade". I buy the Pro grade hackle. I have tied for over 40 years and I know how to grade hackle. Hackle graders have to work fast and they make mistakes. Sometimes they overgrade hackle and sometimes they under grade hackle. So I try to find the hackle that is undergraded so I get even more of a bargain like a bronze saddle for the cost of a pro grade saddle. Here is a crash course on grading hackle. In 50 years of fly tying I've seen a lot of hackle. It pays to learn how to "grade" hackle and I think anyone can learn to do it. Grading hackle is a matter of actually taking the necks and saddles out of the package and inspecting them for barb length, barb density, and whether the stems will twist when wrapped, etc. I always take a white lined 3x5 index card with me. I use white unlined side as a background when I spread the hackle feather to gauge the hackle length and quality. A white background really helps as does a pair of reading glasses for magnification. It helps me see any subtle irregularity in the hackle like curved tips. The lined side of the 3x5 card can be used by beginners for measuring hackle sizes by placing marker vertical lines on the horizontal lines of the card for the hooks you actually use. Place the hooks on the horizontal lines on the card and mark and label the sizes. Then you will have a hook gauge that is customized for your own hooks. You can also use this gauge for choosing which hackle to pull of the neck or saddle to use when tying. Without removing the feather from the neck, bend individual feathers into an arc and compare the length of the individual hackle fibers against the 3x5” white card or home made hackle gauge. I don’t need a gauge but a beginner should use one. Measure the feathers at the top (narrowest) portion of the neck to see what the smallest fly can be tied. Also estimate the number of those feathers on the the neck. Better hackles have minimal webbing at the base. You don't want to use that portion of the hackle which has over 20-25% of its length taken up by webbing so only that portion of the feather that has less than this is useable. So grade the neck by the length of the USEABLE hackle and not the gross feather length. Note also the density of hackle fibers per length of feather. Denser hackle requires fewer turns to get the same floatation. Also look at the tips of the individual fibers. They should not be hooked but straight and sharp. Gauge the stiffness of the hackle by pushing against your lips which are more sensitive than your fingers. Stiffer is better. Try to get some sense of whether the hackle stem will twist when wound around a hook. The longer feathers will give you a sense of this when bent into an arc. Check the coloration of the neck. It should be consistent without mottling if possible. Look at the feathers underneath the surface feathers to see if there is color variation. Another part is knowing what the color looks like on the cape or saddle and what it looks like on the hook. Because the feathers are layered, the colors are darker on the skin. Pay attention when you tie to the color on the skin and the color on the hook when you tie. Then pay attention to the color on the skin and how they actual feather looks like when separated and bent when you are grading the hackle. If you can take the hackle package to a window that has some natural light coming in, you will get a truer impression of the color that under artificial light. Learn by handling necks and saddles so you know what the grades are and how they differ. It is experience. For me, I look for necks and saddles that are under graded. I want an cheaper neck or saddle that is better than it's price and grade. I mainly buy prograde necks and saddles because I know what I am looking for. For example, if I need hackle for a size 14 dry fly (the most popular size) I look for a saddle that has lots of size 14's and relatively fewer 12s and 16s. For example, there will be pro grade necks with more 16 than 14s and I do not buy those. The ability bend a saddle and quickly tell the dominant size allows me to go through a bunch and pick the best one for me. There is also a reason for a beginner to try pro grade necks and saddles. The reason is that the beginner needs to buy more colors of hackle than a long time tyer that already has a supply of hackle and is looking to add a specific size or color to replace or add to his supply. So for a beginner, they can get a wider selection of color and sizes for the same amount of money and get the best "bang for their buck".

I don't think anything has changed. If anything, cheaper saddles have even better and the study is even more accurate. Pro grade hackle is the best buy. Dry fly hackle has gotten so good that the cheaper grades are sufficient. After you have caught a few trout with a dry fly, the hackle is smashed up and any subtle advantage a premium hackle has is no longer present. The most popular dry fly pattern in the USA is NOT a standard Catskill pattern with palmered upright hackle. Parachute dry flies outsell Catskill dry flies by a wide margin. A size 14 parachute Adams is the most popular dry fly sold. Why is this true? The reason is that a parachute fly has the hackle ABOVE the body and the fly body is NOT on top of the film as with a standard dry fly. A parachute fly has the fly body IN the film. My best friend, Gary Borger, wrote an article on the stages of emergence and wrote the book, "Fishing The Film". I read his drafts and helped edit the book. In it he explains why the parachute is not a dry fly but a late stage emerger. Here is the book he gave me. You can go to this link to see a post about parachute flies in his blog: https://www.garyborger.com/2016/09/09/parachute-flies-stage-3-emerger/#jp-carousel-6393 Parachutes DO NOT need premium hackle. Cheaper grades of saddle hackle are sufficient because the hackles are longer and a single saddle hackle can tie more flies per hackle than a sincle neck hackle. Plus saddles are cheaper than necks.

I buy saddle hackle. Saddles have larger size hackle that are centered on one one size and then many one size smaller and one size larger. Plus one hackle will tie many flies because the hackles are longer. I buy the cheapest grade which is the professional grade and that is not available in most fly shops. Hebert Miner hackle is generally has larger sized hackle than Whiting and I buy their professional grade. Here is a study done years ago on the cost of hackle.

Flexament is clear so you cannot make Flexament with Goop which is a tannish color. To make DIY Flexament, you start with Aquaseal which cures clear. The thinner that is sold for Aquaseal is Cotol 240. Here is the MSDS for Cotol 240. Note that the main ingredient is Toluene. There is a minute amount of Dibutyltin Dilaurate which is the catalyst to speed up cure time. You really don't need the Dibutyltin Dilaurate. Here is the Material Safety Data Sheet for Aquaseal/ https://www.nrs.com/assets/downloads/msds/cotol-ghs.pdf

Thanks Bob, I didn't know that but after your post I found this: "And to support these long feathers, Whiting’s birds are bred with longer legs so they won’t trample that prized plumage." https://www.fieldandstream.com/fishing/perfect-feathers-for-fly-tiers

Here's Dr.Tom Whiting with a Cree Rooster. Normal length legs. Look at the length of the saddle hackle. They are raised in cages so they can't fight each other and the crap drops thought the bottom of the cage so they keep clean. The workers have to decontaminate themselves and wear sterile clothing to keep the birds from getting avian flu. So basically, the workers are in "reverse isolation" like nurses and doctors would be when working with immune compromised transplant or leukemia patients.

An Englishman staggers, ashen-faced, into a roadside bar, demanding a large brandy. The barman is concerned. “Well” says the man, “I was just driving along and my BMW suddenly gave up the ghost! So I cruised into the layby just along the road here, and opened the bonnet. But I have no idea how these modern cars work! I was about to call the Automobile Association when I saw two horses come up to the fence and peer at the engine. And one of them actually spoke! Clear as day! Couldn’t believe my ears!” “Oh, yes – what did it say?” “Well, this is the extraordinary thing – it told me to press down on some bit of plastic until I heard a click. So I did that – and then this horse told me to try the engine – and it started immediately!” “Ah,” said the barman. “And tell me, what colour was this horse?” “Colour? Colour? Whatever do you mean? The damn’ thing spoke to me, clear as day! In fact, it was a brown horse!” “Thought so,” says the barman, polishing the next batch of glasses. “Thought so? Didn’t you hear what I was saying? This horse dam’ well spoke to me!” “Well”, says the barman, “I thought it would be her. The white one knows nothing about BMW ignition systems!”

Go into you medicine cabinet and look at the bottle of rubbing alcohol. It has water in it. You don't want water in your head cement. Use nail polish thinner. Go to a beauty salon and buy Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner. https://www.sallybeauty.com/nails/nail-color/nail-color-remover-and-thinner/nail-polish-thinner/SBS-163400.html Here is a previous post I made: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=84206&p=674888

2 SUVs, 1 Honda Minivan

Glad to hear the good news. Prayers sent.

I've caught bats with my fly when fishing at night. I've also hit swallows with my fly rod while fishing the San Juan River. the hatches are so heavy, they lfy over the river eating the flying bugs.

My wife and I visited Italy with a trip through the wine country and then down to Pisa, Rome and then to Pompei. Some photos our trip to from Rome and Italy. Where Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Forum. Romans still leave flowers. Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. Excavated victim of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompie in 79 AD.

I would recommend getting both a passport book and a passport card. You keep the card in a secure place like the hotel safe so that if your passport ever gets stolen or lost, you can take your passport card to the local US consulate and get a duplicate passport book,

The Morrish Hopper is one of the most effective hopper patterns I tie. It is difficult but worth it in my opinion. I tie them for hoppers as well as the Salmon Stone fly and the Yellow Sallie Stone fly hatches on the Madison River This version is one I tied for the Salmon Stone fly. Hopper version. Instructions below: https://hopperfishing.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/how-to-tie-the-morrishs-hopper/