Jtrinker 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 Im a noob when it comes to tying dries and Ive tried all sorts of different techniques but when I get to the end of the hook and want to tie my hackle off I have a bunch of fibers that are falling forward and its impossible to tie the hackle off without them all getting caught and creating an ugly mess. Im stripping or trimming the hackles at the end of the feather off and tying the bare quill to the hook shank shiny side up. I leave a little bit of bare quill so that the fibers stand up right on the first full turn, and everything seems fine until I make a few full turns and then the fibers start falling forward. Thanks for any advice Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 use your fingers as a hackle guard to pull the hackle fibers back out of the way as you make the whip finish i actually use a half hitch tool to push the hackle back then i hold the pushed back fibers and wrap the head Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 This will happen if you don't have a smooth, even thread base to wrap your hackle around. Make sure there is no "step down" just behind the eye. Also, stop your hackle half an eye distance or so behind the eye. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jtrinker 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 Thanks very much! I appreciate this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 watch this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northeast Brookie 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 I "second" the half hitch tool. There are also hackle guards that can help as well: https://www.amazon.com/Hackle-Guard-Set-of-3/dp/B009SAO3B0?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B009SAO3B0 As for trimming the hackle, Ugh... - maybe for a nice beautiful presentation fly - but for a "fishing" fly, use your fingers, the half hitch, or the hackle guard - and don't sweat a few fibers sticking out at random - and if so, you can also remove them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng2 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2018 Thanks for posting Norm, using Barry's method would definitely improve my tying too. I have success using the thread to push back a stray hackle barb or two. By wrapping at an angle in the direction of the tail of the fly will cause the stray barb to go in that direction. Then wrapping over it's base keeps it where it needs to be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xterrabill 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2018 oh man, I was looking for Barry's vids, I came across them once and I forgot to save him in favs. thanks for posting that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2018 did you save them this time? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYb8DCVlYijoCYgvx_v2EuQ/videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xterrabill 0 Report post Posted May 12, 2018 new and improved save, now on both computers. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyty1 0 Report post Posted May 12, 2018 Try tying your dry flies as parachute patterns - you won't have the hackle falling forward, there is just the post for the wing so you don't have to worry about having even wings, and best of all, the fly lands on the water without tipping over on it's side...you can even go up a hackle size If you want. Once you get the hang of dealing with the post, I think you will have a good time tying and fishing your favorite dry patterns tied in the parachute style. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryon Anderson 0 Report post Posted May 15, 2018 Try tying your dry flies as parachute patterns - you won't have the hackle falling forward, there is just the post for the wing so you don't have to worry about having even wings, and best of all, the fly lands on the water without tipping over on it's side...you can even go up a hackle size If you want. Once you get the hang of dealing with the post, I think you will have a good time tying and fishing your favorite dry patterns tied in the parachute style. Ditto! Collar-hackled dry flies are pretty, but such a pain, both in the vise and on the water. Parachutes all the way for me! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted May 15, 2018 Try tying your dry flies as parachute patterns - you won't have the hackle falling forward, there is just the post for the wing so you don't have to worry about having even wings, and best of all, the fly lands on the water without tipping over on it's side...you can even go up a hackle size If you want. Once you get the hang of dealing with the post, I think you will have a good time tying and fishing your favorite dry patterns tied in the parachute style. Ditto! Collar-hackled dry flies are pretty, but such a pain, both in the vise and on the water. Parachutes all the way for me! for me the opposite. I'm not a fan of parachutes(on still waters) and find using a good quality hackle makes hackled dries not too bad. Going to be dry fly trouting on a river this year for first time so maybe need to revisit the 'chutes? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjm 0 Report post Posted May 16, 2018 Now that all the good advice is out there, I'll throw out this, when I first started tying, I set my hackle a little too close to the eye a lot and the crowding made it hard to get a hackle-free head. I don't mind fishing parachutes, but, I'd never say they are an easier tie. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites