Wet Fly Ways.. The flies.

Hi Davy,
Great information you are posting!

I, too, love the flecked feathers as well. Speckled hen back comes in various shades of brown and gray and are being dyed different colors and offered by different suppliers. Brahma hen backs are similar and offered as well. I also like hackles with a darker or different colored list like Badger, Furnace, Greenwell's, and Brahma (which is being dyed and offered in a number of different colors by Whiting. See the Topaz Soft, below. The hackle is straw colored Brahma hen.) Good old Partridge can also be dyed and used. I also like Grizzly hackles for some wets.

http://www.libstudio.com/Photographs.../TopazSoft.jpg

Mark

What are the feelings on starling for hackle on smaller flies?

starling is good stuff for small flys...one of the best I would say.

For sure starling is a very useful feather. Works great for thread bodied midges, drowned ants and black gnats.

Mark, no doubt tyers of to day have way more availability of poultry hackle both natural and dyed.
one of the reasons why l raise my own birds is many of the natural colors l prefer and were those used way back are not available from commercial sources to day. I tried to get Tom Whiting to raise those birds but he told me that he did not think he would get a good enough market, and he may be right about that.
Many of these hackles do come from the fancy breeds, may be l should go into full time production. If a high end dry fly neck can fetch 100 bucks then why not same for a hen neck !!
I may well incubate a further 50 eggs this month and see if we can sell the necks to those of you who have a interest here.

How many ty dries to day with genetic necks, it is a very low percentage as it is for dry fly sales Nationwide.

I also dye my own necks, as to be honest l am real fussy about the shades of that feather when wet

Big Brown.
I use the Snowbee white DT line and have done since they were available. My friend is the MD of that UK based company.
There are two reasons why.
one is visibility, the second is it is a very supple line and is no wiry, this make a great deal of difference no question of doubt in so far as how the flies will move.
Next best bet is to obtain a silk line, they cannot be beat, down side is you have to take care of them, around 200 bucks last one l purchased.

Time l got off the river today and all else dealt with l did not have time to take pics of the flies l talked about.
Hopefully to morrow.

Davy.

Davy you can get the Snow Bee lines then i am guessing? I really want to give them a try.

Davy,
I would say that you are correct about the hackle producers NOT producing wet fly necks because of the market, but I also believe that wet flies continue to grow in popularity and use. Someday, perhaps. I must also add that economically, many can not afford to spend $100 on hackle capes. I know prices are coming up, but these are, for me, at least, out of reach. Many tiers today have to think about their wallets. I spend my money where I can get the best deal for what I want. If someone can offer decent materials at a good price, they'll have my business, and probably others as well.

The Brahma hen Whiting is offering is top notch for about $15. Many of the speckled hen necks sell for less than that and offer good performance, color, and action for under $10. I have quite a nice Partridge skin I got for under $20.

I guess you've got to be money conscious nowadays.

Mark

Mark,

Great point I think we are all the same why. As much as I tie espically in the winter cost becomes a big part of it. I would be willing to pay 30 bucks for top quality hen and wet fly necks. There is a market but sadly it it is not nearly the market that has developed for dry fly hackle.

Flyfisher,
I've gotton some excellent deals on white hen necks of fairly good quality, if one shops around. Dying yourself isn't that difficult and with a little preparation and testing, one can get the colors you desire.

As far as starling is concerned, I use these hackles a lot. They are somewhat delicate, so one must develop a sensitivity to them. I have found starling is fairly good substitute for other, more expensive bird feathers.

Mark

Yeah starling is a little trick to use but I have found it deadly on some sunken ants that i have tied. I really have gotten a lot of my wet fly stuff at Fishermens Paradise in State College. Its a great show for wet fly stuff a couple of the workers are big into wet sp they have a nice selection of all kinds of stuff.

Hi Mark, yes no doubt few are prepared to spend 100 bucks on a neck.
One of the advantages no doubt is that good feather is available at low cost for the wet and soft hackle fanatics.

You might find this interesting. When l owned a operation like Wapsi in the UK, l used to buy from India hen necks for around 20c each, Chinese necks around 25c each.
I went to India one time to sort out what l needed from one of the companies l used to deal with, that was a revelation l can tell you. They had these kids killing and skinning birds, and they were paid next to nothing.

Good Partridge is becoming hard to find. there are two sources. One is here in the US for the Hungarian, known in the UK as the the Brown Partridge, the other sold here is the smaller imported from China.
The US birds mainly come from game bird breeders that raise birds for hunting. They do not like to keep them after the hunting season as feed costs are high, so they are processed for the fly tying business.
They are also prone to disease issues if kept in captivity.

Word of advice here guys. Partridge is costing around 30 bucks to day in the fly shops. Before you buy it check it out.
Look more so at the Brown feather. If those feathers look like the ends of the feather has been eaten away by mites, and they are not as a good shaped full feather do not buy them.
If you figure out what each feather works out at given you are paying 30 bucks they are costly as there are not that many useful hackles for average hook sizes 12 to 16.

Further more you will only get high quality fly tying material from a store that has a guy who also knows what good stuff is, most have no idea.


Davy.