I want to tie up some soft hackle flies in size 20-24. Any suggestions on what to use or how to do this, my partridge feathers are much more suited to larger flies…
Kengore, I have neaver tied any soft hackles in size 24, but on 18, and 20 I take the smallest feather I can find then place it on the hook with the tip going toward the bend. Fold the feather around the hook and make one or two soft wraps of thread. Then pull back on the stem end untill you have the correct lenght. when you tighten the wraps the feather should spin around the hook like it was wrapped.
Bill
Ken, I tie a lot of small soft hackle and I recommed bobwhite quail, you can pick out some tiny feathers and on wild birds the steams are good and strong. You can also use starling but I dont care that much for them to dark and you can also purchase a Conranch JV hen, they have some awesome feathers in little bitty sizes down to a 24 easy. I always strip one side of my hackles and I use mainly thread for bodies but you can use just about anything you want.
One more thing 10/0 Gudebrod thread!! There is no better thread for midge and small soft hackle heads.
[This message has been edited by parrotheadcrb (edited 29 March 2006).]
CDC feathers you can use the fibres. However if you need them to sink maybe you would have problems…
Page 98 Sylvester Nemes. The Soft-hackled Fly Addict;
There you will find a “sizing’ chart, with feathers from #8 to #16, and the following.
" The smallest soft hackles I ever made were size 20’s. Feathers for this small a fly are hard to find and difficult to hold on to after you apply sufficient plier pressure to wrap them. If you want soft hackles in this size, I suggest you use a larger hook, say a 14 or 16, with a body only half the length of the hook and with the smallest partidge, grouse or other feather you can find. On these patterns, it is advisable to tie the hackle on the hook with its tip instead of its stem. Barbules at the end are much shorter than at the stem and often will be more vividly colored than the others.”
Hope this helps!
Betty
Trouts don’t live in ugly places
That’s another reason sperzonkers2’s method is neat… besides allowing use of small feathers it allows use of some very neat colored tips of feathers…those tips are otherwise hard to “display”.
I finaly found a solution for very small soft hackles…based on a recommendation from my local shop I bought the following.
Starling cape and herbet miner wet hackle necks. Both of these were inexpensive and supply wet hackle feather down to size 26.
Sparrows.