Just Starting - Hen Capes Brand/Type?

[davidriley]

If you haven’t tied before and are learning, I’d go for the Indian Hen. They really are very good value. Hell I’ve been tying for 45 years and still hunt them out when I can.....

Another vote for Indian Hen capes from me. I too have been tying for many years. I live in the UK and a lot of the American and UK bred capes are very expensive so I am a ‘budget’ buyer .
However I actually prefer the Indian hen and can buy 10 bargain capes for the price of one Whiting cape. It is also a good way of building up your stock of materials. I also buy starling wings or complete skins, snipe neck feathers and wings, woodcock, jay but I tie mainly spider type flies.

One word of advice. It is very tempting when you are out to collect any feathers you see lying about. By all means collect them but DO NOT keep them with your other stock until they have been sterilised. I usually put them in a sealed plastic bag and leave in the freezer for about 48 hours. However I am sure other members will have plenty of advice.
Enjoy your tying

David
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[Theroe]

Welcome, Clemmy
All of the above are great choices. However if you just starting out I would recommend the Indian capes. You can get a lot more bang for your buck and if you look carefully, you can come across good deals on them on eBay and other such sites.
Good luck,
Dana

[Clemmy]

Thank You All again kindly for the welcome and advice. I think I will try a couple Collins capes in basic colors and some Indian capes to round out.

Craig