FLYMPH FORUM

Ron, I should have kept that info to myself. It doesn't do myself, the forum, or anyone else a lick of good to bring up a few shipping mistakes. Every mail order business will have them from time to time.

I do wish that the industry had a better way of standardizing the color of hackles. I know Whiting has a color chart for their rooster hackles, but it doesn't translate that well to hen hackle in my opinion.

I will say the the Brahma Hen Hackle, in Golden Straw, that I received from jimsflyco.com is the same color as every other Golden Straw Brahma neck I have seen since. Perhaps it is easier to standardize when a feather is dyed from a common bird. In this case a Brahma hen.

Funny you mentioned Rhode Island hen feathers Ron. For that breed of poultry being so popular around the barn yards of the world, it is strange that it would be difficult to find in the fly tieing world. I had never thought of using that color hen hackle until you mentioned it. For the life of me, I don't think I have seen it offered by Whiting. That being said, if I was not looking for it, I probably just scanned over it with out noticing if it was on the shelf.

To set the record straight, the Brahma hen I received from Jimsflyco, was sent promptly, and is as advertised. It is a pleasure for me to tie with feathers from that cape. Also, as far as Denny goes, the Ginger capes were used on Flymphs, and the trout loved them. The trout and my Chihuahua. She ate one of them I still have the saddle from the remaining shipment. I do not know if Denny started that practice of sending the saddle with the cape, but I was impressed by that marketing strategy.

I also would like a Rhode Island Red skin. I don't know why they don't offer them. They are very popular home raised chickens anyway.

Kelly L. wrote:Congrats on the hen purchase. The Hebert Miner is my favorite overall. But I must say, I do have one Collins hen, and it is outstanding. I have tried to send him a message through his web site, but he never answers that. I will buy some of his hens in the future, when I can afford it. I have not tried Jim's brand of feathers. (I will have to try some of that too) I have bought some really nice hen feathers from him though. He does have some great stuff at his site.

Charlie does not use the net at all. What you see is all you get. If you call him he will return your call as soon as he gets back from fishing.

Kelly L. wrote:I also would like a Rhode Island Red skin. I don't know why they don't offer them. They are very popular home raised chickens anyway.

Kelly 99% of the birds raised today are genetic RR is not. A RR will most likely eat twice more food as a genetic chicken. Feed is the driving factor in raising chickens. Another thing most folks want skinny and long hackle RR don't. Also the "stems" are thick with make for good red quill flies.

I bought both a hen and cock neck RR from http://www.dettetroutflies.com

Thanks narcodog for all that great info.

Ron Eagle Elk wrote:Dang, DUBBN, sorry to hear you had bad experiences with Jim and Denny, both. I've had nothing but good service from Jim over several years. Admittedly, I seldom paid for hackle from Denny as we were fishing buddies and served in some of the same places in Viet Nam.

I am having trouble finding a reddish brown (Rhode Island Red) hen cape. I have one Hebert Minor that is pretty well used up and can't find another. There's plenty of coachman brown capes out there, but not what I want.

I always get them mixed up. Is it the coachman that is darker and the RIR what we would call a red hackle or the other way around?

I may be wrong, and usually am, but I think the Coachman is a dark almost mahogany Brown.

Even in the world of Rhode Island reds there is color variations.

I have this color Red/Brown (genetic)



This color aswell (genetic)



Both hens are RI Reds according to google. Go figure.

I ordered my hen necks from Dette's shop and was sent pictures so I could pick out the neck I wanted. I tied up a #20 soft hackle to see what it would look like and the neck hackle will go even smaller.

The reason I play around with the small soft hackles is I have a nearby spring creek that has hatches of what I term "little shits". Two winters ago I was fishing it with a #20 zebra midge and it was too big. I felt I needed a #22 or #24 to get the fish love I felt I deserved. One pool had fish swirling all over and I only got 15-20 strikes. Only hooked 5 fish because of the small hooks. I'm trying small flies there to figure out what the small stuff is that's emerging and haven't figured it out yet. I have an aquarium net with me for when I find a bunch of fish feeding again. This creek is basically the same temperature in winter and summer. Only differences is there's lots of mud in late February-early March, snow in December/January along with ice in the guides and ticks and rattlesnakes in the spring and summer months.

zen leecher wrote:I ordered my hen necks from Dette's shop and was sent pictures so I could pick out the neck I wanted.

Fantastic idea!

DUBBN wrote:... I think the Coachman is a dark almost mahogany Brown.

Correct.