The Hackle
One of the items we use in fly tying on many flies is hackle. Hackle is the fuzzy stuff on the front of most flies, especially dry flies.
Depending on how the hackle is applied to the fly, it will help it float or help it sink. We'll look at the three most common hackle wrapping techniques this week. You'll see the difference, and what you learn this week will be used often in the weeks ahead.
Hackle on a fly is created by wrapping feathers (usually from the neck or saddle of a rooster) around a hook.
Most of the time when we refer to hackle, we are talking about the hackle on the fly, but sometimes we are talking about the feathers used to create the hackled effect. Since hackle feathers vary in quality and type, we need to look at some of the differences.
You can buy hackle in several forms. Sometimes you'll find it sown together in a bunch. This is called strung hackle, and it is often of a poor quality for anything but streamers or woolly worms. Most of the time it is found on the skin, either in a neck or saddle form. This is usually the best quality hackle, but it can be defined more than that.
Hackle feathers have several qualities that make them suitable for dry fly, wet fly or streamer uses. For dry flies, you want a long thin feather with short, stiff barbules and a flexible stem. For wet flies, the feather can have softer barbules, but they still need to be fairly short. For streamers, long, soft barbules are the best.
Quality saddle hackles provide the best dry fly hackle, but are limited in the sizes of hooks that can be used. They are much longer than neck feathers and are more consistent in size from bottom to top. They have the highest barbule count per inch, and the barbules are stiffer than those found on a neck feather.
Al Campbell has all the right information Listen to him!
Ron
Depending on how the hackle is applied to the fly, it will help it float or help it sink. We'll look at the three most common hackle wrapping techniques this week. You'll see the difference, and what you learn this week will be used often in the weeks ahead.
Hackle on a fly is created by wrapping feathers (usually from the neck or saddle of a rooster) around a hook.
Most of the time when we refer to hackle, we are talking about the hackle on the fly, but sometimes we are talking about the feathers used to create the hackled effect. Since hackle feathers vary in quality and type, we need to look at some of the differences.
You can buy hackle in several forms. Sometimes you'll find it sown together in a bunch. This is called strung hackle, and it is often of a poor quality for anything but streamers or woolly worms. Most of the time it is found on the skin, either in a neck or saddle form. This is usually the best quality hackle, but it can be defined more than that.
Hackle feathers have several qualities that make them suitable for dry fly, wet fly or streamer uses. For dry flies, you want a long thin feather with short, stiff barbules and a flexible stem. For wet flies, the feather can have softer barbules, but they still need to be fairly short. For streamers, long, soft barbules are the best.
Quality saddle hackles provide the best dry fly hackle, but are limited in the sizes of hooks that can be used. They are much longer than neck feathers and are more consistent in size from bottom to top. They have the highest barbule count per inch, and the barbules are stiffer than those found on a neck feather.
Al Campbell has all the right information Listen to him!
Ron
posted by Ron @ 11:48 AM
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