Got to raid my friend’s fly tying stash today, so I went to work. Back two have sparkle in the tails. Though saddle hackle seems to usually give me trouble, I didn’t do that bad. I can almost never get it to point backwards, or be small at the back and bigger as it comes forward.
Nice job!!!
To get the hackle to taper, Strip some fibers off the stem at the TIP and tie TIP in first. That way the biggest hackle will be at the front and then taper down towards the tail.
I think the best way to get the hackle to point backwards and go from larger at the head to smaller to the tail is to tie them like this.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/part13.php
I tie the hackle in by the butt at the head of the fly with the cupped part of the feather facing backwards toward the tail. I make two wraps at the head then palmer backwards toward the tail. I think adding the rib and using this method makes a better looking and more durable fly.
I also tie my 'buggers in the manner done in the link that Taz posted.
Gets the tapers and angles correct, and the fly is much more durable.
Seems to tie quicker, too.
Buddy
I also tie my buggers identical to Taz and Buddy by tying the hackle in at the front and palmer to the rear. I do not use a wire rib to reinforce the hackle/fly. I tie my chenille or whatever body material I am using in at the front as well as the hackle. I then take my bobbin and thread to the rear tail tie in point and then wind the chenille to the rear and make a couple wraps with the thread to tie it in and clip the excess and then palmer the hackle back to the rear tie in point and tie it off. You then clip the excess and palmer your thread through the body to the front and build a small head and whip finish.
I think your flies looked fine and I really saw no problem with the hackle. When you tie your next ones, I would recommend trying to use about 1/3rd less marabou for the tails. If the tails are real bulky, they lose some of their action once they are wet. Please understand this recommendation is only a recommendation. Your flies looked very good. Nice job…
Warren -
Don’t tie many buggers, but I do like this approach and will definitely give a try.
Thanks.
Panfisha -
Good looking flies.
John
I am with the guys above. Look at it this way: If you tie in the tip of the hackle at the back, palmer it forward, and tie it off, you have two weak points. One is that you are using the tip of the feather, and feathers tend to get weaker twoards the tips. The second is that the feather is held on at only two points, and when (not if) the feather shaft gets cut, the whole thing unravels.
When I tie them (and I tie a lot of them), I lay the thread base, tie in the tail, tie in the chenille at the back, tie in the wire rib, wrap the thread forward, wrap the chenille forward, tie in the hackle butt at the front, concave side to the rear, and palmer the hackle to the back. When I reach the wire, I wrap the wire forward over the hackle to the head, tie it off, and finish the fly. The piece of hackle feather that you lose is the tip, the weakest part. Any wrapping is away from me over the top of the hook shank, by the way.
Might not be easy to imagine but the end result is that the wire rib holds down that hackle feather at a dozen places instead of two, as the wire and the hackle cross. When the hackle gets damaged, it doesn’t come apart. I have taken dozens of bluegill on one individual bugger tied in this manner.
I haven’t had many problems with hackle breaking. I have caught 20+ fish on woolly buggers tied this way without them destructing.
Good looking flies, Panfisha. I’m going to give that chartreuse one a try, good idea.
Chris,
Then you are the exception that proves the rule.
Before I started tying them with the reinforced hackle, I’d get ten fish, or one, or three, or such, and then I’d have a fly with two pieces of hackle trailing behind it…I’d also always have to struggle to get the feather to taper correctly, the barbs often went the wrong way (fish don’t care, but it looks messy to me), and the thinner tip stems would sometimes break during the tying.
With this method, that doesn’t happen, and the flies look better and finish faster. For me, it’s a win/win method.
Perhaps I wasn’t tying them correctly with the ‘old’ method, but I’m ceertainly satisfied with the way I do it now…
Buddy
I don’t trust the ribbing to hold the hackle, by itself. I tie the feather at rear, by the tip, and palmer it forward, then wind the ribbing forward. I tie it all off at the head, whip finish, and coat both the head, and rear of the body with a drop of Hard-As-Hull finish. I finish the head with an appropriate color of lacquer or enamel.
Like Gig, I tie my bugger in the traditional method from back to front, with the tip tied in and palmered forward.
Chapter 13, Section 1 of the Fly Tier’s Benchside Reference describes both forward and rearward palmering techniques in Methods #16 & 17. According to the text, the key to barb orientation is to palmer the feather while holding it in the same orientation as it was tied onto the hook; flat or edgewise. Preening the barbs with each wrap of the feather will prevent the barbs from catching under the hackle wraps, and will help orient them rearward.
BTW, I do not reinforce my hackle on most flies. If the hackle gives way because the fish have chewed it up, the rest of the fly is pretty much gone as well. I strip clean the hooks and retie the flies. This give me more reasons to get to the bench more frequently.
Joe