Six steps to tying small flies with large partridge hackle

[Old Hat]

6 steps to tying small with partridge.jpg (181.05 KiB) Viewed 7315 times

I through this together. Now I know there are many ways to accomplish this task. This is mine. I have good luck tying down to #20 flies with this technique. I will admit it takes a steady, gentle hand and a good pair of hackle pliers not to break the tip off (read as "practice").

This is a partridge and orange on a #18 Tiemco 3769.

1. Attach thread with a few wraps back then forward again to just behind the hook eye. Think building the thorax.

2. On the large partridge feather there will be a point where the feather begins to round off and the hackle will decrease in length dramatically. After sizing your hackle to your desired length, separate the fibers here, and strip off the bottom hackles. Keep the tip fibers on both sides of the rachis.

3. Tie in the hackle, concave side up, with the tips out over the hook eye. Leave a little rachis showing in front of the tie in. Wrap back tying down the rachis as you go. This will help form a taper to the body. Trim the rachis about the 2/3rd mark and keep wrapping back to your stop point.

4. Wrap a smooth body forward and stop just shy of the hackle tie point. Prop the hackle up at a 90 degree angle to the hook.

5. With your hackle pliers wrap the hackle back to your thread and make a couple turns of thread to secure the tip.

6. Make a couple wraps of thread forward through the hackle being careful not to tie any down. you can use a turn or two in front of the hackle to position it then tie off. Go fishing.

[Mataura mayfly]

Excellent well explained step by step.
Many of us, (myself included) will benefit from this posting. Thank you Sir.

[Old Hat]

Thanks.

In my effort to simplify, I realize that step two doesn't give a very good idea about how big this feather is in relation to the hook size. Here is a pic from the originals that I left out that shows this better. Notice how about two-thirds the way up the rachis the hackle fibers quickly become shorter.

P1110222.JPG (182.34 KiB) Viewed 7090 times

[William Anderson]

Carl, thanks very much for this. I often look at these feathers with a shrug, wishing they were more appropriate for smaller hooks, and I've tried a couple of the methods for using tips in a loop, or tying the feather in mid-shank and wrapping over it to get the desired length of hackle...but I just don't use those methods. This however is much more my speed. It's my same method and something I would enjoy doing on a regular basis. I will definitely give this a go. If I can get results even close to yours I will be very happy with the chance to use those feathers. Great post.

w

[Hans Weilenmann]

Well presented Carl

If I may make one observation/suggestion:

After trapping the tip I cut through the hackle in a very steep direction, about a half turn of thread to move from behind the hackle to in front of the hackle.

Cheers,
Hans W

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Very nicely done, Carl.

[VERN-O]

Very cool....I like this a lot....THANK YOU!!!!
I've tried a method of cutting the tip out of the feather and wrapping the feathers around the shank with the thread tension...this method is much more user friendly looking

[Old Hat]

Well presented Carl

If I may make one observation/suggestion:

After trapping the tip I cut through the hackle in a very steep direction, about a half turn of thread to move from behind the hackle to in front of the hackle.

Cheers,
Hans W

Thanks Hans. I wrap about about 1 to 2 full turns (depending on the pattern size) through the hackle in a weaving back and forth motion. I just like the extra security it gives to the base of the hackle and I like the way it separates the individual hackles.

[Hans Weilenmann]

I wrap about about 1 to 2 full turns (depending on the pattern size) through the hackle in a weaving back and forth motion. I just like the extra security it gives to the base of the hackle and I like the way it separates the individual hackles.

Flytying is all about choices, Carl. You have sound reasons for your approach, and all the more power to ya

Cheers,
Hans W

[Old Hat]

Very cool....I like this a lot....THANK YOU!!!!
I've tried a method of cutting the tip out of the feather and wrapping the feathers around the shank with the thread tension...this method is much more user friendly looking

VERN-O, I hope this helps with your endeavor.