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lostnwilderness

Parachute hackles?

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Forgive me for asking an ignorant question but why go with 2 hackles as opposed to just 1? I understand grizzly is the most popular and for good reason with the contrast it brings. But, what are your feelings just going plain grizzly as opposed to grizz and brown? Or just brown as opposed to brown and ginger? For a parachute pattern do you think you would lose a lot? I know the fish are the final judge but what are your thoughts???

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I had that same question when I first started tying the Adams dry fly -- I tied a few with just the grizzly and they didn't look right to me --the hackle reflected too much light for my taste. It looked almost pure white in sunlight. The brown, I think, balances the tendency of the grizzly to break up and diffuse the light. If you don't want to deal with wrapping two hackles on each fly, there are a lot of hackle "variant" hackle colors now that will provide very close to the same effect of the brown-grizzly (or ginger-grizzly or whatever). The original one of these was the highly sought-after "Cree" color, which occurs only once in every two bazillion roosters or some such ridiculous thing, which is why it's so expensive. Nowadays, however, there are lots of variants that look very close and are much cheaper. Check out Collins Hackle Farm -- they have some cool variant colors and their prices are unbeatable for the quality you get.

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Here's a current Whiting Bronze Cree Saddle and a Silver Cree Neck.

 

CreeNeckSaddle.jpg

 

 

Here is the old saddle.

 

OldSaddle.jpg

 

 

 

Close up of newer saddle:

 

Saddleclose.jpg

 

 

Close up of older saddle. Notice how the brown barring gradually fades into the white.

 

Closeoldsaddle.jpg

 

When tied to a fly, the newer hackle looks way better. The older saddle looks good in the package but because of the very distinct transition from dark to light on the newer hackle, the hackled flies really "pop".

 

The dams is tied with brown and grizzly because the grizzly gives the hackle a variegated appearance over layed on the brown base. A natural insect is not one color but is mottled.

 

mayfly.jpg

 

The%20March%20Brown%20Mayfly-Yakima.jpg

 

mayfly.jpg

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Hi lostnwilderness,

 

For a standard tie of the Adams, I would use both brown and grizzly. For parachutes, I only use grizzly since using both is a waste of one hackle. It used to be my number one trout catching pattern till last year. When it has just grizzly, it's called a gulper adams. Trout are not going to notice slight variations of color when looking up at the bottom of a parachute pattern. If your trying to fish a sulphur hatch with an adams, your not going to do very well since obviously there's a huge difference in color.

 

Tie them so the hackle tips go to all the way to the bend of the hook. Try to stay nice and low near where the post is tied. The parachutes you see that are wrapped halfway up the post are more waste. Tie them with the feather concave side up, and some down for different effects while they float. Tie some of your bodies fat and others thin in the same sizes. Try different body colors too. Charlie Craven has one of the best ways of tying them off.

 

If SilverCreek reads this, that one saddle is a dark cree and the older one is a light. Many folks think that cree is the rarest color out there as far as hackle goes, but according to Dr. Tom Whiting that isn't it.

 

Regards,

Mark

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Have any of yall ever used the "gallows" made by Dyna-King? Any feedback?

 

You'll find that one parachute tool is much like another. You can splash the cash for a fancy one or make one from coat hanger wire. (Wrap it around the vice stem 3 times and bend it in a curve up and over your vice. Make a hook on the end to hang your hackle pliers. If you make it with a single long curve it will act as its own spring.)

 

That said I see no need for a gallows tool! Presuming you are right handed clip what you want to hold with hackle pliers, rest the heal of your left hand on the back of your vice, stick out your left index finger and put the hackle pliers onto it.

 

Even simpler. If you stiffen the post with thread wraps you don't need to hold the wing up. Not having to work through the loop from the gallows tool to wing makes winding a hackle much easier.

 

Cheers,

C.

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Have any of yall ever used the "gallows" made by Dyna-King? Any feedback?

I made my own gallows with a wire coat hanger. It works just great! :)

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