FLYMPH FORUM

Soft-hackle wrote: but I find many of the genetic hen hackles are stiffer than hen hackle we use to buy years ago.
Mark

I have a friend who keeps chickens (as in ornamental chickens - yes, I know, I'm lucky, aren't I? - and she swore blind that the genetic hen capes I was buying were in fact first year cock. They often even have a tapered end to the feather.

From her, I have some soft feather cock (Onagadori, I think) and that is very similar in terms of 'stiffness' to the genetic hen.

I believe some in the States refer to genetic hen as 'henny-cock' - presumably to reflect this?

Andrew.

I rarely use the genetic hen for wets. I use them almost exclusively for dry flies. I do not like the ultra stiff dense dry fly hackle. I prefer the less dense, stiff but springy action of the hen. When I wrap the genetic hen on traditional style and size for a dry, the hackle fibers will give a bit, bending, and putting more surface area on the water surface instead of "stabbing the surface" like a needle bed. I use the hen, before I fish I pull the bottom hackles out to the sides with my fingers to create a small "V" on the bottom to help them bow on the surface. I also think this gives a better surface impression than the all the stiff hackle tips protruding through the water's surface. This was a technique that I picked up from Shane Stalcup. I think the genetic hen works better for the dries this way and is much less expensive. The fine quality dry fly hackles today work good for parachute style flies (although IMO most tyers use way too much hackle for this style) as do the genetic hen. I haven't noticed a big difference in the two for this purpose so I generally stick to the less expensive genetic hen cape here as well.

Now for wets, I don't hardly use the genetic hen but much prefer a plain old hen cape feather or a very low grade cock hackle if I want stiffness in the hackle. Hen saddles and game birds for soft hackles. I have started using the coq de leon quite a bit for wingless wets. This is stiff hackle but I tie them in spanish style distributed around the hook and swept back. Very nice shiny buggy hackle with a springy action as opposed to the fluid action of a soft hackle.

Old Hat-- Not to hijack Donald's thread, but would you care to elaborate on the "Spanish style" of hackling CdL? Are you folding the fibers back and wrapping the rachis, say, midway down the hookshank to get the right length, then "tidying up" (as Davey McPhail might say ) back toward the eye? Or are you clipping a V-notch out of the feather the way you might do for a woodduck wing on a dry?

Any thoughts appreciated...

doug

try this



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CreationBear wrote:Old Hat-- Not to hijack Donald's thread, but would you care to elaborate on the "Spanish style" of hackling CdL? Are you folding the fibers back and wrapping the rachis, say, midway down the hookshank to get the right length, then "tidying up" (as Davey McPhail might say ) back toward the eye? Or are you clipping a V-notch out of the feather the way you might do for a woodduck wing on a dry?

Any thoughts appreciated...

From the spanish sites I've seen out of Leon, the hackle fibers are pulled or cut off from the rachis and bundled. This bundle is tied on top with a loose wrap then using a couple tight wraps and your fingers, the hackle is distributed evenly around the hook shank in front of the body of the fly. You're trying to get about a 45 degree angle back with the hackle so there is room for a pulsing action in the water. Hackles are just measured to length. I have tried the Hughes method of tying at mid shank down and back but the cdl is, I think, too stiff and slippery for this.

Old Hat-- very useful; thanks for elaborating!

Norm & Ray,
Thanks for the info. on increasing the font sizes. I will get busy and try to stay sharp on all the good info. you have given. This is great fellows! Thanks so much!!
Dougsden