A couple other observations:

For me, it really makes a difference in the appearance (fish don't care but they're not the ones tying) to undersize the hackle; standard length hackle just looks too big

I really like how a spun deer head/wing, muddler style (see Splitsville Muddler Spruce Moth ), looks and performs for the Splitsville. I never liked the dubbed head of the original, preferring the additional buoyancy the butt ends of the deer hair provide; found this to be true even in smaller sizes (maybe not micro black caddis). Although not quite as good as foam, these flies do a good job riding on top, even after multiple fish, with a couple false casts.


Regards,
Scott