The hook and hackle store.

The Hook & Hackle Company

Potentially Useful Information for Fly Tyers


Installing Braided Leader Loops


Our braided leader loops are packaged in 3's with a length of clear tubing. Cut the tubing into 3 equal lengths. Slip one piece on the end of the fly line and push it up the line out of the way. Cut the frayed ends of the butt of the connector loop. Open the connector end with a needle, being careful not to fray it more. Push the fly line in just a little and work the braid onto the line a bit more. Repeat many times in small increments. Once 3/4 to 1" of the line is in the loop, slide the tubing over the junction. Heat shrink the tubing by holding it near an incadescent light bulb. Be careful not to touch the bulb as the tubing will melt.


G-U-M THREADERS

Eventually fly fishermen discover everything. Add this to the list thanks to Allen Shanafelt:

G-U-M threaders are available in just about any drug store. Intended as a tool to thread dental floss under bridges etc., these stiff blue threaders can be used for a number of chores at the tying or rod building bench. At under $3 for a container of 20, they are a real bargain. In addition to their obvious use as a bobbin threader, they can be used to clean fly eyes and for pulling the thread thru when finishing rod wraps. I'm sure in time more uses will come to light.

THE CHEAPEST AND BEST GENETIC HACKLE - REVISITED

After reading the Hoffman Hackle study results, we felt that the study had to be qualified by a disinterested party:

1- The study assumes each tyer will very carefully recover each bit of hackle to realize two to four flies per feather. Some tyers have the drive and patience to do so. If tyers do not, as is our tendency, then Hoffman becomes very expensive on a per fly basis. The best buy in latter case is the cape with the cheapest per feather cost - Keough Capes.

2 - The study suggests that Hoffman/Whiting hackle is the easiest to tie with and has the fewest twists while tying. This is usually true. But we find some of the Hoffman/Whiting necks almost too soft. This could be leading to a problem down the road. We will say that the Whiting/Hoffman hackle is generally better to tie with than the other two main brands - Keough and Metz. Keough has come a long way and will continue to improve and should become the best of both worlds - price and quality, if he keeps the prices competitive. Metz has gone far down hill in the past few years and has become expensive and very stiff hackle, difficult to tie with. We recommend it only as a last resort.

3- The quarter saddle concept introduced by Hoffman Hackles sounds like a good deal until one learns that you must buy several quarters to get a full range of hackle sizes. Stick with the half saddles, if possible. If you want a full range of dry fly hackle 10-24, buy a cape or half cape - in any brand.

Overall, if you can buy Keough hackle at a good price, it is probably a better buy over the other two brands. If you can be miserly with hackle, the Hoffman/Whiting becomes a better deal and is a bit easier to tie with.


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THREADING A BOBBIN WITHOUT A BOBBIN THREADER

To thread a bobbin without a bobbin threader start the thread into the bobbin and then place your lips at the exit point of the bobbin. Use the soda straw motion to suck the thread up and out.


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HOFFMAN HACKLE STUDY

Whiting Farms, growers of Whiting Hackle, have release the results of their study of hackle capes from Metz, Spencer, Keough and Whiting Farms. A summary is now on this web site - Hoffman Hackle Study.


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FLY PATTERN RECIPES

Need the recipe for a fly pattern? Try our pattern recipe page. It contains recipes for most of the standard patterns of drys, wets, nymphs, streamers, bass bugs, panfish flies, Atlantic salmon, Pacific Salmon, pike (and musky) and saltwatern flies. The page has a table of contents that whisks you to the type. You can use your browser's finder to locate the particular pattern you are looking for.

go to fly pattern recipes


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Whiting Dry Fly Saddles

Whiting dry fly saddles are very heavy in no. 14 and 16 dry fly hackle and some can tie 12's and 18's. Many necks come up short with hackle in this range and leave the owner with a lot of left over smaller and larger hackle. The selling prices of the Hoffman saddles seem rediculously high until you consider the hackle sizes available and that each long feather will tie 4 or more dry flies. A Whiting #1 saddle will tie at least 750 dry flies and a #2 will tie a minimum of 450 dry flies. The cost per fly is less than necks and you won't have a bunch of unusable feathers sitting around forever in the tying supply drawer. We're impressed.


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Cutting Latex Sheets

From Slim Mitchell (Roadkill Roundtable Flytyers)- Qilters new about this for a long time and now we know. Rolling fabric cutters, usually found under the OLFA brand (from Plattsburgh NY), in any any craft or yarn shop, are outstanding for cutting latex sheets quickly and very straight. Be sure to place the latex on a plexiglas/plastic cutting board before cutting. The boards and cutting guides can also be purchased where you find the cutter, but any straight edge will do for a guide. The cutters are alos good to cut suede/leather, flat foam and others. Caution: these cutters are very sharp and can easily remove a finger tip!!!

[Passed on to us by the Long Island Fly Tyers (LIFT). ]

Latex sheets are very difficult to cut straight. We have a method in our catalog that has been used for years. But we have recently been offered a new procedure that is slick as a whistle: roll up the latex sheet as tight as possible. Then with a sharp single edged razor blade slice the latex to the desired width. the result is neat ready to use latex strips!





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Saddle Patches

Saddle patches are skin patches of feathers cut from a (deceased) chicken's back.

Rooster saddle patches contain 2 kinds of feathers-saddle hackles and the shorter spade hackles. The feathers are usually of good enough quality to hackle dry flies. Most dry fly saddles hackles come from genetically raised chickens for the fly tying trade. Better saddles can be used to tie dries in sizes 10 to 18. On really good ones a tyer can expect 2 to 3 flies being hackled. Most other saddles contain saddle hackles that are too wide or webby to tie dry flies. These larger webby saddle hackles are usually used for wings on streamers, bass and saltwater flies or for palmering woolly buggers and their relatives.. Typical examples in our line are Metz and Keough saddles in grades 1 and 2 which are useful for tying dry flies ranging from size 10 to 12 sometimes 14 or 16. New this year is Hoffman saddle patches which can tie 3 to 4 dry flies per feather down to size 20! Keough No. 3 brown and black saddles are useful for other tasks - wings on streamers, etc. The shorter spade hackles can also be used to tie streamers, dries etc and to tail dry flies. These shorter feathers can also be used as a beard hackle for wets and streamers. Saddle patches also contain a few schlappen feathers at the butt-long, very webby feathers that can also be used for streamers or beards on wets and nymphs. There is always some fine marabou (on the sides of most saddle patches) which has a number of uses. Imported saddle patches are smaller versions of genetic, domestic saddles. However, the feathers on the imported rooster saddles are useful for winging streamer trout flies and for beard hackles on wets and nymphs.

Hen saddles or hen backs have short, webby, oval-shaped feathers. They are used for wings on such flies as a matuka sculpin. These feathers can also be used as beard hackle on wets and nymphs. The solid colors - cream, ginger and dun - can be used as cut wings for dries. Using a little imagination one can easily think of several other uses for these beautiful feathers. Surprisingly, there is little difference in quality between a domestic and an imported hen back.


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A Short Course in Hackle Capes
Hackle Capes

Hackle capes can be divided into several categories. We'll start with two: hen hackle capes and cock or rooster hackle capes. (Capes are also referred to as necks in not-so-polite society.) Rooster or cock capes (necks) are usually used to hackle dry flies; hen capes (necks) are usually used to hackle wet flies and nymphs. Both hen and rooster capes are used for a whole lot more and this will be evident as the details of this section unfold.

Hen capes - wet flies and nymphs and other uses

Hen capes come is only 1 variety - webby and useful for wets and nymphs. However, the smaller feathers can be used for hackle wings on dry flies. Best example is the Adams dry fly. The usual pattern calls for rooster hackle tips for the wings. There is not a good supply of expensive rooster grizzly hackle tips so in more recent years we have learned to use the tiny hackles on a hen cape for upright wings on an Adams dry fly. This is beginning to happen for other patterns (eg., patterns calling for wings of dun hackle tips).

The butt feathers on a hen neck are also useful to tie matukas. One can readily see that hen necks provide many uses for the fly tyer. The one thing they should not be used for is winding hackle on a dry fly.

Rooster capes - Dry flies

Rooster capes (necks) have very stiff, shiny, web-free hackles (for the most part). Rooster capes do, however, come in varying qualities, these qualities being attributed for their use in hackling dry flies. In years gone by one could buy a dry fly cape from India, China or the Philippines for hackling dry flies in a full range from sizes 10 to 20 for less than $5.00. The necks of choice were from China. The quality of Chinese necks was generally good as was the range of sizes. Even the butt feathers were of excellent quality for tailing dries. Various increase pressures* on the Chinese feather sources turned feather traders to other countries to find good dry fly hackle - India and the Philippines.

(*Increased pressures on cape supply included changes in breeding habits, and therefore, feather quality along with an increased demand for the few quality capes that existed.)

The Philippine hackle cape, although web free and having a full range of sizes, had very stiff hackle stems requiring a lot of twisting during tying. The Indian Rooster Cape, on the other hand, had many smaller hackles and softer stems (although not as soft as the Chinese hackle stems) than the Philippine cape. India subsequently became the biggest supplier of rooster hackle capes in the 70's and early 80's. During the 80's the increase pressures on the Indian rooster capes made their quality capes disappear rapidly. This in turn promoted the raising of domestic "genetic hackle capes."

The genetic hackle cape is typified by long narrow hackles in abundance in sizes 10 - 20 and smaller. Even the poorest of domestic genetic capes are of dry fly quality and will tie flies to sizes 18 and 20, something unheard of in today's "Imported Rooster Capes." In terms of useful feather per dollar, they are a much better buy than any imported cape today.

The best we can hope for in today's imported capes are very few of dry fly quality and those will only tie to sizes 10 to 14 at best. When available the Chinese capes are still the best, but their feather size range is not very large. Most only tie down to size 12. Many of these are called streamer capes and are offered primarily in white or dyed colors for collars on salmon, steelhead and bass flies.

To recognize the difference in these capes, one must look at the skins on the back. The skin size is greatest on the domestic cape, similar in shape but smaller on the Chinese cape and smaller and rectangular shaped on the Indian cape. One does not find Philippine capes in today's market.

Shapes of Rooster Cape Skins:



Chinese--------------------------Indian----------------Domestic

Although imported rooster capes are of limited value in tying dry flies, they cannot be overlooked for such tasks as tailing dry flies, beard hackle for wets and nymphs, cut wings for dries, and streamer wings. No feather from a rooster cape is useless if ones uses some imagination. If one desires to purchase a dry fly imported cape, buy one of the highest quality available. If for practice or other use, buy a lesser quality imported neck.

Imported hen necks are also not as useful as they were 10 to 20 years ago. The feathers are short and not very small, making them tough to use on traditional wet and nymph ties. The butt feathers are still good for matuka patterns and the smaller feathers can be used for dry fly up-wings. Accordingly, the value of domestic genetic hen necks has increased in recent years because they do have a full range of hackle and are perfect for tying traditional wets and nymphs. The trouble is that the growers balk at the expense of producing hen capes because of the cost. As a result, there are few domestic genetic hen capes on the market today. They usually become available at the end of the growing season when breeding stock is done away with (months of April through July).


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WANT TO RAISE YOUR OWN HACKLES?

There is no text book or even published articles on genetic hackle raising. It is a big business for the few that do it and you can't expect them to give their secrets away. And the ones who left this good earth have taken their secrets with them to the grave.

Unless one is lucky enough to have received some chicks from an established genetic flock, we are left with the option of raising common barnyard fowl. We have gone the "Murray McMurray" route (chicks by mail-order) in the distant past. It was not a rewarding experience. Range birds eat like pigs and produce few good hackles. (We even tried our hands at genetic chickenry. That attempt went bad after three years because we didn't really know what we were doing. ) Remember that for every 10 chicks purchase about half will be hens and it will not be evident to most of us which is which until they have eaten a ton of food.

If you decide to throw all care to the wind and try it anyway, keep in mind that once your flock is under way, if you can't keep the roosters separate from each other, you'll need to debeak or peeper them so they don't peck the heck out of each other. Then there is illness, a common occurrence in a dense flock. Most can can be treated with relatively inexpensive anti-biotics commonly available at a local farm center.

The birds should mature in 6 to 9 mo. Feed them a higher protein diet two weeks before harvesting to get drier skins.

Harvesting: a 1/4" rubber band wrapped several times around the neck will do them in quickly. Hang the carcass by the beak a few hours before skinning (this will keep blood from running during skinning and ruining the feathers). Range birds generally yield sizes 10 - 12 and sometimes 14 size dry fly hackle. The saddles make nice streamers. You will not get your investment back from one of these birds in the form of feathers. And their flesh is tough, so thoughts of eating the carcass should not be entertained.

Ater one of these experiences, the fly tyer fully appreciates a good genetic hackle cape. We do.



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Spinners

Spinners can be a real pain to tie and fish but the results are rewarding. The rusty spinner is one of the best to use in these parts for most of the summer! I'm sure every location has its favorite "spinner season." The usual patterns call for hackle fibers or poly yarn (poly wing material and several variations) tied at 90 degrees to the hook. Here are a couple interesting variations:

sparkle wings-Substitute pearl krystal flash for the usual wing material. The spinners become much more visible but not unnaturally so.

CDC wings-The fibers are naturally splayed making tying easier. The oil-containing CDC feathers help the spinner to float, a bonus!


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Coolest fly pattern to stick on a fishin' hat - the egg sucking leech. Near the hook eye, before finishing off a leech pattern, tie in a salmon egg (use glow bug yarn or krystal eggs). Your buddies will be impressed with the hat; the fish will like the fly.


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Most fly tying instructors, in person or in books, tell you to do your cementing with your dubbing needle. The dubbing needle slowly develops an uncleanable lacquer tumor that is impossible to remove completely. Keep a few round toothpicks on the tying bench for applying head cement. They can be discarded when the inevitable build-up occurs.

Make sure you run your dubbing needle up through the fly eyes to clean out head cement before you put the flies in your favorite fly box. It's awfully tough to do this on the stream near dusk.



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Our favorite hellgrammite

A number of species including trout and bass enjoy dining on the Dobson fly nymph - the hellgrammite, the bigger the better. We have found the following recipe useful for spring fishing. Take an 8X or 6X hook and bend it in the middle some 15 degrees. Insert the hook into the vise jaws and on each side of the hook lash two pieces of medium or heavy lead wire nearly the length of the hook (leave a little space to tie in and tie off). Next wrap black chenille medium width up to near the eye. Palmer a long brown hackle from bend to eye. Next (to imitate legs) cut most of the barbules of the palmered hackle off, leaving them a little longer near the hook eye (to resemble pincers). Tied in hook sizes 2 to 6 , these disgusting looking ties closely resemble their live counterparts and provide a lot of action, especially in heavy water.

A few years ago one of us lost 3 of these in thirty minutes time as something(s) huge and unknown grabbed them and headed downstream like freight trains, continuing until the end of the backing was reached and the tippets broken off. The fish could not be turned with the reel drag turned on full and palming rim engaged. Large trout, northern pike, eels and bass inhabit these waters.

Be prepared for hard strikes!



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Peacock Herl

There is something about the iridescent blue peacock herl color that attracts trout because many of the most effective trout patterns incorporate some: Prince nymph, Zug Bug nymph, bead-head caddis nymph, Coachman wet fly and Royal Coachman dry fly.

An interesting note about the Prince nymph. No known nymph has white wings/legs. So the pattern doesn't imitate any natural insect. However, the Prince nymph is a more effective pattern with the white wings/legs than without it.



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Great Patterns for Bass

Poppers

Adding rubber legs to poppers is done by threading a needle with the rubber hackle and pushing the needle through the cork using pliers. Cut the rubber loop to release the needle and two pair of "legs" are in place. This does take a little effort. Be careful not to ram the needle into your other hand.

Save the residue from sanding or cutting cork bodies. The cork residue can be further sanded to a fine dust and mixed with epoxy to fill the slot with the hook inserted.

Eyes can readily be painted on poppers using a nail head. The pupil can be added using a pin (point or head, depending on the pupil diameter desired).

Zonkers

Zonkers are effective streamer patterns useful for taking just about any freshwater species (and in modified forms for saltwater species). Basically, the hook is covered with an aluminum or lead tape which is covered with mylar tubing (core removed). Then a rabbit fur (zonker) strip is tied on top. The body may be covered with epoxy for additional strength.

Hints
Interestingly, the first zonker patterns did not have the tape underbody. Its use does maintain the minnow shape better than not.
Be sure to use aluminum or lead tape that has an adhesive backing!
Originally silver mylar tubing was (and still is) used. More recently a switch to Pearlescent Mylar Tubing has produced a variation that appears to be much more effective than the silver tubing.
Woolly Buggers

The woolly bugger is a great modern streamer pattern. These appear in many color variations. The basic pattern calls for a marabou tail, wool or chenille body with a hackle palmered from top of bend to eye. Regardless of colors used this pattern can be improved by adding a few strands (3 or 4) to krystal flash to the marabou tail (this variation is called a krystal bugger).

Zonkers and woolly buggers are also very effective for trout fishing.



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How to Cut Materials Tied to the Hook

During an exercise at the bench today we were reminded that when materials are tied to the hook, one should cut the residue back at an angle - hair, yarn, chenille, feather fibers, etc. It is much easier to wrap over a tapered cut than a straight cut.


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The Henryville Special

There are a number of patterns that do not represent a particular insect but encompass the common features of several. The Orvis Near 'nuff comes to mind for general Mayfly suggestion. Then there is our favorite, the Henryville Special - a caddis pattern that has features of several common caddis patterns in one. If you're fishing on a ho-hum day, when there is not much hatching and the fish do not seem too active tie on a henryville special in a 16 or 18 and get ready to have some fun.

Hook-Standard dry fly 16 - 20 (best)
Thread-Black 6/0 or 8/0
Body - Olive fur or synthetic with a grizzly hackle palmered over it
Underwing - Lemon woodduch flank fibers
Hackle - Dark Ginger


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Lord of the Flies - The Crazy Charlie

The Crazy Charlie was a productive synaptic event of one Bob Nauheim. Originally called the Nasty Charlie-the folks at Orvis renamed it the Crazy Charlie.The pattern was devised for bonefishing. The design was such to keep it at or near the bottom to catch these mainly bottom feeders. The original pattern consisted of a silver flashabou tail, a body of silver tinsel over wrapped with clear mono, a cream hackle wing, silver bead chain eyes on Mustad 34007 hooks tied with white thread. Originally the pattern was intended to immitate glass minnows. It was later discovered that the bonefish were taking it as a shrimp.

Since the original was so successful, a huge number of color variations were tried (many with hair wings instead of feathers) and many found to be quite successful.

Other patterns have evolved from the original Crazy Charlie like the Clouser Deep Minnow., another extremely effective pattern.


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Genetic Hackles - 1998

Since Umpqua Feather Merchants bought Metz Hackles a three years ago, we have been searching for another full line of genetic hackle grown by the originator. There are only three others big enough to supply catalog houses. One of them is Keough Hackles; another is Hoffman Hackles.

We go a long way back with Bill Keough, to the early 80's when we were raising our own genetic grizzly capes and saddles. Bill bought some of that stock and cross bread them with his own capes which were already were very nice. He has taken them a long way since. We haven't carried his capes until now because of an agreement with Metz Hackles. We tried to have them in our 1996 catalog, but Orvis had an exclusive with Keough. Although the bulk of his 1997 production was promised, Bill increased production to include our needs. In addition to beautiful grizzly necks, Bill has a full line of other colors of genetic hackle. These were developed and know earlier as Colorado Quality Hackle. Since Bill bought their already very nice stock, he has cross-bred them into decent genetic hackle producers.

Henry Hoffman developed a strain of genetic grizzly hackle which is the envy of everyone. Tom Whiting bought the Hoffman hackle farm and developed his oun strains of whites and browns. Since he has produced hackle of many important colors and they are all beautiful. They share the good traits of Keough Hackle-soft stems. In the near future Whiting Farms will be reintroducing their natural duns expanded from the current Hebert duns which they have purchased giving them the best natural dun necks in existense.

A general problem with many genetic hackles is that the stems are very stiff and twist during tying. Not so with Keough or Hoffman. It is as easy to tie with Hoffman or Keough hackles as it was in the 70's when great Indian and Chinese cock capes were plentiful. The hackles are long, many can hackle two flies. These is also a nice bunch of butt hackles for streamers or tailing dry flies. This is not so with other genetic hackle because the butt feathers are usually a different shade from the rest of the cape.

With Keough and Hoffman capes colors are truer. Brown is brown (any with the big black center stripe is labeled furnace, as it should be). Ginger is ginger, grizzly is perfect. Even the black necks tie very nice dry flies (Hoffman blacks are dyed and the best we've ever seen). Keough and Hoffman duns are true dun grey colors top to bottom (Hoffman dyed duns are truly spectacular!). A count of useful feathers on a Keough cape always yields a much higher number than other brands; the Hoffman's even higher!

We fly tyers are very lucky to have so many varieties of genetic hackle around these days. Any of them are capable of tying top quality flies when compared to current imported hackle. The prices are high, but the feather count is equivalent to several imported capes that sell for $10 or more each. In that sense they are reasonably priced. A really good buy is a 1/2 of a number two or three genetic hackle priced in the $20 - $25 price range. Even these have more useful hackle than two imported capes!

Metz and Keough grizzly saddles are very, very nice, as expected. The saddle patches are huge. Many of the feathers have 7 to 8 inches of useful dry fly hackle, mainly in size 12, some smaller. In addition there are all the bonus feathers for streamers and even for wet flies and nymphs using beard style hackle. The number 2's tie 10's and 12's and many have a useful length of 6-8". Each of the long saddle hackles will tie 2 to 3 flies!

Hoffman saddles in all grades and colors are like something most people have never seen. Feathers may run as long as 10 inches. The feathers tie sizes 12 to 18 dry flies. Each feather will tie 3 to 4 dry flies making the cost per fly less in most cases than those tied with cape hackle.

So far this year this is how we see genetic hackle from Hoffman, Keough and Metz stack up:

Hoffman is the clear overall winner in hackle abundance, color and size range in dry fly capes and saddles. The hen capes are abundant but not as nice as the Keough or Metz (which are very scarce). Hoffman also provides cream and golden badger capes and dyed Coachman Brown capes which cannot be had elsewhere.

Between Metz and Keough capes, Metz has the edge in color and quality of ginger variant and cream necks over the Keough harvest. Keough is the hands down winner in the colors-grizzly, brown and black. Duns and ginger colored capes are a toss.

Metz quality in general in late 1997 was going downhill rapidly. We are not optimistic about the current crop. If things should change for the better we will report it here and in our NEWS page.



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Fly tying threads

The use of one thread or another and of one size or another for a particular tying job is a topic that can be and often is debated for days. Simply put, use bigger thread for bigger flies. Threads for fly tying are made from several materials. Some are multi-strand, some are single strand. Sizes range from 10/0 to E. - Fly Tying Threads

Let's start with sizes. Our threads are sized from A, the biggest to 00000000 or (8/0), the smallest. Most trout flies in the range of 8 to 20 are tied with 6/0 thread (although 8/0 is sometimes used). Flies smaller than 20 need especially small thread like 8/0. Larger flies, like streamers and bass bugs are usually tied with 3/0 and sometimes with size A threads. Really big flies for pike and saltwater species are tied with A threads. Kevlar thread is especially good for these big flies that are going to get chewed up.

Single vs multi-strand. If single strand thread is used, it is generally because the tyer wants a lot of thread build-up, e.g., for large wrapped heads on salmon flies and streamers. If build up is undesireable, then multi-strand thread is called for. Most of the time it does not matter which type (single or multi-strand) is used.

Materials range from indestructible Kevlar thread to very soft (but strong) polyesters. The material used for threads is not as important as its strength. Kevlar is strong-very strong. If used enough, Kevlar thread can groove most metal bobbins. It is used for large flies that are going to get some rough treatment. Most larger flies and bass bugs can be tied with 3/0 or A nylon or polyester thread, provided that the thread is strong enough. Most are. UNI-threads tend to be stronger per size than other thread brands. Therefore one can use 3/0 UNI-thread instead of A for tying larger flies. The same holds true for trout fly thread. UNI 6/0 and 8/0 are stronger than their counterparts in other brands of fly tying thread. In tying trout flies one usually does not want a lot of thread build-up, so the smaller the thread, the better. Many trout flies are now being tied with UNI-8/0 thread. Also by using 6/0 UNI-thread the tyer can use more pressure than usual for tying trout flies and not worry so much about the thread breaking. - Fly Tying Threads


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Why buy a mallard wing pair?

Having a pair of mallard wings (Misc Feathers 1) on the tying bech has several advantages. You can get cheaper and more carefully matched mallard (or grey ) duck quills for dries and wets. You also get the white tipped blue mallard quills used to tie the McGinty (bee) pattern and there are many, many other smaller feathers (grey and white) that can be used for matukas, cut wings, and beard style wets and nymphs.

Insect leg material

There are a number of things that can be used to represent insect legs. The most obvious is dry and wet fly hackle from rooster or hen capes. There is knotted pheasant tail fibers and knotted quills or quill sections. In fact a hackle cape quill trimmed close (but not stripped) to the feather stem, when knotted and placed of a fly, looks very real and very "hairy". Black legs on terrestials and nymphs can be readily made from our legStuff (Misc Materials 3) or our black Super Hair (Misc Materials 1)


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A Fly Line Loop for Fly Tyers

One of today's fads is the use of a fly line loop to attach leaders to the fly line. They come in several colors, sizes and materials. Attaching them to lines can sometimes be a pain. And they can loosen at the worst possible time. But they do make attaching leaders to lines easier.

Fly tyers will appreciate the following:

Take the end of the fly line and turn it back on itself forming a loop. Take the loop and gently insert it into the fly tying vise jaws. Next take your favorite fly tying thread (I like 6/0) and start wrapping over the loop. (Take a half hitch now and then so if the thing starts to unravel, it won't happen all at once.) Wrap back towards the fly line until the end of the fly line is reached, then continue to wrap for another 1/4" or so. Finish with several half hitches. Lacquer the wrap with three to four coats of flexible head cement. When you are done there shoul be a small loop at the end and a nice tapered wrap which will allow the loop to smoothly pass throught the guides. This small "self-loop" is surprisingly strong and will last most of a season of harsh treatment. You should check it periodically for fraying. We've used these for years and are very happy with them.

The color of tying thread used may be chosen to give the self-loop a dual role: leader attachment and strike indicator (e.g., by using a fluorescent fire-orange tying thread). Additional strength may be added to the loop by first sewing tying thread through the line before wrapping. This takes a fine needle and a little patience.



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Dyes for Fly Tyers

Things that don't work well

Pantone pens do not color feathers well, but do work on some heavier hair-like deer hair.
Kool aid produces mixed results but can provide some decent pastel feather shades.
Hair coloring kits have been mastered by some and have been a complete failure to others.
"Photo-dyeing" that was so popular in the 70's and early 80's to produce dun dry fly hackle is expensive and environmentally unsound as it requires the use (and often misuse) of silver salts. Whereas the results were sometimes spectacular, more often the opposite was true. Besides, we can buy genetically grown dun hackle at a reasonable price these days.
Better dyes

Vegetable dyes, like Rit, are ok to use to dye feathers and some fur/hair but are won't produce brilliant colors or colors that are as colorfast as acid-based or aniline dyes like those available from E. Veniard in Surrey, England. Furs and feathers must be clean and degreased before attempting to dye them. Usually a soak overnight in a good detergent does the job. The articles must be thoroughly rinsed before placing them in the dye bath. The dye bath is prepared by bringing water to a boil, adding the dye and then, once the dye is dissolved, bringing the temperature down slowly to 160 degrees (a cool water bath usually works well here). Vinegar or glacial acetic acid is added to "fix" the color. The clean rinsed articles are added to the bath and kept there until the desired shade is reached. All items will dry lighter than they appear, so it is best to keep the materials in the bath until they are significanly darker than the desired shade. Feathers usually take up dye faster than most fur/hair, although rabbit fur is easily dyed. The amount of dye added to the bath depends on the shade desired, the amount of material added, the color of the dye used and the phase of the moon. Details of the dyeing procedure are gained mostly by trial and error. During dyeing the materials must be kept submerged. Blocks of wood help here. When the atricle is the desired shade, remove it from the bath and rinse it thoroughly. If the article is on skin. Place it skin down on newspapers to dry. At some point during drying, skin curls. If this is not a problem forget it. If it is simply put several magazines on top of the item to keep the skin stretched. Black is the worst color to dye. To effectively dye something black, it is necessary to keep the water bath very hot (e. g., 180 to 190 degrees F). Many times black dyed goods are burned (the material ends curl up) and must be discarded. Yellow, pink, orange, red dyes work easiest. Blue, green, olove and brown shades are harder to do.

Dyeing furs and feathers is messy and dangerous to a degree (scalds are common place). It is advisable to set up dye baths in the basement workroom where splatters won't matter much. Have cooking gloves handy to manipulate the dye baths. A pair of tongs makes life easier as well. The dyer should also wear an apron or old shirt and safety glasses!

To learn how to dye your own materials is mose fun than it first seems. Mixing dye colors can also provide the fly tyer with some shandes not readily available at supply houses. E.g., pink fox fur is very difficult to buy. But a piece of rabbit fur (white) can be easily turned into pink fox substitute by dyeing in a mixture of rit pink and tan (3 to 1 by weight) for just a few seconds. You can generate a lifetime supply very quickly.


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Dry Fly Hackle Color vs Quality

Like there are different grades or qualities of dry fly necks (capes), the quality of dry fly hackle varies with color. Generally, the best of dry fly hackle is available in grizzly, brown (and shades of like ginger and light ginger), and cream. The poorest colors in terms of dry fly quality are dun and black. Other colors like (pure) white, badger, furnace and red ginger (aka., ginger variant and red variant) fall somewhere in between. This is true even for the best of the genetic hackle on the market. A no.1 dun and a number 1 brown cape will vary markedly in dry fly quality, the brown always being a superior quality dry fly neck. In the stripped necks like badger and furnace, the bigger the stripe, the poorer the quality as the center stripe is web. Keep this in mind when examining necks. It will make for a better understanding of what really is in front of you.


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The Best Dubbing for Big Black Stonefly Nymphs

There are two-dyed black squirrel dubbing or the underhair from a patch of black bear hair.


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Hook Conversion Table.

We have converted the styles of Mustad hooks we stock into the corresponding hook styles of various manufacturers. We hope you find it useful. Hook Conversion Chart


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Old Fly Rod Sizes

Did you know that older fly rods with the designation IFI were meant for a DT-3 fly line? This and other older fly line designations can be found in our: Table of Fly Line Sizes


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Forgotten Fly Patterns?

The Bivisible. The bivisible is not an imitative pattern but a suggestive one. Dun, brown (or ginger) and black bivisibles were the rage 20 to 30 years ago. The pattern is simple: Hackle tips of the predominant color for the tails and then the predominant color palmered from tail to two thirds the hook shank. From there a white or cream hackle is palmered to the hook eye. The pattern can be tied sparsely for low water and very densely for higher water. The patterns suggest stone flies or caddis flies and therefore can be tied from sizes 4 to 18, with 12-16 being the most used sizes.

Cream Variant. Cream variant dry fly pattern is not listed in the newer pattern books. The variant features quill bodies and extra large hackle. A cream variant would consist of a cream or white tail, cream stripped hackle quill for the body and a thick hackle 2 to 2 1/2 times the hook gap. This pattern can be fished successfully as an imitation of the coffin fly because it sits so high on the water.


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Sturdier Nymph Cases from Quills

Quills, especially turkey tails, are often used to make nymph cases. Pretreatment of the quill with flexible cement will make the job easier and the resulting nymph case more durable. Simply brush Vinyl Head Cement or Flexament onto the quill or a section of it and let dry. Cut pieces will stay together nicely.

Our friend John Skinner offers this effective means of making sturdier nymph wing cases - Spray both sides of the feather with Crystal Clear Krylon. It really works well!



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Scud Back Material

Need clear scud back material? Cut clear polybags into 1/8 to 1/4 inch strips. Zip-lock type bags are thicker and more durable than other types. Don't throw away those highly colored nuisance, plastic bags. Sections of color can be cut into 1/8 to 1/4" strips to provide an inexpensive supply of colored scud back material. Scud back material can be ribbed with clear 7X tippet or copper wire, depending on the effect desired.


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Mouse Tails

Usually mice patterns are tailed with a piece of chamois. Just as effective and more lively are tails made with rubber bands.


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Blending Furs

A household electric coffee grinder can be a very useful tool to the fly tyer. We used to vend these as mini-fur blenders. And it is ok to blend colors of fur or artificials in these mini-blenders, IF you clean them well afterwards (this is a relatively simple project).

Furs can be blended simply by taking cuttings from two varieties and mixing them together with your fingers.

Then again, wet blending can be more efficient. Cuttings from two or more materials are added to a jar of water and shaken vigorously for a minute or two. The mass is removed and let dry. Very nice blends can be made this way. Write down the recipes of successful blends.


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Remember to keep all materials (necks, saddles, muskrat, etc.) in sealed containers with moth balls added. We often hear tales of woe about forgotten materials becoming bug infested. The two worst culprits are moths and carpet beetles (AKA buffalo bugs). The larvae of both these critters can eradicate a good neck or skin patch in a few days and they can spread quickly from one material to another. Furthermore, they are not stopped by plastic or cardboard. The best remedy is to use moth balls (they last longer than crystals) and sealed glass or metal containers (plastic bags as a last resort).


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Fat bodied nymphs

To make wide bodied nymphs a) lash two pieces of lead wire on opposite sides of the hook instead of wrapping the lead around the hook as usual. When the body is dubbed, the fly will have a wider body than normal or b) wrap lead wire around the hook as normal and then crimp the lead wire fore to aft with needle nose pliers to provide the wide body, then over wrap as normal.


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Extended body flies

There are a number of ways to tie extended bodies on flies. With Fly Craft foam bodies like the inch worm and blue damsel, extension is automatic and easy to accomplish. The simplest way to tie extended body mayflies is to lash a stiff piece of monofilament (eg 40 lb) to the hook body and lacquer over the windings. Tail fibers may be tied onto the piece of mono and dubbing wrapped from their to the head as normal. A problem we have experienced with extended body flies is short strikes. The fish hits the fly from behind and misses the hook up near the front.


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Hour glass eyes

Until a year ago lead eyes were used exclusively to weight flies and to give the artificial the appearance of eyes. Now there are hour glass eyes and all their benefits: non-toxic, varied color, grooved in the middle to aid in tying. Sticking small eyes on the ends of hour glass eyes, especially prismatic stick-on-eyes, makes the artificial even more life-like. When this combo is epoxied, the result is spectacular.


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Better living through chemistry.

Have you ever sprayed newly tied dry flies with Scotchgard? You can use your regular floatant once they dry. Your dry flies will last longer and float better.

Need head cement or thinner?? The local paint/hardware store will be glad to sell you pints, quarts or gallons of (key word) quick drying clear lacquer. The best thinner is MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) in the same store under various brand names at very reasonable prices. Acetone or toluene are also good laquer (solvents) thinners. All of these materials should be used in well ventillated areas and away from flames.

In a pinch clear fingernail polish will suffice as head cement.

We have been reminded that Avon's Skin-So-Soft is an excellent bug repellent. Experience tells us that this product works well for some and not so well for others. If it works for you, it would be an inexpensive way to go. Some swear that it works with chldren in general. If this is true it is a way around the use of DEET on our youngsters.

Some cream-type fly floatants had their start with silicone-containing hand creams. The additive is usually simethicone. Rub a bit of your favorite silicone hand cream on your fingers and apply it to some flies. (It is advisable to do this on some cruddy old flies first.) Then check floatability. You may be happier with this new found floatant than with your old standby.


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Need midge hackle? The type of ostrich herls may be adequate for most applications if you can't find what you need on your hackle cape. Treated with floatant they keep the fly high and dry. Only 1 turn is usually needed.


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The AuSable Wulff developed by Fran Betters of Wilmington NY is a great fly pattern, especially on the AuSable River between AuSable Forks and Lake Placid NY. The body was from ginger colored opossum and the head was of Fire orange tying thread, two aspects most missed by tyers. Our Bug Fur-march brown or cinnamon caddis come closest to the color, where a hand blend of the two would be best.


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The original liquid dry fly floatants were mixtures of paraffin wax in hydrocarbon solution. Solvents were high boiling petroleum ethers. They were not safe to use around smokers!!!


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Over-looked fly tying supply possibilities:

Befriend a hunter. Besides giving you the opportunity to try some flavors of foods that you wouldn't ordinarily eat, a hunter friend can also treat you to endless possibilities in fly tying materials. Deer hair, antelope, bear, elk, fox (red and grey) are by products for most hunters and they are glad to give these to someone who will use them. Then there are grouse, goose, duck and turkey feathers for the asking. Woodchuck provide tails for fly tails and guard hair for such flies as the 'chuck caddis made famous by Eric Leiser. The list goes on and on.

Taxidermy shops are another veritable treasure trove. Trimmings from bird and animal mounts as well as unclaimed specimens can provide the fly tyer with almost unlimited possibilities. Each trip can provide you with something new.

Craft and yarn shops. Do you and your spouse a real favor-go to a craft and to a yarn shop. Look carefully. You'll find things for tying flies that you'd pay 3 or more times for from a supply house and things that are real neat that you can't buy elsewhere. These places are a treasure house for the fly tyer.

A good source of fly tying materials is the sewing basket. Now mind you-if it's yours no problem. If it's your spouse's take heed. Never snip a bit of yarn or what have you if it's connected to a current project. The sewing basket can be a veritable plethora of new found materials.

Corollary-the household pet. Buy a good grooming brush. 'nuff said.

Want some really neat tailing materials for nymphs? Try a variety of paint brushes. There will be different colors and textures on the many varieties in a good paint store.


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Most fly-tyers waxes are made by combining beeswax with toilet sealing wax.


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Latex sheets are what dentists call dental dam. So next time you go and you've been good, don't put your hand in the kiddies's treasure chest of toys, get a few sheets of dental dam. Ask what other colors he/she may have.


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Have some feathers that are matted or crushed? A simple way to bring them (or flies in a similar state) back-to-life is to subject them to steam. A mind boggling project?? No, simply expose the feathers (flies) to the steam from a tea kettle for a few seconds (15-20) and let them stand on a paper towel or whatever overnight. Most often the trash-can-candidates are as or nearly as good as new.


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If you have a fly pattern that calls for monofilament, don't waste your money buying it. You probably already have some. For patterns that call for extra-fine mono use .004 (7X) tippet material; for those that call for fine mono use .006 (5X) tippet material.



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Tired of tying salmon egg patterns from yarn? Try our Krystal eggs. Krystal eggs are preformed from yarn and have small bits of pearl tinsel protruding from the surface. Just stick on a hook, add a dab of glue and let dry. These have been extremely popular in '96.

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We are often asked about how to tie bead-head nymphs. First bend the hook barb down with needle nose pliers. Then apply the bead-head larger opening first. Push the bead-head to the hook eye and fasten by using thread wraps on the hook shank behind it. HINTS: It is easier to put the bead head on perfect bend hooks than it is limerick (sort of squarish in shape) or sproat bend hooks (hook is off-set from the barb). Thin wire hooks are easier to use than thick wire hooks. We now have bead-heads in gold, silver, copper and black and in 4 sizes each.



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Half hitch tools are as near as your nearest ball point pen. Unscrew the ball point pen and use the bottom half of the barrel as a half hitch tool. Cost $.00 in pens about to be discarded.


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Natural vs artificial dubbing???

Rarely is an artificial dubbing superior to an natural dubbing. Exact color of a natural substance can, with patience be achieved. Not so with most artificials. Most artificials start with a few true colors and the balance are made with blends. Some are ok but most miss the boat. Floatability or sinkability has been touted as a means to judge artificial dubbing. Many are claimed to be better than their counterpart. Only in minutes of a degree difference. Best is to get the color desired then worry about how to make the fly sink or swim. We have a goodly number of floatants or sink treatments.


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Dry Fly Hackle Common Colors

White - Pure white as the driven snow. These are very rare.

Cream - Off white to a faint yellowish tinge. Quite common. Used for quite a few patterns.

Dark Cream-Light Ginger - A dark creamy yellow to the color of gold (like in a gold ring). Common. Used for quite a few patterns.

Dark Ginger - A lighter shade of brown. Common. In genetic hackle are usually not separated from other brown shades. Common and used a great deal.

Brown - medium brown. Also called natural red. Common and used a great deal.

Dark Brown (Chocolate brown) - a dark shade of brown like a Hershey bar brown color. Mahogany brown. Most used in Royal coachman dry fly tying. Fairly common in imported necks. Quite rare in domestic genetic hackle. Can be had dyed in Hoffman Hackle.

Badger - Three different shades. All have a black stripe thru the center of the feather. Rare in most domestic genetic hackle offerings (except Hoffman). Limited use.

-----Silver - Outer "white" layer has almost a clear no color look. Extremely rare

-----Cream or white - Cream outer layer. Common in imported necks. Most used in tying the White Wulff. Hoffman Silver Badger hackles are really cream badger colored.

-----Golden - Very common in imported capes. Dark cream to light ginger outer band. Limited use in fly tying.

Furnace - Black center stripe surrounded by brown outer area. Not used much is tying. Fairly common in imported capes, not too rare in domestic genetic hackle.

Cock-y Bondhu - either a brown cape of a furnace cape with the outer upper edges of the hackle being black. Rare. Not used much in tying.

Grizzly - Very common in domestic genetic hackle. White black barred. Used often for fly tying. Lightly barred versions are often referred to as chinchilla colored.

Red Variant (Red or Ginger Grizzly) - Like grizzly above but white natural brown and white stripped or light ginger/white stripped or dark ginger/light ginger stripped. Not called for in many patterns but often substituted for brown or ginger because of the pattern break-up which lends a more natural look to the hackle.

Cree - A mixture of brown (or ginger or light ginger), with black and white stripes. Can be used where a pattern calls for brown (or ginger) mixed with grizzly (Adams). Highly desired, very rare.

Dun (Lt, Medium and Dark) - Grey with a hint of sand or brown. Light and medium are most called for and are common in domestic genetic hackle.

Black - Both on the top and bottom. Little surface sheen like other hackle. Usually more webbed than other colors. Highly desired, not too common even in domestic genetic hackle.


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About Wet Fly and Nymph Hackle

Years ago it was possible to obtain hen necks in a variety of colors and hackle sizes to tie any nymph or wet fly with a traditionally spun hackle. Not so today. Genetic hen capes are available only in a narrow color range; import hen necks usually have short, stubby hackles. So, what to do? The solutions are few. The first being tie beard hackle.

To tie beard hackle all one does is strip a few hackle barbules from a hen neck or other soft hackle source (eg. a grouse or partridge feather or a hen back) and hold them under the hook. Tie a turn or two of thread to secure and then flair the barbules out like a beard on the fly's chin. adjust the length to that desired , clip the unwanted ends and whip finish.

Another possibility is to wrap an ostrich herl of the desired color instead of a hackle. These soft fibers work well.


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Choosing Saddle Hackle

Saddle hackle comes in two sizes these days- 3 1/2 or 4" to 6'" and 6 to 8". What is each useful for? First understand that the useful (trimmed) length is more like 1" to 2 1/2" or 3" to 6". More in each package is in the lower part of each range.

The 3 1/2 to 6" saddle hackle is useful for small streamers and panfish flies and smaller bass bugs whereas the longer saddle hackle is useful for saltwater flies and big bass bugs, pike flies, and tandem streamers. The shorter saddles can also be used for beard hackle on wet flies and nymphs.


INFO & TIPS
Fly Fishing Info and Hints
Fly Tying 101
Info for Fly Tyers
Hook Conversion Chart
Hand-Tied Leader Recipes
Fly Pattern Recipes
Info for Rod Builders
1998 Hackle Study by Whiting Farm
Grog's Animated Knots


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Mail Order Form
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Contact Us

The Hook & Hackle Co.

607 Ann Street Rear, Homestead PA 15120

Phone: 1-412-476-8620
Fax: 1-412-476-8639

E-mail: ron@hookhack.com