cock saddles & hen capes

[mad4fly]

HI folks i am looking for instruction/advice i have started trying to tie my own flies .I find the packets of hackles all on the big side ,i am looking to tie flies from size 16 -10 & am led to believe that sddles are better than capes as there are a lot of larger feathers on capes that i wouldnt use is this true .I have had a look on line and cant see a lot of saddles out there seems to be more capes please put me right folks.thanks duncan

[tupps]

Give Chris a ring at Lathkill and explain exactly what you want and what it's for ....... 01422 322954.

Most of us could fill pages with this that and the other about hackles, capes and saddles. There is tons of info already on the forum if you search those words.

For a beginner I could not reccommend the value packs highly enough that many suppliers are doing.

Once you get to 14s and 16s especially dries I would look on the top third of a cock cape. Many Indian and Chinese capes are well under a fiver and will provide all you need. As with all natural materials the hackles vary a great deal.
The trick is to get your experience without spending or wasting loads of money.

I would say avoid the packets unless they are selected by a supplier you know and will take care of you. Chris at Lathkill will.

[dabhoy]

You will find that decent saddles are in short supply so we are all just hoping that the hair fashion thing comes to an end soon.

[shpeil]

I seriously doubt you'd find any saddle that will tie the whole range from 16 to 10, but a cape will. Yes, a cape will have bigger stuff on it too, but that's what you use for tails.

[mad4fly]

Thanks for the info guys much appreciated

cheers Duncan

[philfish1966]

great stuff