Hackles, saddles and capes, oh my!
As I'm putting together a list of materials to pick up after the holidays, I'm examining the various options when it comes to buying saddles and capes. Mainly, this would be for dry fly hackles in sizes ranging from 12 to 18, tips for upright wings and whatnot. So, I have some questions.
Up until now, I've been tying with Whiting 100s which are really limiting (one size) and expensive (average of $18 per package). I mention this so you have an idea of where I'm coming from.
I know that there are different grades likes Gold, Silver and Bronze and that the better grades give you more sizes and higher quality. Unfortunately, these are relative measures that I have no real comparison for. If I picked up a bronze saddle and compared it to someone's silver saddle, how upset would I be? Is it worth the price difference for a beginning tyer who's only filling his own fly boxes to go silver?
Similarly, I know that I can purchase saddles/capes in full, half and quarters. I'm planning on picking up half saddles due to the price, but I'm uncertain how many flies that's going to let me tie and how much variety I might be sacrificing. Should I just go with fulls?
Lastly, I'm pretty sure I understand the differences between saddles and capes, but I'd really like someone here to explain it more fully.
Thanks for any help!
Dick Talleur- Trout Flies for the 21st Cen
* Terminology:
o Necks and Capes are the same thing. They come from the back of the neck. Imagine if a redneck rooster was wearing a long mullet hair style; that would be the cape. Also, imagine the mane of a horse.
o Saddle, from the back of chicken, like where a saddle would be if you saw a low budget sci-fi movie with a GI-Joe riding the chicken.
* Necks and Saddles are graded to help us make purchasing decisions (and the merchant make pricing decisions)
o When buying, you will find the hackle graded with terms like: 1,2,3, ABC, Gold, Silver, Bronze
o Grade is based on the quantity, quality, and size of the feathers.
o The best value is in higher quality (more flies per $)
+ The only question, will you actually tie enough flies to invest in a high grade saddle?
* Advantage Neck
o Necks have a wider variety of sizes, from 10 to 24. Plus a lot of left overs after the dry flies are tied:
+ Large hackles on the side, called spade, which have good fibers for tails
+ Woolly bugger hackle on back
+ Streamer wings
+ Stripped quills for bodies
* Counter-point Saddles
o Saddles have longer feathers ? many more flies per feather, but in a narrow range (3 sizes)
+ Ask the fly shop to inspect the saddle. Tell them which sizes you want to tie (ie. 12-16), and ask for a saddle that matches. Don?t pick a random saddle.
+ For these sizes, you get a lot more flies worth.