Dry fly hackle

[Fish For Life 0]

There are so many feathers in the fly shops called "Hackle". i have no clue what type to get for making dry flys like the adams dry fly. what are the feathers called?

 

Thanks

[Jaydub 0]

There are so many feathers in the fly shops called "Hackle". i have no clue what type to get for making dry flys like the adams dry fly. what are the feathers called?

 

Thanks

 

I'd just call it dry fly hackle. You want rooster hackle preferably from a genetic dry fly hackle supplier, like Whiting, Metz, Keough etc.

 

It may be a cape (aka neck) or a saddle. The saddle will have longer feathers but in a limited hook size range. The cape has shorter feathers but a wider range of sizes. Saddles may still be harder to find, due to the hair feather fad. For tying the Adams you can get a half brown cape and a half grizzly cape in one package.

[williamhj 0]

There are so many feathers in the fly shops called "Hackle". i have no clue what type to get for making dry flys like the adams dry fly. what are the feathers called?

 

Thanks

 

Hackle can be confusing as you get started.

 

If you know you are going to tie a small range of flies you can get a saddle. You get multiple flies from one feather and you know each feather in the saddle will work for that hook size. Saddles can be hard to fine and they can be expensive, they are popular for the hair craze. A good alternative if funds are limited as you start is to get 100 packs in the size and color you need (grizzly and brown for adams, and you can use those colors for caddis, stimulators, and parachute hair's ear patterns among others).

 

Alternatively you can get a cape that carries a wide range of sizes. They tend to be rated according to number of useable feathers and size range within the cape. Half capes can be a good way to start. There are a lot of feather ranging from small flies (into the 20's) and up depending on the rating.

 

There are a number of places that sell hackle, but I included links from JS Stockard, one of the forum's sponsors and a good source for tying materials.

[utyer 0]

On a bird, "hackle" feathers are usually those feathers from the neck and upper part of the back. The "hackle" cape comes from the neck, and the "saddle" patch comes from the back. Many upland game birds also supply hackle. Grouse, Quail, Pheasant and Partridge "plumage" is often used as hackle.

 

In fly tying, the hackle could be any of these feathers, and they are generally wound around the hook. There are nymphs and wet flies where these feathers are simply tied under or along the sides of the hook, creating a beard, or throat hackle. In a wooly bugger, a saddle hackle feather is wound around the shank in an open spiral to create a "palmer hackle." In dry flies (and some wet fly patterns,) saddle or neck feathers are wound around the front of the hook.

 

In wet fly patterns (including) streamers, when hackle is used, it is most common to use softer feathers with more "web." These hackles are most often wound so that the individual fibers (called barbs,)are sloping toward the tail of the pattern.

 

For dry flies, the hackle is wound so that the barbs are perpendicular to the hook shank or slightly forward facing. Palmer hackles when used on dry flies should also be more perpendicular to the hook shank.

 

Feathers used as hackles for dry flies should be somewhat stiffer than wet fly hackle, and they should also have very little web. Strung hackles neck or saddle, are usually not suited to dry flies (except as popper hackle.) The best way to get good dry fly hackle is to purchase a neck cape or saddle patch. Some times you can find split necks or saddles. Whiting Farms is one of the better sources of dry fly hackle either necks or saddles. There are many other very good quality domestic growers of dry fly quality hackles. The capes and saddles used for dry flies are all from Rooster Chickens and they are bred and raised just for the quality of their feathers. Imported necks or saddles rarely ever have good dry fly quality hackle, and if they do, the feathers are usually very short.

 

The "size" of a hackle refers to the length of the individual barbs after they are wrapped around the hook. This length should be between 1.5 and 2 times the hook gap (or gape.) The domestic roosters will have a longer usable portion of the feather in any given size than an imported rooster. All the feathers tiers commonly refer to as hackle, have some degree of "web." The web is the softer center portion of the barbs along the stem of the feather. In dry fly hackle you want the web to be less than 25% of the barb length. The portion of the feather with more web than 33% should be stripped off and the feather tied in and wound from that point.

 

The domestic dry fly capes and saddles can be quite expensive, some selling close to $100.00 a saddle for the top grades. There are many fine quality domestic capes from dozens of different growers, and there are lower grades that will supply plenty of fine dry fly hackles.

 

A dry fly saddle is best for larger patterns (size 10 to 16,) and each hackle will have enough usable length to do up to 6 flies. Any single saddle patch will have a limited size range, usually about 4 sizes on any one patch. A dry fly cape will have a much broader range of sizes and the best quality capes will have hackles in sizes for even the smallest hooks. There will be fewer hackles in each size, and some may still tie more than one fly.

 

If you intend to tie a limited range of patterns (12 to 16 for example,) then a saddle patch will work out just fine. If you intend to tie lots of very small flies (size 18 to 26,) then you will want to get a neck cape.

 

For an Adams, you will want a Grizzly, and a Brown Rooster Saddle or Cape. These are often sold as split hackle with one Grizzly, and one Brown in the same package.

 

Here is a link to Grade 2 Metz Saddles.

 

And here is a link to a Bronze Whiting Saddle.

 

A link to a Metz neck grade 3, there are other options.

 

For the wings on an Adams, dry fly hackle tips (as they are grown these days,) are not wide enough. For the traditional wings, use, Indian hen capes show here, or Metz hen capes, don't use the hen saddles.

 

For further reading, here are some good links.

 

 

Hackle link.

 

Hen Hackle explained

Understanding Feathers By Mike Hogue

 

[flytire 0]

Read this

 

http://www.eflytyer.com/materials/feathers.html

[lykos33 0]

Read this

 

http://www.eflytyer.com/materials/feathers.html

 

Superb link flytire!

Murray

[Bruce Derington 0]

Where do you shop, I recommend having the sales staff show the feathers and even possibly show you a quick fly> I have worked in fly shops for many years and we were glad to crank one out(whoa, that doesn't sound right)and explain along the way. If a shop isn't available there are plenty of U-Tube vids that give great illustrations

[mike15851 0]

I personally use Metz microbarb grade 2 saddles and the Whiting Hebert Pro Grade Dry Fly Saddles sold by Harelibe. The last time I bought them was about a year and a half ago and Metz saddles sold for $30 and the hareline ones sold for $20. The metz microbarb saddles are well known for those long thin feathers and the hareline ones you have to be selective, I have found them where the smallest fly they will tie is a 12 or 14 but I have also found them that have feathers that work great for size 22.