I know how frustrating it can be when using partridge feathers or other types of soft hackle feathers, especially when they are either too short or too long. Many people abandon or completely avoid using these feathers for certain patterns. However, I believe that flies made with these feathers are highly effective, and it’s a shame not to include them in our fly boxes.
For these reasons, I’ve decided to present three situations where you can easily tie your favorite flies, regardless of the size of the hooks or feathers.
- Technique 1: When you only have very large feathers, but the hook shank is long enough to allow you to fix the feather loosely.
The Ideal Hackle Length: -Typically, your soft hackle barbs should reach from the hook eye to the tip or bend of the hook shank. But what if they’re longer?
Taming Long Barbs: -Here’s a handy trick: instead of tying the hackle right at the hook eye, position it slightly closer to the middle of the shank. Then, gently fold the hackle barbs back towards the eye. This simple step shortens the hackle to the perfect length for your wet fly.
Another trick: to keep the hackle collar nice and open just load with more dubbing the part close to the hackle.
This technique is fantastic for large and medium flies. But for smaller hooks, different approaches might be more suitable.
2. Technique 2: When the hackle is larger, and the hook has a short shank or requires a fine and delicate body.
3. Technique 3: When you need to tie a small fly, but the fisherman’s fingers are too thick to use the technique described in point 2.
In this and last video, I’ll show you a simple method widely used by fly tyers for working with small and very small hooks. It’s perfect for those with thicker fingers who struggle to handle delicate feather barbs. By using the “dubbing loop” technique, you can effortlessly create hackle collars for wet flies in sizes 16-18-20, as well as nymphs and emergers that require a short collar.
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