Why dark

[Uncle Barry]

Good morning All.
Spider type flies.
Somethings trouble me ---------------

Why are most, if not all hackles in a brown to dark'ish colour, that I have noticed.

Spiders like Orange and Partridge are in the brown range, to me.

Why aren't there any yellow hackled Spiders to represent say a grass hopper ?

Kind regards,
UB

[Eric-WD]

I would think the dark hackle would give the best definition against the light sky. However if you have a large, yellow legged hopper population, I can see no reason why imitating it with light hackle wouldn't work.

Eric

[joe cool]

Just my initial thought about the question, but it seems like spiders/soft hackles as a whole are more general imitations to look buggy than something designed to match a specific food item, and since most fish food items are normally darker and neutral in color these patterns follow that trend so they can be mistaken for a larger range of things to fish. No reason a yellow hackeled one wouldn't get eaten if it looked like food like the grasshopper you mentioned though. It will be interesting to hear what others more well versed in spiders and their histories have to say.

[DazWah]

im sure an all yellow spider will have its use, on occasion i have used bright yellow seals fur nymphs with success and cant see why a soft hackle wont do the same.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Uncle Barry,

There are a few of Pritt's patterns that suggest lighter hackles, or some "stained in onions", which produces a golden yellow/orange colour (on wool at least). Some of the partridge hackles are the white with black flecks feathers, which appear generally quite light rather than dark. That one is often used in a partridge and yellow, while partridge and orange goes for the more brown mottled feather. I think the watchet's often use a "bloa", or blue/grey feather. I've tied a few of those (yellow thread, very lightly dubbed with grey dubbing, and blue/grey pidgeon feather) and they are quite light in the hackle.

The patterns that call for the feathers from the underside of a wookcock's wing are also quite light, with very pale markings. Hen pheasant feathers, called for in a few patterns, also produce a much lighter looking hackle.

On the whole, however, the patterns that are currently most popular do tend to be the darker hackled ones, like partridge and orange, or snipe and purple. My favorite, the water cricket, is a dark hackled one using a starling feather. One possibility is that as people start to re-discover spiders they re-discover Stewart's recommendation of the Baille's Black Spider, and they go with the few they have heard of, which are probably the Partridge & Orange and Snipe & Purple.

- Jeff

[wayneb]

Hi Uncle Barry;

Your right, most patterns use darker colored feathers. I've seen a few tied with light blue dun hen hackle, some of which I've tied but not had an opportunity to try yet this season.

How's this for a lighter version?? http://www.flymphforum.com/phpBB3/vi....php?f=6&t=218

Wayneb

[Uncle Barry]

Good evening WayneB
Sorry I would love to have a look, however as must as I tried, I could not join, because of the so called anti spam code.

Kind regards,
UB

[wayneb]

Hi Uncle Barry;

I sent you a pm about that site, hope it helps.

How about Donald Nicholson's site: http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/page47.html

First fly on the link is an iron blue dun.

Wayneb

[Eight Thumbs]

Dark hackle was easy to procure in local hen houses years ago. Hens in dark shades were were common, particularly in brown. People used what they had and the dark colors became traditional. No one loves tradition more than the British fly fishers. 8T

[Donald Nicolson]

Here is a Spider with a yellow dyed hen hackle -


The traditional spiders were tied to simulate British insects.
The grass hopper is not so common over here as a food item
for trout.