hackles

[mart_s]

being new to tying and fly fishing in general my collection of materiels so far lends itself to small bugs and big pike flies, i'm wanting to tie up some dries, klinks, sedges, ldo's and bwo's but i'm not sure which hackle feather i'd require and is there 1 that i could use for a general imitation on all of them or would i have to get several?

and is it possible to get small amounts instead of a full cape as i won't require a lot for now and we're on short time at work so i'm skint

sorry if my questions are obvious to the experienced but we all have to start somewhere.

thanks martin

[dun09]

how skint are you?........... packets of hackle are a big no no!
as your new to tying you wont go far wrong with a cheap dry fly saddle
they average in the 10-16 with some either side or a cheap neck will cost you about £25 and tye from 8 down to 18
either way it will cost you about £25 i.ll warn you now fly tying is not cheap
make sure you pick one thats best suited to the flys your imitating
for all round hackle i favour grizzle or cree


tight lines

JAY

[preferwildfish]

Cheaper capes can usually be found at fly fairs and sometimes even at car boots etc. Grizzle and cree are very versatile as above post says and good capes give better value than a packet.
Short term however, mabye a chicken farm visit , or a couple of packets from a tackle shop will suffice,
Good luck,
Ken

[stockiebashersLtd]

Originally Posted by dun09

packets of hackle are a big no no!

they are craaaaaaaaaap.

[steveparton]

Metz Grade 2 saddles are about right and expect to pay somewhere near £20 for decent ones.

Metz have been upping their game in terms of breeding quite steadily for the last 20 years their feather gets tighter and narrower as the years pass . Sadly the pound weakens steadily against the dollar .

A couple of years ago I got shown a collection of feathers that GEM Skues tied his stuff with - compared to today's Metz G2 Saddles it was rubbish - believe me, feather today HALFORD WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU FOR!!

Steve P

[maharg]

As Steve says Metz saddles are top drawer.
PM me your address and I will send you a few hackles in ginger and bue dun to get you started.

[Fishing Junkie]

Send Sam Mcgowan (saracen) or Gerry (Ruthvenflyfisher) a PM. They will sort you out with what you're looking for.

I muddled through with packets and cheap chinese capes for years before I discovered saddles. money well spent in the long run.

FJ

[arkle]

Take a look at "Whiting 100's" but be sure to specify the size of fly you're tying when you order them.