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First published October 23rd 2006
Hen Hackles and Wet Flies
A perfect match
By Bob Petti
Awhile back, I received a shipment of hen "parts" from Whiting
Farms - saddles and necks. The saddles struck me with their intense colors
and solid web - the perfect substitute for schlappen, which is a bit overkill
for smaller trout flies. The saddles are pretty cheap and readily available,
so give 'em a try.
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The typical hen saddle hackle is a dense webby feather with a rounded
tip and fairly long barbs in relation to the length of the stem.
The most useful portion of the feather is the top two thirds. The
uppermost section is solid web right out to the very tips. As such,
it is best used in places where normally a solid feather section
would be used, such as on the tail of a classic wet fly where one
would normally use a slip of quill. What is nice about the Whiting
saddles is the length of these barbs is good in relation to the
typical hook size, so the tag end of the feather can be wrapped
the length of the hook allowing for a smooth and uniform underbody.
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| The middle section of the saddle has longer barbs,
but the fact that the barbs are not married out to the tips make these
more appropriate for the "hackle" portion of a wet fly, what would
normally be termed the "false beard". Where in the tail you want to
give the illusion of a solid section of feather, in the hackle you
want each barb to be distinct, as if you wrapped a conventional hackle
feather (Chinese cock, for example) |
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| This section of the feather also lends itself well
to "mixed" hackles, as you can stack sections and work them with your
fingers until the two (or more) colors are well blended. |
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| Not the area of the feather where the web extends to
the tips used for tailing. Notice that the barbs are plenty long enough
so that the "waste" ends can be completely wrapped under the body
to eliminate any lumps or bumps. |
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Modern genetic hen capes - neck hackles - have a lot in common
with their dry fly neck peers. They have long stems in relation
to their barb length giving tyers plenty of length to wrap along
a fly's body. They also have nice supple stems that make them very
easy to work with, unlike some of the chinese hackles or poor quality
dry fly necks that people have used in the past. Genetic hen capes
are a perfect match for a fly like a classic Wooly Worm.
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| For a wet fly that has both a palmered body hackle
and a beard, the best option is to use a genetic hen neck hackle for
the body, and a saddle hackle for the beard. |
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| The Whiting "American" hen saddles are available
in a variety of intense colors. The dye jobs are excellent. |
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| The range of natural colors in the "Herbert/Miner"
hen capes is excellent - from the lightest duns to rich blacks, with
a good assortment of natural browns. |
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| User comments |  |
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Submitted April 10th 2007
Do any of you ever use hen hackle tips for wings on your wet flies? I see many on emerger patterns, but I also tie up traditional flies like Royal Coachman, Flight's Fancy, Red Ibis or Yellow Sally with hackle tip wings. They are very attractive and much more durable than quill wings. Nice option to try.