Hackling Technique

[Joe Billingsley]

Saw this last night. What do you think? First thing I thought of was how much I pay for good hackle and then bend it all up? But, if it works.....

https://youtu.be/jCngWMG3XBU

Joe

[Uncle Jesse]

My question is why? I think someone is going to have to go out and catch more fish with this method than traditional hackling for me to become a believer.

[Don_P]

Interesting. It does offer a somewhat different look and trying new techniques isn't a bad thing. I'll try it out on a couple of different patterns and see what it looks like up close and personal but ultimately I'll let the trout decide.

[lastchance]

Funny how things can change. When I was taught to tie that would be considered a poorly tied fly. I don't think it will tempt more fish, it's just a new technique.

[Joe Billingsley]

If it makes for a better footprint and floats the fly better like he says, then I am all for it.

Don P. - I agree with you that trying new techniques is never a bad thing. Who knows?

last chance - The same thing I thought. But, might it tempt more fish? At least, they have probably never seen it before. More hackle tips on the water surface might be good. I?m gullible, I?ll try it.

I think ideas like this to try for yourself is what makes tying flies fun.

Joe

[ScottP]

When I started watching the video, the first thing that came to me was "this guy needs to cut his fingernails", then I saw their purpose; interesting technique. I can probably get a similar effect with an old cape that has severely cupped hackle and my wife won't get on me to use the nail trimmers.

Regards,
Scott

[Byron haugh]

I would like to see a photo of the fly on the water from beneath.

I think it would float better as the Hackle would be less likely to immediately penetrate the meniscus.

I had tried to achieve something somewhat somilar by using a woman’s eyelash curler to get the Hackle to sit on the water without sharp points which penetrate.

I will certainly use William’s method and see how it works on the water.

What is really coincidental is that I too saw the video just the other day on our Facebook group.

[redietz]

I find it hard to believe that in the 150 or so years of tying dry flies that using a curled hackle hasn't been "discovered" thousands of times by accident, and that those flies were fished. However, no one has until now made any claim that such flies caught more fish than flies tied with a straight hackle; indeed no one has ever mentioned that if you do accidentally tie a fly whose hackle you've curled (and I've certainly done so on occasion) to go ahead and use it because the fish won't mind.

Now, I see no reason why these flies should catch any fewer fish, but given the absence of evidence that they catch more fish (and I don't think the tyer in the video even made the claim that they did), I see no reason to grow my fingernails long and add an extra step in tying. I'll continue to use hackles that I've accidentally curled, but I'm not about to go out of my way to do so.

[Byron haugh]

I can see Marc Pettijean designing a new Hackle curling tool now.

And, I would try it.

[Joe Billingsley]

For $149.99.

Joe