Hackle Questions

[snboggs 0]

Ok. so I've never used alot of hackle in my tying but I'm starting to explore it and I'm rather overwhelmed by it all. Whats the difference in everything? Rooster vs. Hen. Cape, Neck, Saddle. What does it all mean. Anyone willing to offer a crash course in feathers or point me in the direction of someone who's already done this? Thanks!

[Fred H. 0]

snboggs, I also am no expert.But when I am tying a new pattern ,and I'm unsure of the materials ,I call James at J. Stochard and ask him. He can tell you the differences in the hackle and why they are use for different flies.

[phishtales 0]

I would much appreciate any insight here by folks with more experience than me. I spent a little time researching the differences between hen/rooster and cape/neck/saddle. Based on at least one of my initial purchases, I didn't fully appreciate the differences.

 

I think ....

hen-soft hackle, used for wet flies

rooster-dry hackle, used for dry flies

 

cape,neck, saddle are all hackle (feathers) and reference different areas of the bird which produce slightly different feathers.

 

cape or neck generally provide the long, thin feathers used for dry flies.

 

 

Phishtales

[SkinnyPole 0]

Here is some basic info that might help

 

http://derekspace.net/hacksel.htm

 

Good Luck

 

Skinny

[Mickalo 0]

Hey Skinny, that is a great site and from a beginner's point of view, it's very easy to follow and understand. Thanks for posting the link. Bookmarked this site for sure!

 

Mike

[Cagolddigger 0]

Great info.

 

Thanks.

[snboggs 0]

Thanks for posting the link. It helped alot. Still kinda confused though. Perhaps I'm a lost cause...

[Guest]

Here's a great article on hackle by Denny Conrad's Daughter Liz of Conranch Hackle

 

http://www.conranch.com/hackle_article.html

 

Fatman

[dwiltshire 0]

Hackles are a minefield and you could spend thousands on them. My best advice is firstly to buy the best you can afford and buy a small slection based on the sorts of flies you'll fish with.

 

If you tied lots of dry flies between #20 and #12 try to buy a genetic cock/rooster cape. 'Which colour?' I hear you cry. Well you could go alot further wrong than buying a brown or furnace cape. I really like 'grizzly badger' - a black and white barred colour. Really useful for loads of dry flies due to their stiffness and very thin stem and loads of fibres - helps the dry fly to hold in the surface film.

 

Remember as well, choose a hackle for wet flies - if you fish them. I'd choose a hen saddle - slightly longer, softer hackles with more movement in them than a cock cape. Useful when palmering a fly.

 

Don't forget though, many, many wet flies can use hackles from other birds: partridge, woodock, starling...well most birds. These give really nice soft fibres that pulsate in the water.

 

Just select a few that suit your needs and work with them. Then add to your collection...until you realise you have so many, you need to insure them... Enjoy.

[Aquatic Imitations 0]

I've been tying for over 45 years so I'll do my best to answer the basics. First, let's split hackle into two catagories, Rooster and Hen. Rooster hackle has stiffer barbs and is used primarily in tying dry flies, the tail and the hackle collar make the dry fly stand up on the waters surface.

 

Hen hackle is much softer and is primarily used as hackle collars on wet flies, streamer wings, wing cases

and legs for nymphs.

 

There are numerous breeders that raise chickens, both roosters and hens, that have been specifically bred

to produce quality hackle materials. Some of these breeders are Whitting, Metz, Collins, Spencer and the list goes on. On Whitting's website, www.whittingfarms.com, they have an exceptional history of their company,

and what they offer in the way of products and colors. I've spent thousands of dollars over the years buying

Rooster necks, rooster saddles, hen necks and hen backs seaching for what I felt the perfect hackle would be. Here is what I've found: Quality wise it is tough to find anything better than Whitting hackle but the down side is that it is more expensive and most of the others. I cannot justify spending $60.00 to $100.00

for a top of the line rooster neck when a lesser grade of the same color neck may cost $25.00 and provide

the same results. Rooster necks provide much smaller hackle feathers than a rooster saddle does. Most

good quality saddles will provide hackle feathers that you can tie dry flies down to the size 16 or 18 range

but very seldom anything smaller. A good quality rooster neck should provide hackle feathers that you can tie down into the 22 to 26 range. Once again, the rooster neck is more expensive than a rooster saddle

so if you plan on only tying dry flies in the 12, 14, 16 and 18 range, the the rooster saddle is a better value

for your money.

 

I currently have more than 50 dry fly necks, probably over 25 rooster saddles, 30 hen backs and 25 hen necks in just about every and any color, including numerous ones that I have custom dyed to the color I needed to match for the insects that hatch off the local streams I fish here in central Pennsylvania.

I will share this with you. For the dollar, I have not found any better dry or wet fly hackle than the

Herbert Miner (Whitting Farms) Pro Grade necks. They normally cost about $23.00 to $25.00 each and

are of exceptional quality. If I can be of any further assistance, fell free to e-mail me. You also may want to go on line to Google and type in the word Fly Tying Hackle. There are several good articles that I think you would find of value.