Is this called merchandising?

[Ray Kunz]

In material catalogs we see Grizzly hackles given a lot of promotion possibly because of their distinct photogenic coloration. Could that be the answer to my quiery? They also seem to be paired with brown in so called "starter sets". It seems that unless you specialize in Adams, Humpys and various Stimulators the emphasis would be on Duns and Light Gingers with the Grizzly and Brown getting a second rating in usefulness. Or could the reason be that the genetic strains of Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds are more easily developed and maintained by the breeders?

I also wonder what all the "hoopla" is about concerning Cree hackles. You don't really need them. Wen is one called for? If you bought a good one it would be too valuable to ever use. It would be relegated to a class of materials I'd call "Petting Stuff" for showing off next to a perfect Jungle Cock neck. It must be a supply and demand story.

[Normand]

could be they are the most popular of the colors???

u r correct on the cree!! theres only a handful of patterns at best that call for it. a ginger variant would work most of the time for most people. but people are fickle and just have to have something that most people cant get.

[wonderrod]

Regarding cree hackle,

The reason you don't see it called for in modern fly dressing is because of it's scarcity. When tying patterns today like the Adams you would only need one cree hackle as opposed to one brown and one grizzly which is a pain in the a$$! A good cree neck is worth it's weight in gold if you tie alot of flies that today call for two different hackle feathers to recreate the look of one cree feather.

JA

[swellcat]

How do trout feel about feather marketing? Do they stop eating if we use the "wrong" colour hackle?

[Flyrodde]

Nope, this is all for the angler and tier.

You can use more common and less expensive hackles and die them to produce similar effects of the "exotics." You spend $1200 or more on a rod and reel when $120 will get you on the water with very addiquate equipment. Why not spend a couple hundred on a good neck or cape that will last you just as long for your personal flies? Just a matter of personal preference.

When money is involved "morechendizing" will always be prevelent.

[whatfly]

It seems that unless you specialize in Adams, Humpys and various Stimulators the emphasis would be on Duns and Light Gingers with the Grizzly and Brown getting a second rating in usefulness.

I find your assertion about the starter packs to be most puzzling. You honestly use more dun and ginger than you do brown or grizzly? If so, then the hatches in your area must vary widely from those in the western states, because grizzly and brown (or a combination) are used in considerably more patterns for many more hatches in the areas I fish than either of the colors you mentioned.

If you argued that one really only needs a grizzly neck to start, I might have seen the point but that's another discussion...

[martinwestbeek]

-snip-
Or could the reason be that the genetic strains of Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds are more easily developed and maintained by the breeders?
-snip-


Ray,
I don't think this is a matter of promotion, but of preference. Acc to research of Whiting the most popular hackle colors are
1. Grizzly
2. Brown
3. Black
4. Medium Dun
5. Medium Ginger

And no - cree is not among them
:-

Mart

[Eight Thumbs]

I don't have a Cree cape and get along very nicely without it but if I did have one, I would pet it lovingly each and every week day and twice a day on week ends. 8T

[ScottP]

Bought a Metz #2 cree about 8 years ago and although it wasn't show quality, I hesitated to use it because they were becoming so scarce. Then I pulled a few feathers off just to try it and found the quality to be disappointing - relatively stiff quills and poor barb count, similar to some necks I bought in the mid 80's. Ended up needing 2 feathers/fly to get the results I wanted, so I really wasn't any better off than if I used a brown/grizzly combo. I've found some nice dark barred cream necks that give a similar effect to cree, maybe more of a washed out ginger/grizzly color. These aren't too hard to find and the quality of even the lower grades suites my needs; when compared to what crees are going for nowdays, I can probably get 3 of these capes. I use them on parachute Adams in place of straight grizzly (never have been a fan of winding 2 hackles on a parachute, especially in smaller sizes), as well as stuff like Caddis Variants, EHCs, etc.

Regards,
Scott

[DDRRedneck500]

haha and i never even tie dry flies. i can catch any species of fish ive wanted to so far without ever using a dry fly. ill use some nice cheap foamies that i can make for pennies a piece, but never the traditional dry flies