Smaller hackle wet flies

[raven4ns]

Hello,
I have some Chinese necks that I have been using for wet flies but I find that 90% of the feathers are too big for the flies I tie. Most of my flies are in the 12-16 range with a few 10's and 18's mixed in because I use a 7' 3wgt and a 7'6 4wgt as my main rods.
What hackle do you guys use for the smaller flies in the sizes that I tie? While the chinese necks are cheaper initially, the fact that I can only use a small portion of them makes them more expensive in the long run, I believe. Thank you for any and all help.

Tim

[narcodog]

You can use hen or game bird feathers. Grouse, partridge and the like. You can also tie in your big hackle with the barbs facing over the eye then pull them back over the hook shank and wrap the down.

[William Anderson]

Tim this comes up a lot and everyone has to work out their own solution, but I'm sure everyone will happy share what works for them. My initial response to your question is to learn to love starling. The feathers are tougher to tie with than hen, finer stems, but there us a nice range on a natural skin and now there are quality skins dyed or bleached to any color you want.

Personally, I don't prefer to use the methods required to put a large hackle on a small hook, but many do it very well and the results are successful. I also tend to use (usually) one feather for one fly from hen capes. There is a sweet spot where the webbing and tip proportions are perfect and the way I strip the hackles leaves the rest less desirable.

I look forward to hearing how others resolve this.

W

[zen leecher]

I switched to the Whiting hen necks in May after I saw the quality. Stems appear to be straight and nice hackle barbs. There's a lot of hackle on the necks from #8 to #18 or smaller. $20-$22 is a cheap price to pay for a neck I can use all of and is of consistent quality.

If I want larger hackle the hen saddles are equally good and even cheaper. Larger is #6 to #12.

[raven4ns]

Hey Bill,
Can you get feathers in the 12-16 range from hen saddles or are they usually larger? We don't have any selection of capes or saddles to speak of at the fly shops in town which means I have to order them. The problem I have is getting the size hackles I want without actually seeing the saddle before I buy it, you can see my dilemma.
For drys I love the saddles because I can get 6-10 flys from 1 feather but I'm not sure how that would work for hen saddles. Any help you can give me will be most appreciated. Thank you.

Tim

[zen leecher]

It looks like I can get hackle down into the #20's from the necks. It's no big deal to get hackle in the #12-#16 range from Whiting necks. I haven't checked to see what the largest fly I can tie is.

Ron Eagle Elk is working at Jim's fly shop so you might give him a call. Ron is who turned me onto the Whiting hackle as I watched him tie at a WFFC event in Ellensburg in May.

I ordered my hackle from Dette's fly shop as I didn't know about the flympforum at that time.

Bill

[raven4ns]

Thanks, Bill, that is what I will have to do in order to hopefully get what I need. Thank you for your help.

Tim

[Old Hat]

Tim, I think what you want is the hen capes not the saddles. You can find some smaller saddles but I wouldn't order them online unless you call someone you know and tell them exactly what you are looking for. You won't find a better selection of capes than from Jim's shop. Also, if you order a Collins hen cape you get the saddles as well. Great Feathers has them for $24.

[Ruard]

Hi Tim,

http://home.kpn.nl/brui2057/PC&H.htm This is a link to the site of Sunshine. He shows how to use hackles that are to big for a certain fly.


Greeting

Ruard

[crazy4oldcars]

Interesting technique. Thanks for the link, Ruard.
I'll have to try that...in a split thread, of course.
Kirk