Hackle

[fisherboy3]

Looking to expand my hackle collection and was wondering what you guys use the most. So far i have all whiting hackles. I have coachman brown, grizzly, medium dun, pmd and cream. What are your guys favorites? Let me know your opinions. Also, what kind do you use the most on your dry flies?-Kev

 

[krott243]

Ginger

 

[nfrechet]

I have coachman brown, grizzly, medium dun, pmd and cream. What are your guys favorites?

you have a pretty darn good collection so far that will tie just about anything you want to tie. why would you need more?

if theres a fly that needs something different then buy that

you dont say what youre tying so it would be hard to give you direction into what else to buy

 

[tctrout]

Kev,

I agree with the last post. I love having lots of materials, but preferably purchase when there's a need. You have a great handle on colors, and should probably supplement when sizes get low. Black may be a nice color for you, and I primarily use it on any patterns.

For hackle, I tend to buy variants now because I love the barred colors. I believe they promote movement and are more representational of the insects I'm trying to mimic.

Good luck with your collection,

TC

 

[troutbert]

Light ginger is good to have. For Light Cahills, Grey Fox Variants, Yellow Adams.

And for the infamous yellow Stimulators. A fly everyone should have in their box.

For a lot of yellow bodied dry flies, a mix of light ginger hackle and grizzly is very good.

 

[dryflyguy]

dun and ginger are my most used hackle colors.

 

[Tiogadog]

Black or dark barred ginger. Check out the Hebert Miner line from Whiting. www.jimsflyco.com is a good place to look and purchase

 

[fisherboy3]

Oh well I only have half necks of those colors. Im gonna have to look into a ginger hackle. Do they sell just spade feathers?

 

[Tiogadog]

Yes about tailing packs...whiting tailing packs, coq de Leon or natures spirit tailing packs

 

[jeremymcon]

I also tie with ginger a lot. EHC and stimulators as well as light colored mayflies. Bought a barred ginger cape from Collins hackle farm (Google them), and got the saddle patch with it for $30 plus shipping. The saddle isn't quite as nice as a saddle you'd buy from whiting, but it has lots of long feathers that are usable for dry flies, and some that you'd use for wooly buggers. The cape is a nice cape for my uses. It is a grade 3.

 

[jeremymcon]

Oh and Collins sells spade hackle packs of most of their colors as well if you order from them.

 

[fisherboy3]

Just another quick question. I am mostly tying hendricksons, quill gordons and blue quills right now. I have dun and grizzly, for duns and spinners. But what about for a red quill? I was told brown was a red quill, but what color brown?-Kev

 

[dryflyguy]

fisherboy3 wrote:
Just another quick question. I am mostly tying hendricksons, quill gordons and blue quills right now. I have dun and grizzly, for duns and spinners. But what about for a red quill? I was told brown was a red quill, but what color brown?-Kev

The body color of the red quill (male hendrickson) is a reddish brown color.
But I would still use dun hackle on it.
In fact, I use dun hackle on all of the early season mayflies - BWO's, blue quills, quill gordon, and hendrickson

 

[GenCon]

dryflyguy wrote:

fisherboy3 wrote:
Just another quick question. I am mostly tying hendricksons, quill gordons and blue quills right now. I have dun and grizzly, for duns and spinners. But what about for a red quill? I was told brown was a red quill, but what color brown?-Kev

The body color of the red quill (male hendrickson) is a reddish brown color.
But I would still use dun hackle on it.
In fact, I use dun hackle on all of the early season mayflies - BWO's, blue quills, quill gordon, and hendrickson

^ditto

GenCon

 

[afishinado]

Dun Deal!

Don't be a slave to patterns....check out the actual bug itself.

 

[fisherboy3]

Well I know to use dun on it, but Im wondering what color spade feather to use as a red quill body.

 

[dryflyguy]

fisherboy3 wrote:
Well I know to use dun on it, but Im wondering what color spade feather to use as a red quill body.

Sorry - misunderstanding of your question.
Yes - you want to use a stripped brown hackle stem to wind for a body there.
I used to tie them that way long ago. But got kinda frustrated with them unwinding after only catching a fish or two.
And started using reddish brown dubbing.
Easier to tie and more durable IMO