I’m still a newbie. To palmer my first few woolly buggers I’ve been using the larger hackles on the same half-capes I use for dry flies. I feel like this is the wrong hackle to use, considering that my buggers are showing a tendency to float, despite their lead-wrapped shanks. What hackle do I want to use for buggers? The cheaper “strung saddle hackle” that usually sells for three or four bucks apiece?
I’m gonna have to hold on to these ridiculous early flies of mine. They look almost–what’s the word?–experimental. I imagine I’ll get a real kick out of them a few years down the road.
You have several options and one of those you already mentioned is strung saddle hackle. Also consider strung cape feathers, Chinese capes/saddles, or the real webby feathers found in many dry fly saddles toward the center of the pelt. I think Whiting Farms still sell Bugger Capes and Denny at Conranch sells JV pelts that can be used for a wide range of fly types. Good luck. Take care & …
Tight Lines - Al Beatty [url=http://www.btsflyfishing.com:484b8]www.btsflyfishing.com[/url:484b8]
nope - not wrong - some might say different - but you’re not wrong.
In tying there’s their way - and your way - nothing concrete.
And about putting the flies aside - don’t. As ugly as you might think of them - go out and fish them.
enjoy
I agree with darrell. Don’t let anything
stimey your creativity. I was ALWAYS the kid that thought outside the box and colored outside the lines. That what I teach my three kids. {:O)
Kahuna
***nope - not wrong - some might say different - but you’re not wrong.
In tying there’s their way - and your way - nothing concrete.
And about putting the flies aside - don’t. As ugly as you might think of them - go out and fish them.
enjoy
darrell, ***
[This message has been edited by Kahuna (edited 16 March 2006).]
Sounds like you’re using stiff hackles to palmer the body. That’s ok. Those stiff hackles won’t lay down and pulse back and forth in the water like a softer, webbier hackle will, but they will push more water, which sometimes excites strikes. Both have their applications. Most stillwater fishermen use the soft, webby pulsating type of hackle, but I’ve seen plenty of patterns that call for “rooster” hackle, which is the stiff stuff. Tie some of both and try them. The fish will give you the answer you’re looking for.
You’d oughta see some of the first flies I tied. I actually showed them to people, and was green enough not to know better. I’d had almost zero instruction, and it showed. Keep on tying, and read, read, read. FAOL is a great spot to be. Also for hands-on, a lot of fly shops have classes and demo’s that you can hit. Some community colleges have regular courses as well. Great shortcuts to get there fast. Good luck!
Lew
[This message has been edited by Lew (edited 16 March 2006).]
Try using soft “hen hackle” for subsurface flies and save your stiff “rooster hackle” for surface flies where/when possible. Its probably an even better idea or most important to measure your hackle (fibers) so that it is proportional to the size fly you are tying (oversize hackle can be a problem). That’s what the tying books tell me to do and it works so that’s what I do .
Whiting sells ‘bugger packs’ of webby hen hackle just for wooly buggers, excellent quality.
Any soft webby hackle works well. Low quality chinese strung hackle, imported india or asian necks sold for cheap (try Cabela’s). Collin’s Hackle Farms include a saddle with every neck purchase and some of the ones I got are ideal for buggers.
Woolly Buggers are one of my favorite fishing flies. I agree with what everyone else has said on this board – good insight, affirmation, and encouragement. About the only thing I would add is this: if you are looking for hackle that is softer and will “breath” you might want to try Ewing hackle. I have some of the Whiting, Strung hackle, and some lower grade saddles as well as one pack of Ewing. If I had my preference, I’d go with the Ewing … but in all honesty, everything that I use to palmer the bugger has worked. Go figure. Good luck.
I have actually had some great luck with saddle hackles I got really cheap at Micheals for decorating hats and stuff. Real webby, dark iridescent black. Found some browns and brown grizz too.
There are a lot of options for tying buggers. I use strung chinese saddle, some of the webbier feathers from a Conranch saddle, Ewing hackle, Whiting’s American Hackle and for smaller sizes (12-16) I use A Whiting Hen cape. I personally tie more small buggers (size 12-16) than I do the larger sizes (say 4-8). The Whiting Hen Capes tend to a bit stiffer than the others that I listed but the fish dont seem to mind
Personally I have found the easiest feathers to tie with are Conranch but since I still have some other brands I use them.
Take care everyone and cya around. Mark
[This message has been edited by MarkKillam (edited 16 March 2006).]
I use Chinese necks. You can buy them for little or nothing on EBay, in every color imaginable. I get them in lots of 10, with assorted colors. They work beautifully on most 'wet’type flies, especially Wooley Buggers, and Hackle Worms (a Hackle Worm is basically a Wooley Bugger with two long soft feathers as a tail, instead of a tuft of maribou).
Just my .02. I tie a lot of wooly buggers and had the same problem. When you palmer the hackle does the tips of the hackle point toward the eye of the hook? If so then you have placed the hackle on the bugger wrong. When I tie a bugger I tie a very thin piece of gold wire on the off side of the hook (the side away from you) and then tie in the body material and wrap to the head of the bugger. Then I tie the butt of the hackle to the head of the bugger and wrap to the back. I let my hackle pliers weight hold the hackle in place and then wrap the wire to the head of the bugger covering the wraps of the hackle. I tie off the wire and then trim the hackle at the butt of the bugger. Tie the head and you are done. The hackle tips will point to the butt of the bugger and it will give the body a tapered look from head to butt. Hope this helps.
.
: [url=