Red Cree Saddle Hackle

[Quacker 0]

I want to tie a pattern that calls for Red Cree hackle. Does anyone know what this hackle looks like or what would be a good substitute for it? The guys at Feather Craft in St Louis had never heard of this.

[flytire 0]

could it be a dyed red cree hackle?

 

show a photo of the fly or recipe

[mvendon 0]

Over in the UK, many brown colored capes are called red game and come in various shades of it. It's more than likely that it's a cree saddle that has more of the brown color in it. The color isn't going to make a huge difference if it's a dry fly and has the hackle wrapped. If it's a streamer feather wing, you would want something reasonably close. Barred ginger would work well. I would be surprised if someone dyed a cree hackle since they look really nice just the way they are. They dye JC capes though, and I don't get that either.

 

Regards,

Mark

[Quacker 0]

It's used as the outside feather of a 6 feather tail on a Whitlock Matuka Sculpin. I don't think this is a dyed color, cree capes and saddles are too hard to find. I also don't think this is really red, I think it's named Red Cree. Unfortunately I can't find a clear picture of this fly that shows the colors clearly.

 

Thanks for your responses,

 

Jim

[flytire 0]

i'd use dyed grizzly and be done with it. save the cree for something else

 

 

you can find it here

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern12951.html

 

more here

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=whitlock%27s+matuka+sculpin&biw=1600&bih=775&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI9obghu_MAhUIHlIKHa5FDQEQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=cvLbi9hdrADcJM%3A

 

Whitlock Matuka Sculpin
Another of Dave Whitlock’s realistic and effective fly patterns. Since we all can’t tie like Dave, keeping the proportions and materials the same will make the fly just as productive. The flat trimmed deer hair head coupled with a slender body and waving hackle tail looks just like a sculpin when hopped along the bottom. The original pattern calls for a combination of colors for the head but dark brown, olive or black markers can be used on top while leaving the bottom in lighter tones. Try moistening the wing feathers before running the rib through, it’s a lot easier. Usually tied heavily weighted, but non weighted versions fished with weighted leaders can be more animated when retrieved with a dart and pause action. Great for early mornings and overcast days, the hard working streamer fisherman can find big rewards with this one.

 

Hook: Tiemco 300, 5263 or Dai Riki 700 or 710, sizes 2-6, weighted or unweighted
Thread: Size A or 3/0, Black
Body: Cream Sparkle yarn
Rib: Copper wire
Eyes: Doll or audible—burn small hole with heated nail head and then affix eyes with Ultraflex. Lead eyes and coneheads can be substituted for more weight and flash.
Wing: Natural and dyed olive cree or grizzly hackle, two of each
Head: Deer hair, mix of olive, rust, black for the top and natural or white for the bottom—trimmed flat top and bottom. A light natural deer hair head can be spun and trimmed in the same manner and then colored with Design 2 markers.
Gills: Red Polar Aire or Krystal Flash
Fins: Ringneck Pheasant rump or "church window" feathers

 

http://www.flycraftangling.com/index.asp?p=145&szArticleButtonCommand=view&nArticleID=63

[Quacker 0]

That's the exact picture I was going to post. I believe the recipe allows for colors to match the Sculpin in your local streams. Thanks very much for you input. Since I don't have any Cree and I doubt that I'll be able to get any locally I'll need to use a substitute a different color. I think I have what I need to tie one of these in olive. Again thanks very much for your informative response. If I tie one that I think is acceptable I'll post it for a critique.

 

Jim H

[tidewaterfly 0]

India necks & saddles are sometimes sold as "variants", which will have the same colors are natural Cree. Red Variant is a reddish brown barred hackle that looks like grizzly and may even have the gray blend of grizzly in it too. It might be a good substitute for Cree depending on the pattern.

 

Cree is actually a variant from cross breeding. I buy the "variant" Indian capes because that natural reddish brown/grizzly blend of Cree is desired for cheeks & tails on some saltwater patterns, and they're inexpensive compared to a good Cree dry fly cape. Feather "quality" is not critical for the type flies I'm tying, and these are the type of capes that I would use for small streamers. I'll also look for "Chinchilla" or "Red Chinchilla" strung hackle, either neck or saddle hackle, which has the same coloration as grizzly & Cree ans also works fine for the patterns I'm tying. Again, it's not dry fly quality, which isn't needed.

 

The biggest "issue" with the Indian necks is they're small so the number of any size feathers is going to be very limited. If you intend to tie a lot of the same pattern, you'll likely need several. That's another reason I buy both the capes & the strung, as it gives me plenty across the range of sizes.

 

For tying Sculpins, I agree wholeheartly agree with flytire, use either dyed grizzly or dyed chinchilla & save any good Cree for other purposes or buy the "cheap" Cree look alike's if you want the natural color.

 

There's a gal who sell's on Ebay that always has strung "red chinchilla" listed. I've bought from here a few times, and the feathers or fine for what i use them for. Unfortunately, the colors with this type of hackle is not going to be real consistent, so picking through it is necessary to get matching feathers.

[flytire 0]

Dye some grizzly hackles with koolaid

[Dave G. 0]

Yep, I'm with flytire on this one. At least what he is saying is what I would do personally.