Dry fly hackle twisting

[stcroixguy]

Good morning ,

I have a couple of expensive skins that the feathers twist horribly when I wrap them. Nothing I do helps. One is my "high grade" grizzly the other a nicely colored furnace hackle. They look like great feathers, long, good number and size of barbs. Both skins, I thought, would have a lifetime of feathers in them. I don't want to mention the brand, but they are from one of the very popular names in hackle.



The flies I tie with them look like a "ball" of hackle rather then a nice neat "collar". I have caught fish with them, but they look a sketchy at best. I talked to the fly shop where I bought one of them, and got a lecture on how to wrap hackle. No offer to look at said skin or offer to return or exchange.

Question;

Should I just discard these two skins (my estimate replacement cost about $250+) and buy new ones?

Just suck it up and do my best with them?


Thanks,

SCG