trimming hackle

[Swedish trout hunter 0]

I put two red tags in my bathtub about 1 hour ago (thinking that the surface tension in the tub would be less than in a narrow glass). Neither of them are sinking. I did however notice that the one with the cut fibers is leaning slightly to the right while the other one is laying straight with the hook straight down in to the water. It may be that the cut one would not stay afloat as long as the uncut one in water with a bit of motion in it, but otherwise I do not think it makes any difference at all. It is strictly a case of aesthetics.

Swedish Trout Hunter

 

Surface tension is a property of a liquid resulting from molecular cohesive forces at or near the surface of the liquid such that the forces contract and the suirface of the liquid behaves somewhat like a stretched membrane. The surface tension is a property of the fluid in question. As such, the surface tension in a wide vessel or a narrow vessel are the same, as long as they both contain the same liquid..

 

 

I do believe that I just got schooled Thank you morfrost for that info.

 

They have been in the tub all night and both are still floating. That is almost 12 hours now...

[NJ All Day 0]

Swedish maybe you could rollthem around in your fingers in the water. I say because right now the material has air bubbles in them, but if you were yo roll them around in your fingers it would represent as if a fish took it and roughed it up some.

[Johny Utah 0]

I would say that the body of the fly would matter the most in the case of trimming the hackle. I hardly ever use hackle as fur bodies float like cork when treated. If i were tying quill bodies then i use hackle. Imo i dont think hackle makes a fly float any better. Case in point, a elk hair caddis. You can tie them with out the hackle and they float just as well, can be skittered just as well and imo are more effective.

[Swedish trout hunter 0]

So, after soaking in the tub for 24+ hours both flies were still floating. I then did as NJ all day suggested and rolled them between my fingers with the result that both flies sank... I am willing to say that as far as buoyancy goes it does not matter if you cut the hackle, but it does look awful. Case closed?

[Johny Utah 0]

Closed! IT DOESNT MADDA!

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

ok I remembered the guy's name and found a link to his flies his name is Paco Soria here is his page check it out http://www.flytyingworld.com/PagesP/pacosoria.htm#Rioja%20Wine%20Ugly

[Johny Utah 0]

Thanks for the link.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

no problem

[Nate 0]

Awesome information...I have been tying variants and trimming hackle to suit for years. I stopped thinking that it was a bad practice hurting my fly's floatability...not gonna stress about it now, just gonna fish. BTW...trimming all the bottom and top hackle results in a VERY usable spent spinner pattern.

[ikerajala 0]

This was a very intresting thread.I liked Paco's website, so I tied an "ugly bugger".

[firedad 0]

Thanks all for the great info. Someday I'll have necks or saddles of different colors/sizes, until then I won't feel bad trimming the hackle to size, except when it looks too bad. I'm too much of a perfectionist, but now I won't worry about performance issues. Thanks Swedish trout hunter for the experiment I didn't even have two of the same size flies to experiment with. Also thanks for the link riffleriversteelheadslayer, I'm going to try these out.

[flytire 0]

first of all, you dont have to be a millionaire to buy hackle

 

you could try brands other than whiting and still get good hackle in the sizes you want to tie

 

try collins hackle farm, the hebert-miner strain from whiting, whiting 100 packs, 1/2 capes, metz etc and even the dry fly quality saddle hackles that can tie more than one fly.

 

you can lower your cost. a #3 neck/cape can tie some pretty small flies (just not a lot of them) with excellent quality hackle

 

trimming hackle is an accepted practice on some flies. we trim them flat on the bottom or in a vee shape to get them down closer to the water or to lie flatter on the water. the fish are not going to see the other side of the fly

[firedad 0]

first of all, you dont have to be a millionaire to buy hackle

 

you could try brands other than whiting and still get good hackle in the sizes you want to tie

 

try collins hackle farm, the hebert-miner strain from whiting, whiting 100 packs, 1/2 capes, metz etc and even the dry fly quality saddle hackles that can tie more than one fly.

 

you can lower your cost. a #3 neck/cape can tie some pretty small flies (just not a lot of them) with excellent quality hackle

I understand this, but I am a seasonal wildland firefighter and I am only starting work this Monday. Spring has been tight for me for the ten years I've done this job in case there is no fires/work during the summer. I'm not the kind of person who buys stuff on credit or spends money I don't have, even $20-$30 on something that can wait. I started less than six months ago and have spent hundreds of dollars on fishing and tying gear. The only necks I own are #3, none are whiting. I was just wondering if I was loosing something by trimming hackle to size.

[Swedish trout hunter 0]

Thanks all for the great info. Someday I'll have necks or saddles of different colors/sizes, until then I won't feel bad trimming the hackle to size, except when it looks too bad. I'm too much of a perfectionist, but now I won't worry about performance issues. Thanks Swedish trout hunter for the experiment I didn't even have two of the same size flies to experiment with. Also thanks for the link riffleriversteelheadslayer, I'm going to try these out.

 

It was my pleasure