Please help :)

[McRad 0]

Geez I feel dumb asking after all this time. Been tying for at least 10 years and cannot make hackle go on a hook!!!!!! working with it, finding the right size etc. tying Caddis flies, Adams etc. basically any dry or fly that needs hackle with exception of a Wooly Bugger. Hackle of any sort and I do not get along. Because of this i'm totally limited as to what i can tie even though I do tie a lot. Today Ive just had it, actually got up and walked away from the bench which is the exact opposite of what fly fishing and tying is about.......this isnt golf lol!!

 

 

[Odaon 0]

What exactly is your issue?

[McRad 0]

doesnt matter what i do, it twists and turns and generally looks like crap. a soon as I start wrapping it or turning my vise the it starts to twist. I love the way hackle looks on flies. a lot of patterns call for a piece of brown and grizzly put and wrapped together. lol, i find this to be an impossible act. its the one technique that i give up on continually. I can actually screw up hackle on a wooly bugger however its less important on that fly. it matters to me because i like the fly to look good when im done tying it.

[McRad 0]

What exactly is your issue?

im a tad bit over weight and Im married with children, just sayin.

[dontheo 0]

Go to you tube and watch Davie McPhail hackle a fly. I use hackle pliers to, then you can force the twist your way. Don't let the hackle win.

[Piker20 0]

Also are the feathers you are trying twisted at all to begin with? Do you have the same issue tying in with tip and butt?

[McRad 0]

don,

ya Ive got two diff pairs of pliers. will check that vid, thx.

 

Piker,

my hackles all in good shape, even the lesser quality stuff is good. def have some really good size 16 dry fly, it costs a lot and im tired of wasting it. doesnt seem to matter what end i tie in or what kind im using.

[dontheo 0]

That sucker cant twist if you keep a hold on it. I found with the new generic hackle that it sometimes has a mind of its own. They are dead man! Make them comply:).

[switch10 0]

Cut the bottom end of the stem off, and all the fluff/extra long fibers.

 

Trim the bottom 6 or so fibers off both sides. If you strip them off, the stem likes to rotate.

 

Tie it in with the dull side facing you on a 45 degree angle from the hook shank.

 

Rotate your vice counter clockwise.

 

When the hackle twists, un twist it.

[Henry 0]

Hi McRad,

 

If you haven't tried it yet, after each wrap of hackle...groom the hackles back with a pinch of your fingers away from the hook eye. Even moisten your fingers if you have an unruly feather. This procedure creates room for the next wrap and trains the previous wraps to stand up straight. Four or five stacked wraps done in this fashion will give you the effect you're looking for I believe. Beyond this suggestion...I'm at a loss as to how to help you.

 

Henry

[Jimr1961 0]

are you laying down an even thread base to wind the hackle over?

[McRad 0]

Theres no doubt Im my own worst enemy when it comes to hackle.

 

I def clip the first 1" to give a good piece to tie in and strip all the fuzz. I also groom the fibres back before I start to wrap because i want them to stick straight out/up. will def try the groom after wrap procedure.

 

I just cant believe that after 10/15 years i still cant get hackle on a hook.

 

Thx folks, if i ever get it figured out i will post a pic or two.

[McRad 0]

are you laying down an even thread base to wind the hackle over?

yes, when i tie i try to keep everything neat and clean.

[Piker20 0]

As Switch mentioned, don't strip the fluff off but cut it off and angle you snip in toward the stem so that you leave a triangle of is Stubbs, tall side at the butt and tapering in up your hackle. When you tie it in and wind it goes on straight like magic. CRACKAIG showed me this. Might be worth a PM to see if he can send you pics of it. Much easier to do when seen.

[DrVette 0]

If you are using hackle pliers just be sure that you alway keep slight tension (pulling away from hook) and that the pliers never get turned, keeping them at 0 degree angle to the hook shank. Combine that with the stroking back of laid fibers with free hand on each turn should get you there.

Most twisting happens because people are not keeping the entire feather at an even 90 degree angle at all times and/or wrapping over feather stem already wrapped. The stem should be set so that it is right next to the previous wrap of stem on dries...wooly bugs are different and work beeter with webier feathers than dries use.