I have just purchased three Whiting silver grade midge saddles directly from the farm (being on the Pro team does has its advantages) and they all have plenty of hackles in the 20 to 22 range but very little, if any that is smaller.
Remember that most saddles will give you lots of feathers in two sizes for example 12/14 or 14/16 but rarely have any larger variation in size than that.
My Whiting silver grade neck capes on the other hand range from 10s at the bottom down to plenty of small hackles in 20 and 22 by the head end but even then 24's are pretty rare. The bronze capes in general go down to a 18 with a few 20's that are usable. There are also a lot of very short hackles in the last 1/2 inch of cape that may give a turn or too of size 24 but you need the patience of a saint and good eyesight to use them.
The Whiting reference sheet states that Whiting and Hebert/Miner gold capes will go down to a size 22 and the Midge Saddles down to a 24.
That said there will be the odd cape that is the exception and has smaller feathers but you need to look through your dealers stock and find them.
A point that you may be missing here is that the stiffest hackles tend to have the stiffest stems and if you try to tie three turns of thick stem onto the front end of a size 24 dry you'll soon find there is too much bulk. You may need to compromise on stiffness for suppleness and thinness of stem which is where Whiting do so well in comparision to Metz or other major producers.
On such a small dry, the weight of the hook is minimal and therefore less hackle is needed for floatation. I'd say two turns would be plenty. I am also happy to go a hackle size over on small dries and trim the underside to the required length.
If anyone wants to see a version of the whiting reference chart then follow this link:-
Reference
I also have a few copies of the Whiting chart that I can send out to anyone who wants them.
On the subject of hair extensions, most tackle shops cannot hold a stock of grizzly saddles as they are purchased the minute they hit the shelves by the fashonistas , Just check out the silly prices on ebay for grizzle saddles, the highest I have seen is $375 for a Whiting bronze. I have also had a US tackle shop approach me and ask to buy back saddles they sold me last year at twice the price even if they were slightly used.
Hopefully the trend will soon decline and then maybe a load of saddles will come back on the market and bargains will be available, till then hold on to what you have! Hope this is helpful
Regards
Stiffest small hackles
Linear Mode
