How to get neck hackles to lay straight

[redfishflyer05 0]

How do you tie neck or saddle hackles to flow straight and not turn out or in on the fly? I tried ironing but didn't completly work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Bruce Derington 0]

Attached is a pic of a standard dry fly. Are you wanting to know how to get them to look like this? I can tell you that you need to position hackle so it sets perpendicular to the hook shank. Maybe you can post a pic of what you have going on.We could meet in the virtual classroom and I can show you how to work with hackles, Call me 248-3987831 Bruce

[redfishflyer05 0]

Tyieng a Sea-Ducer, or trying too. Using long neck or saddle hackles. When I tie em on the hook I put one or two on each side but the feathers have the natural curve and stick way out. Ill attempt a pic later today.

Thanks

[Bruce Derington 0]

Ok , now I understand. There is definately a right way/wrong way for tying those in. Alot has to do with the feathers being used. Let me mess around with it and we can meet in the class room and I'll show you, If you have an interest

[Bruce Derington 0]

Here's a quick video http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/lkdeceiver/

 

Besides, once the fly gets wet things will straighten out

[DHise 0]

Tie them in with the convex face of the feather facing outward. If they are splaying, like a cockroach or seaducer, it is probably because they are being tied with the concave portion of the feather facing outward.

 

Deceiver style flies are my favorite; especially for Giant Trevally.

[Fred H. 0]

A simple way to take the unwanted curve out of a sadle hackle feather is to soak them in warm water for five min. then place them deep in a heavy book and allow them to dry.

[JRG 0]

I always tie mine in shiny side out. They usually will lay straight. My main problem is the feathers usually roll slightly when I tie them in so they're not in vertical alignment. It's easily solved though by pinching the stem flat at the tie in point. Material selection may be key here as well. Softer stems might be a good thing here and of course storing them in a nice snug bag with a board backing will probably help keep em flat.

[steelie 0]

Good Day,

 

I prefer my sea-ducers to have feathers that turn out away from the body, or opposite of a Deciever where the feathers lay flat against the body of the fly. Why? I think it gives a little more motion and kind of gives the impression of a squid vs. a baitfish. And there are plenty of predatory fish that love squid! I have a story about this I will share later in the post...

 

This may sound simplistic or even Zen-like... but let the feather tell you what it wants to do. If it is pretty straight or has very little curveture along its length then it is suited for a bait fish pattern like the Deciever. But if it has a more pronounced curve, then it is better suited for flies that imitate squid. Or a fly that you want motion on the rear end of the fly. Sort of a flutter if you will. When stripped the curved feathers collapse to only rebound between strips.

 

Another thing that can help is a pair of flat needle nose pliers. No ridges. Stip a few barbulles off the end of the feather you plan to tie in and then press the feather in the pliers. This will flatten the stem and aids in tying the feather "flat" so that it is not twisted. But occasionally, you will get a feather that won't even co-operate when this is done. Like a petualant child... haha. I also know people, if they know the feather is clean enough to do so, will actually "nibble" the portion to be tied in with their front teeth to crush the stem so it can be tied in propperly.

 

Now a short story. As I mentioned I like to tie my seaducers with the feathers curving away from the body of the fly. And I like big full red heads too. Well, a few years ago I was living in Singapore. One of my client companies, an office furniture showroom, was having a day of fishing and they knew I liked to fish (but they didn't know about the fly rod! Haha...) and invited me along. It was about a 40' long bum boat. And most everyone was using handlines tipped with shrimp. Then there is me with a 9' Orvis behemouth of a rod by comparison to what they were doing. Then I put on the reel and got even more strange looks, particularly from the boatman/captain. What a strange set up and line I am sure they thought. Fine, let them have the stern, hehe, I will be happy to take the bow! We fished here and there with little luck for the boat. Then we anchored in the Straights of Jahor as the tide was begining to turn to the rise. The current was noticable, but not as brisk as it can get. So I stand on the bow continuing to get strange looks with this line whipping about overhead. I think the boatman thought I was certifiable. After a few casts I feel something very light, but ultimately disappointing, a shell... I was running a T-300 line at the time. About 15 minutes later I feel something again, but limp. A boot, no really, a boot! Ugh, I am starting to feel like I am in a cartoon! So I take a break, have a bottle of water and get back to it. Not five minutes after my break my rod is very nearly torn right out of my hand! (Good thing I had a lariat!) I was really close to having lost that rod! As the scream of the real announces the presence of something truely leviathan in nature the boat wakes up and the others run to see what is going on. Such a huge rod with such a big bend, they were in awe! What could it be? What can make such a big rod bend so much! And this was a down and dirty deep fight. The fish hugged the bottom like a stubborn Pere Marquette brown. The boatman was so taken aback that he was more concerned about watching the fight than pulling the anchor! Which made me a bit concerned, if this fish gets into the anchor line this could be all over. I struggled with all I had to keep the fish from getting to close to the anchor line without breaking my rod. This went on for nearly 25 minutes. Run, regain, run, regain, and again. But the fight was begining to turn my way as the runs were getting shorter. Eventually I felt that the fish had virtually given up and managed to get it to the surface of the water. Shark! And a nice one too! About 3.5 feet long! And that's when I saw that I had to do something that might make me unpopular. The boatman was scrambling for his gaff. Although I may not practice catch and release all the time (Come on, bluegill fried in bacon fat is too good to refuse!) I had too much respect for my opponent in battle to see it end up as shark's fin soup. So I grabbed my scissors and cut the bite tippet much to the horror of many on the boat. But I got to see my foe swim away with gusto, which was fulfilling in it's own right.

 

Steelie