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Ebrant10

Platinum and ultra platinum hackle

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!

Hello,

I also own what I BELIEVE to be a platinum grizzly hackle, but you can tell me if it is or not. The hackle is between, like you said Rockworm, size 10 and 20. I recieved it as a beautiful gift from a master tyer who admired what I was doing for being 14, and I hate using it but I have to, for it is the only grizzly cape I own.

 

Thank You and Tight Lines,

Carson LeBoeufaac

Carson,

I'm not sure if it is a platinum or not but it looks like a very good saddle with a lot of useable feathers on it! Ive noticed your flies on the flies from the vice thread, the look great! Tell me, how long have you been tying for? I like you also started at a young age, 11 years old actually. 10 years have passed and I still love to tie as much as when I started!

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Carson

 

Sorry, my bad! I thought we were talking about necks. I guess I should have been more specific: The comment about usable size refered to cock necks and not saddles, which have a much smaller range of hackle sizes. Your saddle does, indeed, look very fine. But I would guess its feathers have a range of maybe #10 to #14 with maybe a few #16?

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most of the higher grades do go to japan, they seem to be able to pay ridiculous amounts of cash for collectables. I have a contact with a whiting dealer, i can ask them if they can get something for you...

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most of the higher grades do go to japan, they seem to be able to pay ridiculous amounts of cash for collectables. I have a contact with a whiting dealer, i can ask them if they can get something for you...

That would be awesome i would really appreciate it.

Evan

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Carson,

I'm not sure if it is a platinum or not but it looks like a very good saddle with a lot of useable feathers on it! Ive noticed your flies on the flies from the vice thread, the look great! Tell me, how long have you been tying for? I like you also started at a young age, 11 years old actually. 10 years have passed and I still love to tie as much as when I started!

 

Thank you, sir! I have been tying for about two years now and I love it! I do a little commercial tying, local and not much, but it keeps me going.:rolleyes:

 

Thank You and Tight Lines,

Carson LeBoeuf

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Carson,

I'm not sure if it is a platinum or not but it looks like a very good saddle with a lot of useable feathers on it! Ive noticed your flies on the flies from the vice thread, the look great! Tell me, how long have you been tying for? I like you also started at a young age, 11 years old actually. 10 years have passed and I still love to tie as much as when I started!

 

Thank you, sir! I have been tying for about two years now and I love it! I do a little commercial tying, local and not much, but it keeps me going.:rolleyes:

 

Thank You and Tight Lines,

Carson LeBoeuf

Carson,

Good! I also did a little commercial tying, it helped out in college the most!

Ill tell you what, i have a half grizzly cape i bought to pull me through my last semester of college. I have a full silver cape now and dont use the half neck anymore and it hasnt been used much. It is a grade 2 metz and is very plentiful in the 20-26 size range with a few 28's on it still. Would it be something you think you would use? I would be more than happy to help you out by giving it to you, if your parents are alright with it also.

Evan

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Anyone own any or ever see one for sale? Wondering how much they are and where to find one if i can

get still searching for that "hackle fix"

Evan

 

I own a Ultra Platinum in grizzly, and have seen and handled a few other Platinum and Ultra Platinum grade capes. I have not seen any lately and had heard that they are no longer available, this is just word of mouth though. The cape that I have was bought about 8 or 10 years ago and I think retail then was around $150.00. I bought this cape to add to my hackle collection, and have never "used" a single hackle from it. I totally understand your "want's" vs. "need's.

 

I do not agree that you have to inspect/handle hackle before you purchase it. Maybe 25+ years ago, but not today. A top hackle breeder like Whiting does not sell a bad cape or saddle, and if one does slip through im sure they would replace it. Even the smaller hackle breeders are producing great quality hackle. The only reason I would need to handle the cape would be if I am looking for a certain color that I needed to match.

 

Good luck, Tony

 

Tony, that is awesome, even finding pictures of these are hard to come by! I had emailed Whitings a few months back, they do still have them out there but they are very rare. Being that yours has some age to it, how would you compare it to todays gold grade necks? Some say the gold of today is what was considered the ultra platinums of yesterday. Ive never seen one in real life, and have been looking for almost a year now with no leads or anything. Thanks for sharing its awesome!

 

 

I do not have a current gold grade cape to compare it too. I do not think my ultra platinum cape has more hackles on it then other grades, but they are very long. I did measure a few hackles so you could compare length, size 20's are mostly 7" to 8" long, 18's are 8" to 9" long, 16's are 7" to 8", and 14's are 6" to 7". This cape is very heavy on the smaller sizes. I do agree that the capes and saddles keep getting better. I still have "genetic" hackle from the 1980's and a #1 grade cape is not even close the being comparable to todays lower/tyers grade capes. The number one grade cape in the 80's cost around $50.00, a Whiting bronze grade today is around $60.00. If you compare what you are getting on a modern day Whiting cape they are cheap.

 

Good luck, Tony

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I know this is an older thread but I happen to have a grizzly and a brown in platinum that have NEVER been used. I spoke with Whiting, they only get a few every year for sale and they go immediately and right now they go for $213, anyone interested make me an offer. I have pics if needed

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Here pics as requested. I've never seen feathers with this length at the very smallest part of the cape. These were hand selected by my father and I on one of our many trips to Whiting Farms (dad owned a fly shop and was on the Whiting Pro Team)

 

20130113_002416.jpg

 

20130113_002440.jpg

 

20130113_002512.jpg

 

20130113_002615.jpg

 

20130113_002716.jpg

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After a couple years of searching, watching one sell for over $600 on an ebay auction i finally found one! This thing is insane, the longest feather is a size 16 that is just over 10 inches long, you literally have to dig through the 16s 18s and 20s to find the 12s and 14s. There is just so many feathers on the thing its wild, i would have loved to see the bird alive, it probably looked like a native american with a full head dress on! But now the real question...what do i do with it? Tie with it, look at it and never pluck a feather, gamble it and put it on an ebay auction and hope i make triple what i paid for it...i feel like a dog that chases cars and i finally caught one. I have no clue what to do with it. Im open to any suggestions...

post-42172-0-22320200-1365450258_thumb.jpg

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Mix it up with my Cape and send it to me LOL. seriously though keep it. If you keep it and tie it'll still be yours after 400 flies and still have feathers to spare. If you sell it you might make a buck but it will be gone and the beauty of lovely things is to have them.

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