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lets try to stick with tips and tricks and not whose feathers are the best. some folks may have a good experience with a certain growers feathers and some may not.
i will admit that todays hackles are far superior to the hackles i bought 29 years ago when i started tying flies. i just like to handle and inspect what i'm buying.
Normand, great stuff. Thanks for sharing. As for me, I'll be tying tomorrow at my local fly shop, Jimmy's All Season Angler, and then I'm scheduled to tie at four different expos this spring. I learned a lot of what I now actually use by watching others tie at the local fly shop and at the expos. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Most of all, get out there and see the many and varied methods used by the tiers in your area.
Kelly.
keep the feathers away from the pets!!!
ive seen this more than once on different boards. my cat/dog got into my fathers and they are all over the place.
Look at the bugs. I see people asking for patterns all the time but no one asking what the insect looks like. The same goes for minnows and streamers. You want to copy the living prey creature not the other tyers fly.
What if your fly shop carries junk hackle and the next shop is over a 100 miles away? I think talking about online suppliers of hackle is a great tip. What better information (tip) than word of mouth?Quote:
Originally Posted by Normand
To clean your bodkin, stuff a film canister with steelwool and punch a nail through the top. After each tying session just stick the needle of the bodkin through the hole a few times to remove the buildup of head cement.
Use scrape hackle to clean head cement out of the hook eye.
Norm
I wasn't saying whose hackle is the best, just whose hackle is the best for MY money. I was taking issue with your first point. I am sorry that wasn't made clear. You stated:
"buy your hackle at the fly shop not online." That was a blanket statement, an imperative if you will. Some of us do not have the resources you may have at your disposal of many kinds of hackle to fondle. Do I think there is good hackle that is not Conranch hackle? Of course I do and I have some from shows I have attended. To include a "tying tip" which is prejudiced against one of the prime supporters of FAOL is a bit myopic. When I was a beginning tyer, I didn't know good hackle from bad. Your point about mentoring and attending a class is well-founded. As I gained some experience, I learned how to judge good hackle by handling it at shows and shops and by tying with it. I will continue to buy good hackle wherever I can find it, and if it has to come online, so be it. YMMV.
Mark
Put a small 1/2 " or so section of a dog or cat flea collar in the zip lock bag with those good capes & fur to control those bug nasties
Go to every fly fishing/tying show that you can. Sit and watch as many of the tyers as you can and ask questions. No matter how good a tyer you are, you'll always learn something at the shows.
Great response!Quote:
Originally Posted by lastchance
I especially like the first one as ALL my flies are badly tied, yet they DO work.
Mike