hackle ID

[geebee]

Hi Guys,

talking of new hot flies, i was looking at this soft hackle caddis emerger by rick little of shadcreekflies, its the #1 seller on myflies right now, but i can't make out the hackle :

any thoughts or opinions or substitutes i could use ? - i've looked and can't find a recipe let alone a SBS.

i think he tyes he back first, tyes the soft hackle in then dubs the thorax and tyes off. this fly in green or tan is supposedly deadly on the swing.

Cheers

mark.

 

[RCFetter]

At 6:20 he mentions whiting brahma hen.

 

[eunanhendron]

Based on length and coloration, the hackle on the fly in the photo looks to me to be from a Ringneck pheasant.

 

[geebee]

Thanks Eunan - you think perhaps from the top of the head.

they seem to be very slightly mottled and longer than anything i have to play with right now.

 

[eunanhendron]

I thought similar to the light brown/tan feather on the wing of this fly.
THere are actually two feathers here - the smaller white and dark brown, as well as the larger tan....

The hackle on this fly is also from a ringneck pheasant, so you could probably sub any 'patterned' feather from a ringneck

But if the video says Brahma Hen, and you have some, use Brahma hen

 

[gfen]

Don't overthink things. Its a feather. A soft one. From a hen or gamebird. It doesn't matter what the "official" colour of it is or breed of bird it came from.

Open your box, pick one out that's appealing and just make it.

 

[troutbert]

Grouse or partridge would work well.

 

[mario66pens]

My first thought was hen dyed olive

 

[geebee]

gfen wrote:

Don't overthink things. Its a feather. A soft one. From a hen or gamebird. It doesn't matter what the "official" colour of it is or breed of bird it came from.

Open your box, pick one out that's appealing and just make it.

thats good advice as i realize you can drive yourself nuts trying to make exact imitations - but i was looking for the length of barb and mottling.

i have brown partridge, but its not similar.

thanks for all your input guys.

 

[troutbert]

geebee wrote:

i have brown partridge, but its not similar.

It might be BETTER, though, for an emerging caddis imitation.

A little less thick and opaque looking than what's shown in the photo may be closer to the naturals.

 

[gfen]

geebee wrote:
thats good advice as i realize you can drive yourself nuts trying to make exact imitations - but i was looking for the length of barb and mottling.

i have brown partridge, but its not similar.

Don't use a neck feather, use one of the coverts.

As for mottling, again, don't get hung up on it. Mottling is more about the appearance of movement, which your delighfully soft hackle provides anyways.

And length? From any dead animal you choose you'll find feathers that are too long or too short, pick a different one or simply tie it down, wrap it over, then stick it up. You've made a too long feather jsut right. Its magic!

You will find a feather on the body of just about any bird that'll cover that just fine. Whether it be a hen, a woodcock, partridge, plover, sandrail, or the sparrow you shot with a daisy red ryder from your back porch just now.

It's fishing, not rocket science. You're not looking to land a man on the moon, you're looking to fool a creature with a brain smaller than a pea.

 

[geebee]

plover or golden plover ?

 

[gfen]

Whichever one has ecru and ochre mottling over a fallow base, obviously.

 

[lv2nymph]

I'll bet feathers from a hen pheasant would work just fine for what you're looking to achieve.

 

[tctrout]

gfen wrote:

Don't overthink things. Its a feather. A soft one. From a hen or gamebird. It doesn't matter what the "official" colour of it is or breed of bird it came from.

Great advice for sure, and something I wouldn't sweat too much. My advice is always to contact the tyer if you want the specific feather, and consider purchasing some of the flies.

If I was trying to match specifically, I would probably go the route of a hen and find one in the matching color.

Good luck, and be sure to let us know what you find out.

TC

 

[MKern]

Definitely overthinking it too much.

Any soft hackle feather in any color or molting will work as good as that specific (and sometimes really expensive) feather.

Buying every material for every pattern is how fly tying gets expensive.

 

[PennKev]

MKern wrote:
Definitely overthinking it too much.

[d]Any soft hackle feather in any color or molting will work as good as that specific (and sometimes really expensive) feather.

Buying every material for every patter[/d]n is how fly tying gets expensive.

I could not help myself.

 

[nfrechet]

fly tyers can be masters at making things complicated!

the color of the soft hackle is less important than the movement of the hackle. fish don't stop swimming if the hackle is a little off color

use a partridge hackle and go fishing

 

[JackM]

do you think mourning dove feathers are any good
I have one or more i'd like to kill

pa flyfish

 

[RLeeP]

Although the covert feathers and neck feathers make decent soft hackles, all the ones I've had or seen have a pinkish cast in their overall dun/gray/brown coloration that always seemed a little off putting to me. All in all, my view is that Doves are better eating than they are fly tying material. The breasts are really excellent browned in a skillet and then sauteed with onions.