Multiple Hackle

Greetings All:

I know I read someone about the order that hackle should be wrapped when tying a dry (as in an adams with grizzly and brown hackle). So, when tying in two hackles does it matter which one you wind in first? Thanks for your help.

The forward hackle should be wound in first. (The one nearest to the hooks eye after they are tyed in). Ron

If your tying parachutes you can wind either hackle first.

If you're using more than 1 hackle, regardless of the color, wind the one with the thicker stem first and then the one with the thinner stem. This will reduce the number of barbs getting mashed down.

H.

Be brave and wind them both together! :D

Most of the time you want to wrap the thicker stem first. With some flies that require a balanced mix of colors then it does matter but is a personal thing. When I tie an Adams I wrap the brown first then the grizzly. The reason behind this is the brown give the fly the color and the grizzly tends to water it down, too much grizzly and the fly looks bad, because every feather is a little different you can not just say a set amount of wraps.
This is even more true with 3 colors of hackle flies, like a March Brown or a Gray Fox Variant. You need to understand how the colors affect each other to get the correct color mix. When tying these 2 flies I will wrap the Cree first followed by the Medium Dark Ginger(too much ginger takes away at the Cree's coloring), then the grizzly.

After a while you learn how to mix feathers to get the color you want. Like with a Adams if all you have is a real dark brown a grizzly that has more white will balance the color out.
With the March Brown and Gray Fox Varient it is much more important. The Cree being the main color that makes these flies stand out is what control the others. If the Cree is too light or lacks good black baring then a darker grizzly or Ginger is needed. When the Cree is too dark lighter color are used to offset this.

Joe