C0ck or hen

[flytyingguy]

Hi, I have been wanti ng to tie some dabblers and bumbles, with this hair craze i am not paying 40 quid for a saddle cape, so can you use hen hackle for dabblers and bumbles?

[shpeil]

You'd get closer to the original by using a cheap indian cock neck cape. You'll just find the feathers shorter than on a saddle so you'll only get one fly per feather using indian cock neck cape. The feathers will also have more of a taper i.e. shorter fibres at the tip relative to the fibres at the base. That's no bad thing in my book.

[flytyingguy]

I thought about this but you dont ge tindian capes dyed in WOI Golden olive claret, magenta, fiery brown etc

[shpeil]

Ah. I see your difficulty. Don't think I'd want to use hen myself but no doubt others more expert in bumbles and dabblers will be along to proffer opinions. The following would meet some of your needs by way of necks but is pretty far off the full whammy:

http://www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk/capes.htm

http://www.lathkill.com/shop/index.php?categoryID=111

http://www.featherbenders.com/aboutus.html

Fiery brown is thin on the ground hence the third (more expensive) link. Couldn't see any magenta around in a neck.

[dabhoy]

Take a look at Toby's site Funky fly tying as he had some reasonably priced saddles recently.

[flytyingguy]

Thanks chaps, appreciated, i just want enough hackle to tie maybe, a decent box of dabblers and a decent box of bumbles which will keep my busy through christmas

[Chris Reeves]

And anyway £40 is a reasonable price for a good cape/saddle

[flytyingguy]

Not when yer pocket money is a fiver a week (if i do chores)