Whiting Spey Hackle

[joelst 0]

has anyone tried the new Whiting Spey Hackle capes? how long are the fibers? how do they compare to Blue Eared Pheasant for spey flies?

thought i would ask before shelling out $30 to $20 for one.

thanks, joelst

[Brewer 0]

IMHO, it isnt worth it, i bought one in the summer, and its crap...you can buy silkie hens, (and thats what they are), for a couple of bucks each, skin them, dye the hide, put the breast on the bbq, and enjoy.

[Fishigan 0]

someone gave me a sample of it and it wasn't even close to BEP. I personally didn't like it.

[Frank G. Swarner III 0]

I like them. Not the easiest to work with because the stems are so fine. Very litte bulk and they cut into the dubbing nicely when wrapping. As said before, they are delicate and you have to be gentle with fibers while tying, but I haven't had a stem break on me.

 

If I want the hackle to look thicker I use two feathers and the bulk on the body still isn't too bad.

 

I had some of the first spey saddles when they came out a few years ago and they really sucked, but they seem to be getting better.

 

Mind you, I have the mid grade and I am happy with it. There is a ton of feathers on the capes too.

 

Definitely doesn't compare to BEP, but I bet it will be in upcoming years.

 

Chip

 

 

[skunkaroo 0]

Another negative. I picked one up last year. The feathers (on the one I got) were useless.

 

I went out and bought a jumbo BEP pelt in disgust.

 

Aaron

[Shaq 0]

I sent one back to whiting because I thought it was such crap. They sent me a replacement. I use them for small speys I use for landlocks, 6, 8, 10. Even WHiting has stopped marketing the saddles as spey, there new bird fur is the saddle of the spey chickens. They are marketing it against craft fur for saltwater flies.

 

If you want a REAL whispy low water type spey, they do work but they are nothing like BEP.

 

You can now get dyed BEP in packs of ten feathers from stone river outfitters (Hunters) and they are choice.

[Hywel 0]

Unless the genetics at Whiting Farms has improved dramatically I'll never buy one of their Spey capes again.

 

The last two I purchased were completely worthless and are residing in a land fill somewhere.

 

The best investment I've ever made for Spey hackle has been a B.E.P. cape - spendy to be sure, but worth it.

 

Hywel

[CapeBSalar 0]

Interesting topic guys, I've been wondering about these myself, Lately I've been using alot of Burnt Spey Hackle and I am liking the results. Of course nothing like blue eared but it has it's own unique whispy properties and I like it very much.

 

good topic!!

[Guest]

At this point the Whiting Spey capes are worthless to me. If they could get the barbs to be stiffer, more like dry fly hackle, then they would be just about everything a Spey fly tyer could ask for. Bill