soft hackle question

[hugefish_80]

So i am trying to tie a few soft hackles for a swap, and really have no idea how long the collar should be. How long should the collar be on a soft hackle fly?

[Eric-WD]

You don't want it so long that the fish bites the hackle without getting the hook but you want it long enough to give action to the fly.

This fly seems about average.

http://flyanglersonline.com/flytying...010509fotw.php

Eric

[redietz]

How long should the collar be on a soft hackle fly?

When I first started tying them, the "rule" was presented to me that "half the hook length is too short, one and a half times the hook length is too long, and every thing in-between is fine."
It's as good a rule as any; I usually go for just longer than the hook.

Here's two illustrations of the same fly (a Partridge and Orange) from the two classic works on soft hackles - North Country Flies by T.E. Pritt on the left (from 1885) and Brook and River Trouting by Edmonds and Lee (from 1916). (These are P.D. images - the copyrights have long expired.)

image001.jpgPO-EL1.jpg

The one on the left has hackle that may be a bit on the long side for today's taste, but it wouldn't be "wrong" make at that length. The one on the right is about the size I try for.

[Quill gordon]

This is another example from the FAOL archives........ when in doubt, I would check here first.
It's a great resource...............
This example shows you how to measure the length of the hackle. I guess the 'length' is a case of 'trial and error'.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...050106fotw.php

[narcodog]

I am also in a swap and I am using a
woodcock undercoverlet as my hackle, there are not many on a small woodcock and the feathers are small
so if a pattern calls for a particular fly you might not get what the rules call for. Most s/h flies are tied with no more than two wraps so short and sparse is better than long and thick.

[Bluegill222]

I tend to aim for a sparse collar (one, maybe two wraps at most) about the length of the shank. I don't panic if it's a little short or long. I don't worry as much about what bird the feather comes from (I use mainly partridge, quail, chukar, india hen, hen pheasant, starling, and crow) as long as it provides the right length and density (or lack thereof) to give the desired effect on the fly.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

redietz and narcodog are spot on with their posts. I have noticed that the older books showed flies with hackle that is much too long by todays standards. I always wonder if we're missing something there.

Are we all in the IBOF Lucky 13 swap?

REE