I had just recently used Collins hackle for the first time and had noticed that the hackle didn't look as "full" as it did when tied with some hackle from Whiting that I had. I was a bit concerned about how well the fly would float, as one of my favorite spots to fish is a rather quick flowing area of the stream. I was very pleased not only with the flotation, but the durability of the hackle, as I landed several fish with the fly looking no worse for the wear. The other day I made a pre-order phone call to Charlie and had asked him about about barb density and it's usefulness in flotation. I also mentioned how surprised I was at how well his hackle floated the flies I tied. His response made me smile and think a bit about what he said. Charlie asked me, " What are we trying to do when we tie a fly? Are we trying to imitate an insect or a scrub brush? If we tie a fly in a way to imitate an insect we shouldn't need a scrub brush to float it! " I ordered six #3 necks and saddles and one commercial neck that day to go along with the five Collins neck/saddles that I already have. Now whenever I'm thinking if I should put a couple more turns of hackle on I'm going to smile and ask myself, " Are you imitating an insect or a scrub brush? "
