Hackles, capes, saddles etc

I joined this late and honestly didn't read it all yet but i just wanted to say what i always say , buy whole necks when you can , start with a grizzly , most of us probably did , always ask the shop owner to actually see the neck out of the bag look close at the hackles , size , length of the barbules etc. make sure you're gettin what you want , it's a big expense but will last you a long time , never mail order hackle , i know i used the word "never" but i mean never , you really do need to see what you're gettin here , other materials and hooks and stuff it's ok but not hackle. One more thing and i'll shut up , 2's or middle of the road grade hackle rather than "top of the line" will meet your needs for less money if there is a good selection of middle grade you can usually , with a little searching , find what you need and save some cash.
 
I've seen whiting 100's (saddle) down to a size 26.

I like saddle because the last thing I want to do is pluck feathers, especially the wrong size.
 
goodfortune wrote:

P.S. - Ryan, I hope I'm not hijacking you post 🙂.
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Not a problem... that's what it's here for. I've been searching the internet and was wondering a similar question. Looked at some responses to purchases and if I do a saddle, you def have to buy it in person. Looks like some people get bugger saddles, and some people get dry fly saddles by certain manufacturers with the same purchase. I like the length of the saddles, but seems that you have more size choices with a cape.
 
i went to the NJ show last year and went to the Charlie Collins hackle stand. i think i spent around $150 on capes and came away with a big bag full. most of his hackle is in the $10 to $30 range and is high quality. im going back again this year and going to get another bag full.
 
RY,

If you can find a buddy or two to drive with from western PA, the Somerset show in NJ is the place to go. There is no better hackle for the money than Collins, IMO. Contact them, maybe they will be at a show closer to home.
 
1/2 Saddle Silver grade whiting in grizzly and ginger. That would keep you tying for a long time. It's better to pick them out right at the shop than to mail order so you can pick the ones that work best for you.
 
I have a few Collins necks they are pretty nice and still on the affordable side , i'd love to have a bunch of his #2's to go through , i have two of his dun necks that are real nice in color and workability. The price on these was $28.00 a few years ago , i got em at Cold Spring Anglers (gone) in the 90's.
 
Remember CSA well, one of the better fly shops in the hay day..."Herb" last guardian of the Letort; so he thought anyway..

Collins, Bobs hackle alike, good for catskill tye's..Hen capes great for upright wings too..

I prefer Whiting for my terrestrial tye's, thicker, more condensed hackle barbules, better for caddis, ants, bettles and such...

Whiting silver and up..
 
There was a guy that used to sell hackle at the TU cabin fever show here. Can't remember his name, but he was from Cortland NY. And I remember him telling me that he raised his own chickens.
His necks were $20 - this was 10 to 15 years ago now, though. And the hackle was very nice.
Anybody have an idea of who this was, and if he's still around?
 
Was he an older gentleman? Small farms are the best..Birds are natural too..Collins dye's black and olive..Olive is nice..
 
I'd say he was prolly about the same age as me - mid '50's now.
And it was definitely a small operation.
I thought at first, that maybe it was that Collins hackle that was previously posted. But I see that they're from the Elmira area of NY. And, for some reason, I definitely remember this guy telling me that he was from Cortland. Of course, he could have moved.
 
I thought Collins at first too, I know he use to do that kind of stuff..Now he has another person run all over the place for him..Last year at Somerset they had a booth full of lower grade Collins...20. bucks..That's where I picked up that olive..May try a turn or two of in my grndrake duns next year..Good for olive bodies too..

Dryfly,
You ever work with kapok..I hear it's a perfect match for drake spinner bodies (white)..I'm considering getting some in bulk and dying off different colors with it.,,Supposed to float like no other (plantfiber) go figure/..
 
I bought a pack of kapok when I took my tying class in 1984. We used it for cahill bodies I think that my instructor told me that it was the same materiel used in life vests?
Anyway, it's light tan in color. Has a nice fine texture, and is easy to work with.
It's not quite as chalk white as coffin fly bodies are, but it would probably work OK
 
Yes, natural kapok would be perfect for cahills. Bleached kapok ideal for drake spinner bodies?
How did it float? Can you recall performance factor?
 
I dunk all of my flies in home made floatant, and really never have any floating problems anyway. So, can't honestly say that it's superior to anything else. But, if you find a buy on it, I would get it. And, yes, I'm sure you could probably bleach it for coffins
 
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