Nick Williams 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 Is there a way to gauge what size hackle I need without purchasing a hackle gauge? I always seem to end up using to big a hackle for my dries, but I would like to not have to spend the money on a piece of metal unless I really have to. So does anyone have any creative methods? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 1. fold the hackle around the hook shank. the barbs of the hackle should be about 1 1/2 times the gap width for a dry fly 2. you can also stroke the hackle fibers so that they a perpendicular to the hackle stem. position the hackle stem parallel to the hook shank. the barbs of the hackle should be about 1 1/2 times the gap width for a dry fly 3. just guess! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 Make your own! Glue a piece of board stock or posterboard to a piece of wood. Use a compass to draw arcs from a central point. Each arc should be 1.5 times the gap of a standard hook (ie Mustad 94840, TMC100...) Place the hook size on each arc and you are ready to go. Needless to say the style and execution of this tool are completely yours. You can have one built in 15 minutes at virtually no cost. Alternatively you can make a gauge from a bit of stiff paper as described by Walt Dette: Make your own using these distances: size d (mm) ------------------ 10 (11) 12 ( 9) 14 (8) 16 (7) 18 (6) 20 (5) Takes about 5 minutes (mostly rounding up material), virtually no cost. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kentuckytroutbum 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 Cabela's has them pretty cheap. Before I bought it, I compared to a friend's Whiting gauge, and it matched perfectly. Or you could borrow one, make a copy and glue to a small piece of 1/4" plywood. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lykos33 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 Flytire's method is the most accurate if you don't want to eyeball it.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilverCreek 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2012 The truth is that hooks from various manufacturer's differ a bit especially in the smaller sizes, and so my size 18 may be a bit different than your size 18. A hackle gauge is not really accurate for all manufacturer's hooks. I don't use them at all and I never have, even as a beginner. A second fact is that hooks are sized by the gap and not the shank length. So a 2XS hook will have a shank that is 2 hook sizes shorter but the same gap. Therefore it will have a 2X wide gap relative to it's shank length. But we proportion materials to the body length of the fly, and this is the shank length of the hook and not the gap. If you proportioned the hackle for an XL or XS hook by the hook gap, you would be off. That is why I say measure the hackle against the shank and not by the hook gap. For a standard dry fly hook, the shank is 1.5 times the hook gap so measuring the length of the hackle as 1.5 times the gap will work, but I still prefer using a single method that will work for XL and XS hooks as well. If you have been tying for a long time, you can just bend the hackle and know what size it is for the hooks you use. It is identical to looking at a tippet and knowing the X size. I can tell a 4X from 5X or a 3X even if the difference is 1/1000 of an inch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dontheo 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 Ok, you are right about hook gaps, there is no consistency. The easiest way is to bend the feather on the hook. But I am anal. I pack rat hooks and have so many of different kinds my tying room looks like a store! What I do is store all my hooks in plastic boxes. I then label the box as to type, size, manufacturer, etc. I also take a cheap dial micrometer and measure the gap, multiply it by 1.5 and write that on the box. Before pulling a hackle off the cape, I just take the dial mic. And check it using the inside gauge similar to checking the hook in the vise with the feather but I don't have to pull the feather off the cape to measure it fight with a full cape. Now to real life. Once you tie for awhile you will not need to measure. I only do this when I am tying something special and want it just right. Like when I tie Catskill flies. Also, the 1.5 is not magic but a reference. You may go 2 times the gap or less. I only tie for myself and for friends for presents so I am always trying for the fun of perfecting the skill. The fish don't care and I have found like the buggier not pretty flies better. It's like a good steak at a restaurant. The steak is charred on the outside, oozing blood, and there is this pretty parsley arrangement on the side. I don't know about you, but the steak is a goner. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene L 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 Buy a hackle gauge. Theyre cheap mount to the vise, and they work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrequentTyer 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 Buy a hackle gauge. Theyre cheap mount to the vise, and they work. I gotta agree with Gene. Plus. you can quickly use the gauge to eye up a hook if you are worried about different manufactures having different gaps. But in my experience any variability is well within the 1.5 -2X window. I use a cheap one that I think I got at Cabelas. I really like the two-toned one that Whiting makes because some times it is hard to see the barbs against the background of the cheap model. But I have yet to be bothered enough to buy a "better" gauge. For me the gauge just insures consistency. Sometimes I'll tie a pattern that has a more substantial thorax and I want the hackle to wrap on top of it. I then decide to use a size smaller hackle. So I don't necessarily always use the gauge to pick the hackle for the hook size, But I like to know all the feathers I do pick are the same size. Also, I don't mount the gauge to the vise. One of the benefits of the gauge over the hook wrap method is that you can gauge the hackle on the skin. I find this more difficult if the gauge is vise mounted. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandflyx 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 I use this perfect hackle on any hook..great for tails, bodies, wings, etc.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dontheo 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 Nick There you go, one end of the spectrum to the other. I would just buy a cheap gauge like suggested. Experiment on the vise and off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandflyx 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2012 should be able to drop a dry fly from about 12" above a table and land upright if its balanced.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilverCreek 0 Report post Posted March 19, 2012 Measure hook length, then measure hackle with the tool below. OR: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites