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 As those of you who attended the
2007 fly fair already know, Ian McKenzie and I were asked to
sit on the “Fly tying problem solving row” at this years
British Fly Fair International (BFFI) at Trentham
gardens, Stoke on Trent.
We were each given a large table
and four chairs facing us, the idea being that visitors
could watch the great fly tiers like Charlie Chute, Paul
Little, Chris Helm etc etc, and then approach our row
and ask any questions they had on various techniques. I
found this idea a little daunting and had visions of
people asking questions about what they had seen taking
place on the top tiers row.
After a quiet first hour, spent
looking at each other thinking “this isn’t going to
work,” we were suddenly overrun with hordes of
interested tiers of all levels. My first three “clients”
all had questions on hackles and I spent the first half
hour demonstrating how to tie in full body hackles,
beard hackles, doubled wet fly hackles and finally tiny
spider hackles. Ian meanwhile had decided to tie
himself some pink shrimps for a grayling trip. He had
only just completed the first one before he too was into
solving hackle problems.
The day continued in much the same
vein and we retired to the hotel at 5pm quite exhausted.
In the bar we chatted with the other tiers and in
general it seems that a lot of beginners and
intermediate tiers have problems with their hackling
techniques. Having been asked for an article I thought that I’d address a few of the
problems that were most commonplace and pass on some of
the tips that I’ve picked up over the years. This may
run into two articles so I’ll stick to dry fly hackles
for now.
Dry fly hackles were without doubt
the biggest area where people experienced problems. Most
beginners complained of getting the hackle covering the
eye of the hook and the more experienced tiers were not
happy with the way the hackle stood when completed. It
should stand out at right angles from the hook shank.
The answer to this problem is
simple but often overlooked. Feather choice! The
selection of the correct type and shape of hackle is so
important. In the magazines and books a genetic cock
neck or saddle hackle is almost always recommended for
dry flies. This is great as far as it goes but different
capes have different qualities and characteristics:
 Metz
capes usually have very stiff fibres but the
thickness of the quill is greater than the same quality
of
Whiting Genetic Capes. This example, tied on a bare hook, is
a Whiting 100's size 16 hackle.
 Indian
capes can be brilliant or totally unusable. You must
choose carefully and always take a cape out of its
packet for inspection before buying.
 Saddle hackles have longer feathers but most
saddles have very few feathers small enough for a size
14 dry fly let alone a 16 or even an 18. So choice of
hackle is the most important factor to begin with. It
is impossible to tie top quality flies with inferior
feathers.
Feather Structure: The second problem identified was
that a lot of beginners didn’t understand the structure
of the feathers. Each hackle feather will have a shiny
or good side and a duller side. The colour difference
between the two sides can be great, especially if the
hackle is a naturally dark coloured one. The hackle
will have a natural curvature depending on which side of
the cape it came from. A few feathers from exactly in
the middle of the cape do lie totally straight but there
are not many of them. In cross section the feather is
also slightly concave with the shiny or good side
sloping downwards from the hackle stalk.
The overall length of the stem of
the feather will determine the speed at which the fibre
lengths change. A 3” short spade shaped hackle will show
greater rate of change than a 12” long saddle hackle.
Always ensure that when wound-on the profile of the
hackle fits the fly you’re tying. If you want your
hackle to be even, then choose a long feather. If you’re
looking for a steep angle, then choose a short feather.
Tying-In: Having chosen your correct feather
you still need to tie it in. This is how I do it.
Remember we all tie in our own way so you may well do
this slightly differently. That said, provided the result
is acceptable to you as the tier and the fish as the
customer then you’re probably doing it right.
For a traditional dry fly. Take a
good coloured hackle and strip off about 2cm of the
fibres from the lower end of the stem. If using long
genetic hackles this can be done at any part of the stem
depending on the length of hackle fibre you require. Tie
in the hackle with the good side uppermost and with the
stem facing forwards over the eye. Secure the stem so
that you have a flat surface on which to wrap the
hackle. Clip off the excess having first ensured it is
tight-in and then grip the feather firmly with either
hackle pliers of your fingers. Make sure you have not
covered the eye of the hook at this stage.
Wrap the hackle starting at the
body and working forwards. Concentrate on not over
wrapping, each turn should be touching the previous
turn. If you over wrap the hackle, fibres will start to
splay out and some will fall forwards and be trapped
under the subsequent wraps. Continue to the eye and tie
off. I always wrap in the same direction as my silk is
wound, to ensure that when tying off the silk, the whip
finish pulls the hackle tighter.
Remember to keep the good side
facing forwards. If your feather starts to twist,
take the time to untwist it. If it keeps on twisting then
consider junking it and start again. It may be you need
to take a feather from the opposite side of the cape or
even change capes. One of the advantages of buying the
Whiting 100’s saddle hackle packs is that they contain
such soft feathers that I have never had one twist on
me.
When tying in two hackles of
contrasting colour you can either tie one at a time or
wind both together. If you tie each hackle separately
remember not to make touching turns on the first hackle,
leave a space for the next hackle to fit between the
turns of the first.
Chris Reeves, December
2007
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