Cree patterns

[trevinski 0]

Alright so I had to jump on the bandwagon and get a Cree cape. I know I know....some people think it's a waste but I see there's veryyyy few patterns with Cree. One being in the new fly tyer actually. Can you guys post some pictures of flies you've tied with Cree or some links to patterns?? I will probably just be throwing them on all my normal dries... Adams, Humpys, Cahills, ect. Thanks

[trevinski 0]

It's not a whiting but it looks great to me lol.

[Gene L 0]

There are few cree patterns because cree is kinda rare. Adams is one I can relate to, but the good cree capes are too expensive for me to jump at one.

[trevinski 0]

They must be coming down in price cause this puppy was only $35 on eBay. I was skeptical till it came in but like I said I'm fully satisfied. It came from beaverkill hackle. I remember when the feather hair extension fad was crazy. I just didn't even care to look for one because they were so hard to get your hands on. And paying 6$ a feather was absurd lol.

[flytire 0]

use it for an adams. after that experiment

[RCFetter 0]

That's a beautiful cape. On another forum I read that cree can be used where ever brown is called for.

[mikechell 0]

I keep reading these threads on "Cree" feathers, and I don't understand all the ... confusion? ... interest? ... whatever makes the Cree worth so much. For dry flies, soft hackles, anything you wrap the hackle around ... what's so special?

Once you've palmered the hackle, it's only minimally different than any other barred hackle. You could probably color a white one with markers and it would look just as good on a finished fly.

Where I see a HUGE difference, would be on those streamers that use a single hackle feather down the side for a lateral line, or a few of them in a tail. On those, the unique barring of the Cree could change the whole look of the fly.

But at the price, I don't see many people using up a Cree batch on that type of fly.

 

As usual, I am just voicing my opinion and wonderment at what people will spend money on ... I am not trying to start any arguments.

[SilverCreek 0]

There is a big difference between the current Whiting Crees and the older Crees. The current Cree have a much more distinct barring and the brown portion of the barring is much darker and thicker. In the older cree saddle, the brown barring was thinner and faded into the white.

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

Here is the old saddle.

Close up of newer saddle:

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

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".

[hairwing 0]

Cree hackle and John Atherton are synonymous to me. Check out his book "The Fly and the Fish" (1951).

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=g1SJCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT46&dq=the+fly+and+the+fish&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifppap54vLAhXjr4MKHVLDBjEQ6AEIRTAD#v=onepage&q=the%20fly%20and%20the%20fish&f=false

 

Personally I think the cree hackle is a lot of hokus pokus like so many other things in fly ting but you can be the judge. The cree hackle does tie a nice looking fly if you are into the artsy side of the craft.

[trevinski 0]

yea I think they are just astonishing capes.... I don't tie for the fad of it. I mostly tie just to get my own jollies and catch fish on my own flies hahaha. I also went to art school so I love the artist aspect of fly tying. As for spending money on the cape I actually spent more money on my whiting grizzly dyed coachman saddle than this one so I feel you can get a decent cree cape for a reasonable price if your willling to stray from Metz or Whiting or even Collins. I see some on Ebay right now for around $40

[phg 0]

Cree is over-hyped, over-priced and UNDER-defined. Variant and Cree are often indistinguishable, although there is a technical difference. Most necks I've seen sold as "Cree" would be better described as "Variant," but I have no wish to get deeper into that argument,...

 

...But basically, you can use cree or variant anywhere you would use brown, ginger, grizzly or any combination of brown/grizzly, ginger/grizzly. Feathers with more white can be subbed for grizzly, feathers with more ginger can be subbed for ginger. The barring gives the wound hackle a bit of shimmer that makes them look more alive in the water.

 

Personally, I feel that using barred hackles gets me more strikes than using solid hackles would, but that's purely subjective, and there's absolutely no way I can prove that.

 

Your mileage may vary, etc., etc.

[Kudu 0]

Cool post pics of your flies.

[trevinski 0]

Silver creek you must have a good source to have 3 whiting Crees lol. Nice looking capes that's for sure.

[mvendon 0]

I can't add too much to what's already been listed as far as patterns go. Atherton patterns call for light, medium, and dark cree depending on which one. I've written this before. You can thank internet forums like this one for the rarity of cree capes and saddles. Up until around 2000, they were still being listed and in stock in many shops like the old Hunter's Angling in NH.

 

Everyone thinks they're high priced. Check out the price on this saddle, and that's not the only one they have.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fly-Tying-Vintage-Hoffman-Whiting-Rooster-Signature-Saddle-Light-Ginger-A-/301507231875?hash=item46333b4083:g:jbQAAOSw2s1UyDeO

 

Regards,

Mark

[trevinski 0]

is that for the signature on the top right or is that just the Type of saddle it is ? like from that line of chicken??? kinda lost here.