I have noticed, at the expense of mild perplexity, the apparent contradiction among authorities for the proper application of hackle to the hook for dry flies. Skip Morris, in his "Fly Tying Made Clear And Simple" at p58 writes that the curved side of the hackle should face back toward the tail. Our own Al Campbell, in his section on "The Basic Dry Fly" writes that the curved side should face forward. If I read correctly "A.K.'s Fly Box" at p122, it makes no difference, and I would tend to agree, if the purpose of it all is simply to help the fly stand up in the surface film. The most important consideration for flotation would seem to be stiff barbules with ample floatant applied. But then, if Bill Logan's observations in the Summer issue of "Fly Tyer" are accurate, none of our efforts work quite as well as we might think in actual practice. Yet, we somehow manage to fool a fish or two with our fraudulent offerings.

Joe