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What flies could I tie with some red and white chinese cape? I bought some thinking it was for dry fly hackle.

 

Thanks

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You may be able to tie some larger dry patterns (color notwithstanding) with the smaller plumes but mostly they will be useful for streamer patterns.

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Yeah, most Chinese capes will tie a size 12 or 14, and sometimes even smaller, but primarily, they have long broad feathers more suitable for feather wing streamers, and tails on poppers and Lefty's Deceivers.

 

One question, for clarity, by 'red' do you mean bright blood red, or do you mean redish-brown, as in Rhode Island Red?

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I've not encountered Chinese rooster neck hackle that would work as "dry" fly hackle on any size fly. Not a lot of web, but the barbs are long and relatively soft in my experience. Very different than Indian rooster necks. If you're tying saltwater, bass, salmon/steelhead flies, I'm sure you'll find good use for them.

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If there is more web than you want for a dry fly and if the tips of the feathers are a bit rounded you might find you have one of those Chinese capes that ties nice feather-wing streamers like a Black Ghost or Red Ghost. Often people buy capes to tie streamers with if they can find the right feather shape and web. The full cape allows you to tie all the sizes from small size 8 & 10 streamers up through to trolling streamers.

 

The real small feathers down bottom (actually on top guess) on the white cape can be used for wings on mayflies and ants - maybe spinners and the real small ones on the red cape can be used for the Light and Dark Edson Tigers (streamers).

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Would they be suitable for tying soft hackles?

 

there are "soft hackle" flies that use dry fly hackle for a different effect so why not a chinese hackle. go for it

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