capes or saddles ?

[SgtQ 0]

What is the best to use for a well rounded wing, Hen cape or saddle?

SgtQ.

[rockworm 0]

SgtQ

 

I use hen neck feather tips. The tips on some capes are rounder than on others, but most have a reasonable shape. I think saddle feather tips are, in general, too wide to make good wings (unless you want to burn them.) But there are probably exceptions. By the way, I think Whiting once developed something called a "Winger" hen just for this purpose. I tried to track these down once, but without success.

[fishaholic69 0]

not trying to take over a post but I am confused also. I wanna be able to make some dry flys and streamers. do I just get a cape or saddle for that? I am not sure what to buy. in pictures saddles look too long and webby to make dry flies? whats the best color of cape or saddle to make a few variations of dry flies plus some hackle for wooley buggers and streamers?

[flykid 0]

For a well rounded wing go with a hen neck.

[rockworm 0]

fishaholic69

 

You have good reason to be confused if you believe that you must choose one or the other.

 

First: Most streamers (which are not bucktails) use long, relatively narrow feathers for their wing. For this purpose, it doesn't matter whether the feathers have a lot of web or not. What is important is the feather shape. You can use either neck or saddle feathers here, provided they are long enough for your hook and have the shape you want.

 

Second: For a dry fly collar you need a (more-or-less) web-free feather. (There are times when a little web is desireable.) Traditionally, cock necks filled this need. Before the days of genetic birds, the saddle feathers were, as you mention, much too webby to make a good dry fly hackle. Moreover, the hackle fibers were not uniform; differing in size greatly from base to top. Today's saddles (Whiting, Metz, Spenser, ...) have virtually no web, are uniform in size from base to tip, and (as you point out) are very long. Long enough to tye several nice dry fly collar hackles. However, you can still buy non-genetic capes and saddles. So there are still saddles out there which are too webby for dry flies.

 

Third: There is a third alternative for dry fly hackles: The hens of the chicken lines bred to produce high quality cock necks share many of the qualities of their male counterparts. The neck feathers have much less web than your typical barnyard chicken. And they have beautifully thin, flexible stems. Although the feather fibers are not quite as stiff as genetic cock, they are probably pretty much equivalent to the feathers used by Theodore Gordon and the other early innovators of the dry fly. Don't hesitate to use your better hen necks for dry fly hackling.

 

[DancesWithHeadCement 0]

Hen neck as the necks afford the greatest range of sizes. This will assist you in tying small and large flies. Saddles are fine but they lack the size range, so you have to downsize the feather manually

[fishaholic69 0]

thanks for clearing that up! say I get a grizzly and brown cape from gander. now that will cover my dry fly hackle and wings and all that? seen hen for cheap on js stockard. maybe could grab that up also. but what can you use as wooley bugger hackle? wanted to make some black flash buggers and got everything except the black hackle you palmer for it. had alot of luck on the one I bought but only have partridge fly hackle in black instead of what the other wooley hackle looks like . mines very webby like marabou not thin and stiffer like the wooley bugger wrap. please give me the name of the stuff so I can grab it up when i go in a few days.

[rockworm 0]

fishaholic

 

The palmered hackle on the WB can be cock neck, cock saddle, or even hen neck. You first concern is whether the feather is long enough for your fly.

 

[fishaholic69 0]

oh I think I get it now.

[Harold Ray 0]

I'm just posting so this discussion will come back to me. I've got to finish reading it!

 

Ray