Years ago it was easy to find bugger hackle large enough to tie down to size 4 or 6 flies, but it's extremely difficult these days. Anyone know where I can find some especially in chartreuse color?
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Years ago it was easy to find bugger hackle large enough to tie down to size 4 or 6 flies, but it's extremely difficult these days. Anyone know where I can find some especially in chartreuse color?
are Whiting American saddle too big?
Bruce,
Maybe these folks?
http://www.jimsflyco.com/jims-stream...streamer-cape/
http://www.aaronmostojfeathers.com/c...-feathers.html
http://www.featheremporium.com/Fly-T...water-hen.html
If I was using hen on larger buggers, I'd usually have to tie in 2 feathers; took a bit more time, but I liked webbier hackle for those flies. I'm sure you could also use strung saddle feathers.
Regards,
Scott
Whiting bugger packs? Saw some on the big auction site in chartreuse.
There was some feathers that would make good large bugger hackle in a Whiting variety pack that I bought several years ago. If you look at enough of the packs you might find good stuff in the right color. If you can find the bugger hackle in white, it can be dyed a shade of chartruese with coolaid.
Gandolf
Cabela's has them.
Not quite sure why you are having problems finding feathers, because most strung saddle hackle I find in the shops these days will tie those sizes. If you are looking for a bit fancier, Whiting schlappen might be useful, although my shop does not carry chartreuse so I do not know how readily available it is. Bill Keough has the best WB saddles in my opinion, and you should be able to find a good saddle if you look around a bit, but everything seems harder to find since the feather craze...
I'm having trouble finding them with the hackle fibers that are long enough. You know, so it will stand out from the chenille.
Hi Lastchance,
Whatfly has a great idea. Hook and Hackle used to sell their strung hackle for that purpose. It is none too good for drys, as it is relatively soft, but that is good for bugger hackle. Some of the strung hackle I have could probably tie down to a 1/0 bugger. It could tie a #4 or #6 in its sleep.
Regards,
Gandolf
Hi Lastchance,
The strung hackle I described above I used to buy from H&H, although I have bought strung hackle from other sources including some fly shops has been for all intents and purposes, the same.
That strung hackle is big enough to stick our from any chenille I have ever seen. On a #4 hook, unless the chenille is so large that it will hide the point of the hook, the strung hackle would stick out much much more that the chenille. In fact some of the individual barbules are probably 3/4 inch long, or maybe even longer.
This hackle is radically bigger than what you are describing as the minimum size.
It almost sounds like the hackle you have is something like a Metz micro barb saddle, which is really designed for #10 or #12 and smaller dry flies, not bugger hackle.
What brand and product name of saddle hackle have you been looking at?
The problem I have had is finding bugger hackle small enough to tie say a #12, and finding big hackle has never been a problem.
Thanks and regards,
Gandolf