Tying hackle

[narcodog]

Recently there has been a discussion on FB about tying in dry fly hackle. The discussion was essentially tying hackle in by the tip. On dries I nave never seen that. I'm curious if any of you do it, under certain circumstances.

[upstatetrout]

Bob the only time I tie in poultry Hackle by the tip is when palmering the fly such as is found on this Beaverkill.
If one were to tie dries with today's genetically engineered rooster capes with useable Hackle 10 inches long I do not think it would matter which way the Hackle was first tied in. No taper and every thing lined up a popular look today.

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[ibookje]

Tying a (neck I assume?) hackle at the tip has the downside that the size of the hackle changes dramatically. The size at the tip is the smallest and gradually (rather steep) to the size along the 'sweet spot'. If a fly is palmered this might be used intentionally to emphasise the taper of the body of the fly.

[Eperous]

... the only time I tie in poultry Hackle by the tip is when palmering the fly ...

Me 2 , and not always then...

[narcodog]

In the discussion they were not talking about palmering, it was traditional dry fly hackle.

[Eperous]

In the discussion they were not talking about palmering, it was traditional dry fly hackle.

My answer then is NO... any clue on who recommended/suggested this....

Thanks.

Ed

[ibookje]

Using a saddle hackle would have less of a problem with size difference?
The stem near the tip is also a lot thinner so that might also cause breakage while hackling as well...

[wiFlyFisher]

Bivisbles.

[bearbutt]

Bivisbles.

Yep. And according to the traditional Hewitt version you leave the tips in to form the tail.

For Skaters, though, I tie in by the stem first.

bb

[Eperous]

... And according to the traditional Hewitt version you leave the tips in to form the tail.

BB, to change the topic a bit... can you pinpoint for thick-headed me where Hewitt wrote about a tail on his Bivisibles? I've always tied these without a tail, based upon Hewitt's description of the pattern on page 54 of Telling on Trout... my copy is a 1926 Scribner edition...

Thnx...

Ed