24 inch + whiting saddle

[upnorthtier 0]

A few new additions. I'm impress how long the hackle is these days. When is it to long?

red label gold midge honey dun ties size 18 and 20, probably going to be able to tie a dz flies per hackle. Some of the hackle is 24+inch on this saddle. I might need to cut the hackle in half to rap it

 

green label gold grade medium brown ties size 16 and 18, silver grade dark brown also ties size 16 and 18. Both have 20 inch hackle. I have a platinum grizz I bought years ago, all 3 of these saddles are fuller and longer.

[Moshup 0]

Sick !!!  Keep that away from one who can’t pass a nice hackle by !  Can you imagine going back

in time and plunking one these babies down on a fly shop counter for tyers to see ?  I was raised

on Indian necks !

[upnorthtier 0]

1 hour ago, Moshup said:

Indian necks

same here on the indian necks. I was looking for a brown saddle and ended up with those 3, I think I might have a problem passing on nice hackle also. There's even a big difference on the hackle from a decade ago.

[Sandan 0]

On 10/30/2021 at 7:00 PM, upnorthtier said:

same here on the indian necks. I was looking for a brown saddle and ended up with those 3, I think I might have a problem passing on nice hackle also. There's even a big difference on the hackle from a decade ago.

I too have that same "problem".  Those are sure beautiful saddles. Tie in good health.

[SilverCreek 0]

As the saddles have become longer, the hackle fibers have become shorter meaning that they tie smaller and smaller and smaller sized flies.

If you mostly tie the smaller size flies, that is what you should buy.

However, the most popular size of the most popular dry fly sold in the USA is a size 14 Adams. So these ever longer saddles cannot tie the most popular dry fly sold in the USA. Forget about larger sizes like a size 12.

However, there is an alternative. The solution for me are not these super long Whiting hackles that can tie small dries, but the Whiting Hebert Miner Saddles and Whiting Euro Hackle Saddles which tie the more "normal" sized mayfly and caddis patterns.

Not only do these saddles tie larger flies but they  one of the least expensive to use per fly.

 

 

[upnorthtier 0]

Yes, a lot of the whiting hackle is midge size now, even the Herbert line. The 2 brown saddles I pictured above are Herbert miner and tie 16 and 18. I own a few euro saddles and they tie size 10 to 16. I found the high and dry line ties size 10 to 16 in most part. How old is that chart? bet you can double or triple the cost per 100 flies now.

I really like that chocolate dun saddle.

[SilverCreek 0]

15 minutes ago, upnorthtier said:

Yes, a lot of the whiting hackle is midge size now, even the Herbert line. The 2 brown saddles I pictured above are Herbert miner and tie 16 and 18. I own a few euro saddles and they tie size 10 to 16. I found the high and dry line ties size 10 to 16 in most part. How old is that chart? bet you can double or triple the cost per 100 flies now.

I really like that chocolate dun saddle.

Chart is from an article published in 2014. Here are a two other illustrations.

 

[Jaydub 0]

I thought that article was written about capes. The original article, which I had bookmarked, is gone. I would guess that the characteristics probably carry over to saddles as well.