What cape to buy???

[byrnsey]

Hey all, iv been on the look out for a decent cape with good hackles for wets, dries and spider paterns. I bought a fly tying kit a while back and they sent me 4 or 5 packets of different coloured short cock hackle feathers. Theyre either too long, too soft or they either dont turn the right way on the hook no matter how many times i try, could be me doing it wrong , i dont know. Was looking on various sites at different capes and to be honest i dont have a notion what to look for, also to me some seem pretty expensive especially if you want a couple of different colours. I seen some capes on different craft websites at a fraction of the price, also it offered a pack of 10 different colours for something like £15, too good to be true?? So basically im looking for some different coloured capes that arent going to cost me an arm and a leg and will do the job im looking for. Someone send me in the right direction pls??

[danielp]

If you speak to Gerry (RuthvenFlyFisher) on here he should be able to sort you out. I jus bought a cape off him and think that it is excellent value for money.

Dan

[guest28]

I agree, Gerry supplied me with microbarb capes in black & grizzle, exactly what I needed and good value too.
Good Luck

[mot]

One things I've looked for, but never found is a guide on selecting the best capes for the job. e.g. when to buy a neck, saddle etc, cock/hen, the main colours and types, quality, grades etc

It would be great to have a resource for this all in one place (and stickied)! I'm sure many of the experienced fly tiers on this forum could put something together quite quickly and it would be extremely useful for people starting out.

[welshfly]

Yes mot, I think it would be great too, if the lads could do that.

[Chris Reeves]

Which cape for which fly?

I use the following rule of thumb

Genetic cock neck capes Dry Fly hackle , also for tail whisks and beard hackles

Advantage is that you should be able to tie much smaller sizes and a larger variety of sizes
Disadvantages, can be expensive and can have stiff stems,
(I use Whiting as they have the softest stems but I must declare an interest whilst saying that as I'm on the Pro team. )

Genetic Saddle Dry Flies , Palmered flies, Saltwater and Pike flies

Advantages, Cheaper, More than 1 fly per feather, more easily available
Disadvantages, Can be limited in size range. Can be to soft for top quality dry flies. I use good saddle for 90% of my dries but take lots of time selecting the correct saddles.

Indian Cock neck capes Dry fly, Some wet patterns, Hackle point wings

Advantages Very cheap compared to genetic capes
Disadvantages Very variable quality, stiffness and size range. You may discard 10 capes before you find a good one. Do not buy unseen !

Genetic Hen capes, Wet fly hackles, soft hackles, beard hackles

Advantages Fairly cheap, easily available in good range of colours and sizes I can particularly recommend Chevron hen capes

Disadvantages Some capes can be too big for smaller spiders and wets

Indian Hen capes Wet fly hackles, Hackle point wings

Advantages Very cheap compared to genetic capes, Good selection of natural and dyed colours sold in the UK
Disadvantages Very variable quality, and size range.


As a general rule I would say "try before you buy" and ensure your purchase fits the job in hand.
One of my students bought a pretty Indian cape from Farlows in London for around £12 having been told it was top quality. When he treid to use it there was no feather smaller than a size 10 and the underside of every feather were white. Add in some feather damage and you have a complete waste of £12!

There are plenty of reputable dealers who will help you with choice if you cannot get to the shop for example Phil Holding at Fly tying Boutique.

Hope this helps

[TeePee]

mot.
I found this on the forum some time ago about hackles
and found it to be very helpfull,
Which Hackles - My Experiences
thanks to Cerberos for the work that was put into it.

hope you find it usefull..

Tp.

[mot]

Thanks Chris and TeePee (and Cerberos for his OP) for taking the time to post, both very informative.

Another Q, There is a mind boggling array of colours out there its sometimes hard to know what to buy and where you can substitute. It can also be expensive when starting out. If one was going to buy 2/3 colours of cape to cover most general needs what would you recommend?

I appreciate this is a very general question and it depends greatly on what patterns you are tying, I tie mainly nymphs/wets in s10-12 for stillwater trout fishing if that helps.

byrnsey - apologies if I am hijacking your thread a bit. I hope the answers to the questions I am asking will help you too!

[guest21]

Originally Posted by byrnsey

Hey all, iv been on the look out for a decent cape with good hackles for wets, dries and spider paterns.

Doesn't exist I'm afraid.

Hackles for wets? A hen cape or a very soft, webby cock cape.

Hackles for dries? A genetic cock cape or saddle depending on what size of dry you're tying.

Spiders? Traditionally hackles for spiders are taken from the covert feathers on the wings of game birds such as snipe or woodcock or other 'soft' body feathers not capes.

Originally Posted by byrnsey

I bought a fly tying kit a while back and they sent me 4 or 5 packets of different coloured short cock hackle feathers. Theyre either too long, too soft or they either dont turn the right way on the hook no matter how many times i try, could be me doing it wrong , i dont know.

As no one addressed this I will.
I would guess its got absolutely nothing to do with your ability. This was the problem I had when I started with a kit. I was just about to give up, I thought I will never get this! But it was the stems in the feathers just twisting away... and much too thick.

It is probably no comfort but I recently bought a pack with 1/2 a grizzle and half a blue dun, Masters capes from the states. The Grizzle....(which if I only had one cape for dries,would be my all rounder) is an absolute beaut and everything is so easy to use. Whereas the blue dun is a pig that twists and I have a feeling of dread when ever I think about using it. Thats an expensive cape and its a dud!
If I was you I would buy off one of the guys connected with Forum.
Tell him the range of size flies you want to make. (for me that would be 14's to 20's).
Your level of ability and the problems you have found.
And ask him if he could try it out for you, to make sure the hackle dont twist when you wrap them.

Hope that helps.