Jeff
Sounds like good advice. Thanks!
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Jeff
Sounds like good advice. Thanks!
AD,
On second thought, buy the flies.
Allan
Denny Conrad, owner of Conranch Hackle, is a Sponsor of FAOL. All his dry fly hackle is the same top quality. The only difference between the grades of Conranch Hackle, is the amount of hackle on each cape.
Denny has a spilt cape offer, for his #2 capes. You pick the combo (grizzly/brown, ect) and the size range you would like the hackle be cover.
Denny only sells direct to the public, and you could pay a lot more for a lot less quality hackle at any big/small fly store.
All my dry fly hackle is Conranch.
AllanQuote:
Originally Posted by tyeflies
:mrgreen:
Anglerdave, this is one of those times when having access to a Good fly shop is helpful. When buying something like hackle, I like to be able to see it and take it out of the package before I buy it. Whiting Hackle 100's are an exception to that rule and I feel fine with buying them mail order, when my local shop can't help me out. Talking with a knowledgeable member of your local fly shop can be great, but I usually leave with more than I had planned to...
Ed
When tying elk hair caddis, such as the one Hans has pictured, how thin is the wire. When I tye mine the wire seems to bind down hackle fibers, and makes for a very messy looking fly. I don't think it is a technique problem becuase when I'll use the same size wire for big stimmies and not have this problem.
I noticed Ronmt said he would get his wire directly from Al Troth, How would you describe the size of this wire?
Thanks
Doug
Metz also makes a pre-sized hackle product. Three 1" wide strips from three neck hackles in a mix of colors. They pre-size them into three sets of hook size, like 12-16. So you might get a better range of sizes and a bigger choice of colors.
Sometimes I can find a Whitings 1/4 saddle with a good EHC range of sizes on just one color. It provides a lot of long feathers in a narrow size range, for the price of just few of the 100 pack's.
paflyfisher16- The wire that AL used to sell was the same Dia. as the UNI Thread small wire but it was annelid unlike the UNI Gold wire.
Here is the way to keep from wrapping down your hackle. THe EHC is tied this way. First wrap the hooks shank with thread going toward the rear of the hook at the same time wrap in your wire and stop even with the barb of the hook. Now dubb up the hook about 2/3 of the shank. The wire should be sticking out the back of the hook. Now were you stopped you dubbing tie in your hackle by the butt stem. Wrap it over the dubbing about 5 wraps more or less to the rear of the fly. Hold it by the tip and take two wraps with the wire right next to each other and over the last wrap of the hackle. Now you can wrap the hackle to the hooks shank by going at just a little steeper angle than you did with the hackle. Wrap each turn of hackle to the hook. Weave the wire back and forth as you wrap it. This will let the hackle ezcape and stand tall. Tie off the wire. Now just grab the hackle and pop it off. You do not need to cut it unless you want to. Put the wing on and you are done. They are real easy to tie. Hope that helps Ron
PS: I was thinking about this and when tying the hackle in by the butt and wrapping it toward the rear of the hook will be one angle and when wrapping the wire over the hackle will be a totally different angle, So this alone should help in not trapping the hackle down. The Hackle will be going like this (Right handed tier) "\" and the wire will be going over it like this "/" I think you can see how it works. This alone should help keep you from trapping down the hackle but I would still weave the wire back and forth as you go. ;) Ron
RonMT,
I tie my EHC this way too, but I have noticed that the hackle from my best capes gets bound down while the hackle from my pro grade cheapoes does not and looks great. :? I also brush my hackle with an old toothbrush, perpendicular to the hook, as I wind the wire to maks sure the hackle remains free. (Yes! Set your chickens free!). I don't know why the good hackle doesn't give me a good fly but the cheaper hackle does. I suspect it has something to do with the hackle being more heavily barbed and the extra barbs are getting in the way, wiggling the wire or brushing the hackle nowithstanding.
So anglerdave, my advise is to not spend a fist full of dollars on great hackle. Spend $20 on a grade 3 or a pro grade and tie away!
gnat- I use Whiting saddles all the time and have no problem with the hackle getting caught down? I use the Bronze and Silver grades. One trick I have always used even when tying regular flies is to remove a few exta hackle barbles from the side of the feather that will be against the hook. This will help keep the hackle from being trapped down and also from having it splay out and not be in order as it should be.
You are right on the best hackle having the most barbles and them being trapped down. I do not use necks much anymore. I get more for my money in the saddle department. ;) Ron