Tying Tip Archive

          February's 2003 Tying Tip         

Feather vs. Hair Wings

     The trouble many/most beginners and actually many fly tiers have when dealing with tying in the classic upright and split wing is the tie in point on the hook. 

     Because you are putting numerous materials on to a small, short piece of metal, keeping the proportions can be difficult at times. When putting on each step of the fly keep in mind of the next procedures and what you have to do now to make the fly exactly how it should be. Think ahead to the steps BEFORE you finish that step.

This holds true with all procedures and wing placement can alter the flies floating performance on the water. Too close to the eye of the hook can make the fly fall directly on it's face, so to speak and too far back you giving up the outline of the insect you are imitating.

I use these proportions when tying in various wing styles in tying the classic upright split wing.

• Split the shank of the hook into 3rds when tying in Hair or thick body wings...Deer Hair, Calftail, Poly and etc. and tie these in at 1/3 on the shank behind the EYE of the hook. Make sure the closest part of the wing is 1/3 back from the eye. This gives you enough room to wrap the hackle in front and behind the wing. Closer than this will have the wing TOO close to the eye and little hackle can be wrapped in front of the wing, thus causing the fly to fall on it's head.

• Spilt the shank of the hook into 4ths when tying in thin body or feather wings...Hackle Tips, Flank Feathers, Quills and etc. You tie in the wings at 1/4 on the shank behind the eye of the hook. Due to the thin body of the wing the 1/4 rule works wonderfully  as you will have plenty of room for hackling in front and behind and still maintain the total shape.

If you do anything, keep the wing farther back from the eye if you are not sure. Too much room for hackling is better than not enough, especially in rough water.

          March's 2003 Tying Tip         

Hackle Tip Wings

cheap hotels in Jelenia GoraOver the years hackle tips have been very popular on flies, especially dry flies and that is what this month's Tying Tip is focused upon.

Hoteles con descuento MandaueHackle tips used on dry flies were taken from narrow tip feathers, usually from dry fly hackle, either using a dry hackle itself or leftover tips after hackling a dry fly. These tips were so narrow that they lost their silhouette once the hackle was put on. The whole idea was a solid wing silhouette to imitate the insect you're matching and narrow tips don't really do the job.

To make a beautiful and full wing appearance on a dry fly, you have various options that are very inexpensive and easy to use. 

• Hen Necks...These offer a complete range of sizes in wing length and width with a solid silhouette and comes in many natural and dyed colors. An excellent choice for hackle tip dry flies.
• Hen Backs/Saddles...comes in many natural and dyed colors. These are very webby (ideal for a solid looking wing) and wide. Unfortunately these scare many people off due to the width and overall size of the feather. The belief is these are good for larger flies but unsuitable for smaller patterns, #14 and smaller. Nothing could be less true, as with any feather, you figure the length you want and pull the excess fibers to match that length, leaving just a small amount of fibers to tie down upon to prevent spinning. You will be amazed how small of flies you can actually tie down to.
• Neck Trimmings...an underrated and underused material for both dry fly and wet fly wings. They offer the tyer a wonderful option for wings and are very similar to Hen Backs but not quite as wide. These are a must for any fly tyer. They also come in many natural and dyed colors>
• Chicken Body Feathers...seldom used feather for anything. They are very similar to Hen Backs in length and width.

As you can see there are many options for hackle tip wings. Don't use expensive dry hackles for wings, purchase an assortment of the above feathers and you'll see the many variations of hackle tip wings you can have. 

Offer those finicky fish a solid silhouette fly that matches the insect more closely.

For questions or comments: spencers@hackles.com   

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