Starting Dry flies

[bluegill576 0]

The cape will have a better range but I would not get one of those because they are not that good quality feathers.

 

I beg to differ! Whiting capes are pretty much the best quality on the market. And personally, I prefer to tye my dry flies with feathers from a cape.

That's not what I meant. I meant that the whiting intro pack was not that good of quality. I would get them separately if you want better a better amount of feathers and more consistent ones.

[MVHagey 0]

Not to hijack the thread, but my Metz hackle capes seem to be a lot better quality than the Whiting ones I've seen, why does everyone consider Whiting to be the best?

[perchjerker 0]

Thanks for the tips; but I have a lifetime's supply of great Chinese and Indian necks in stock. I have the cape of a grizzly bantam that has to be the best winging feathers I have ever seen. Thanks to a cousin who also ties! Needles to say, I use it judiciously!

 

It is quite nice to learn of the attributes of the various breeders feathers, as I can pass this info along to the students in our club's fly tying courses.

 

Regards

[JSzymczyk 0]

Not to hijack the thread, but my Metz hackle capes seem to be a lot better quality than the Whiting ones I've seen, why does everyone consider Whiting to be the best?

 

 

IMO... several years back, and for quite a few years duration, Metz had some quality control issues at the same time Whiting was really coming on strong. Those were definitely the two BIG NAMES in hackle. Perhaps today the Metz feathers are just as good in every way as Whiting, but due to the past, people who remember when there WAS a quality difference seem to hold that memory. No matter what anyone says, a saddle or a cape are still fairly expensive (in the words of my beautiful and talented wife, "YOU PAID $70 FOR THAT!!??) and folks stick with the quality they know is there. Younger tyers no doubt see more advertising and discussion about Whiting than any other producer. Whiting also heavily marketed the "100 Packs" when the saddle hackles got good enough for dry flies, for most people at that time $13 to $15 for a 100 Pack was a lot easier to fork over than the cost for a full skin, even though a lot of folks (including me) prefer neck hackles to saddle hackles for dry flies. So, my short answer to your question would have to be Quality and Marketing. Whiting was able to position himself to become the standard by which all others are judged, in a relatively small niche market. That's just the way it is.

 

FWIW, I have a few Metz #2 Grade saddles from the late 80's early 90's which are the absolute best quality bugger hackle I've ever seen. Back then they were around $20 if I remember right, which was a lot of money to me!

[perchjerker 0]

ikerajala:

 

The size of the hook determines the size of the requisite feather, and yes, the tiny feathers on the upper part of the cape are too small for most wing sizes. You are also correct in that the feathers along the margin of the cape will typically have rounded tips. However, in the Chinese and Indian capes, all feathers on the cape have rounded tipped feathers; some just more rounded than others. It should be remembered that these capes come from birds slaughtered for table fare, and are 'barnyard run' chickens. They are not raised for their feathers. This is an 'after-market' bonus to the farmer.

 

I'm sure you have heard the expression about "using everything from the slaughtered hog; including the squeal". These necks are the "squeal" from the chicken.

 

Cheers

[Bruce Derington 0]

100 packs are great when tying 100's of flies the same size, but I think a tyers grade rooster neck is more versatile. Use hen necks for wings is a good bet. These wings are tied with grizzle hen neck, and the hackle is from tyers grade rooster neck

 

Cool, ty. What size are those?

 

Those are size 16 and I did use Whiting Hen Cape and feel the wing profile is fine, compared to rooster hackle tips

[Markbob 0]

Wow, thanks for all the feed back everyone. At the moment, it doesnt seem to matter too much because I am stuggling to find any good hen necks for the wings or the introductory capes that I would like to try. Seems the hair craze still has us out of pocket.

[Al Beatty 0]

Wow, thanks for all the feed back everyone. At the moment, it doesnt seem to matter too much because I am stuggling to find any good hen necks for the wings or the introductory capes that I would like to try. Seems the hair craze still has us out of pocket.

 

Hi Markbob,

 

If you decide to go the Whiting 100 route you could use fibers from a mallard flank feather to tie a set of post wings rather than a set of hackle point wings. Just another thought. Take care & ...