Some people may not know who "Denny" is....or how to contact him. I know...hard to believe huh? Well new members may not be that familiar but may be interested in hackle. Sooooo......Conranch Hackle is a sponsor.
http://www.conranch.com/
"Breeder of fine dry fly hackle birds and exotics"
It's all about the birds. The co-owner of Conranch Hackle, Dennis Conrad, started raising birds about 45 years ago. It all started with working toward a merit badge in Scouts. (The other owner is Dennis's daughter, Liz.)
Having started as a fly fisherman and tying his own flies at about 10 years of age, he naturally drifted toward the birds used for flies. An old friend had this flock of dry fly birds. He had tried to purchase some from time to time when he had a little money. But the friend would not sell Dennis even one live rooster. He did not understand why at the time. When he passed away Dennis obtained the entire flock. The age of that breeding flock is over 40 years old. There has never been any new blood introduced in all that time. There are enough families that one can, by careful breeding and selection keep the colors, perfect them and keep the dry fly quality.
Careful breeding and selection is what makes Conranch Hackle special. How good? Read the Product Review from Global Fly Fishers. How are the necks graded? Everyone has his or her own secret method. Dennis's are no secret. The number of the different sizes of feathers in a cape, overall size of the cape, (how many flies can be tied per cape) overall appearance and color. After handling and tying for over 50 years, Dennis asks himself, "would you pay the grade price for the grade you just determined?" He has used enough in his lifetime and like everyone else watches his money pretty close.
They also have the policy that if a customer is not satisfied for any reason, just return them and you will be refunded with no questions asked. (It's happened twice in five years, ask Dennis to tell you the story.)
One more thing, Dennis does not sell to fly shops. You buy directly from him. No middleman. No hype, no big advertising campaign. Just great hackle at fair prices.
To quote Dennis, "I am doing what I enjoy in life and if I had the choice to go anyplace in the world and do anything I wanted, my choice would be to stay here and do what I am doing."
Have a question? Need a specific color or hackle? Not sure just what you need? Call Dennis, (509) 999-7472! He actually LIKES to talk with his customers!
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