Feather question

[crappieman58]

Which feathers are best to use to get several pieces out of it.

I don't know the difference in neck hackle, sadles, strung, etc

Please describe the different feathers

[PBUG2009]

Neck Hackle is my favorite to use. I like the looks and how it acts in the water. Alot of other people like marabou.

[PA_Slabs]

Which feathers are best to use to get several pieces out of it.

I don't know the difference in neck hackle, sadles, strung, etc

Please describe the different feathers

Tyipically for jig tails when using hackle, you will use neck hackle. Saddle hackle is used for bodies and palmering. I have tied saddle tails by request on occasion.

Strung means that the feathers are sewn together at their base. it allows for easier handling and feathers aren't flying all over. And my advice BASED ON my purchasing history. You get what you pay for. Loose feathers are often bought in bulk. The price looks FANASTIC and the quality and is horrible. This is escpecially the case when buying saddle feathers...

So saying that I would stick with strung neck hackle. You will get better quality and a more consistant feather length. Hope this helps.

[crappieman58]

I was looking at how Skip did them as shown in this picture but all my feathers seem much smaller than these so I can't cut them. This is the way I would like to do them if I knew which feathers to buy to do this sort of technique.

[PBUG2009]

Strung neck hackle is what you want then...

[skiptomylu]

I buy Salt Water Neck Hackle and it's longer so wider too. It cost a bit more, but you still can do the same thing with the shorter neck hackle and you just don't get as many little "V"s.

The cheaper Saddle hackle from China is thinner than neck hackle and stiffer too, but the prize for fly tyers is not this stuff but the very thin saddle hackle from generic roosters and that is the most costly type and of course the capes from these birds are also very thin and mostly used fir dry flies. First all feathers are called hackle and they get that from if they wrap is around the hook for a collar or palmered it stands out. This is not for use on a tail.

So re-group here, neck hackle is softer than saddle and then you have the saddle, but different kinds and the strung is the low end kind and use that for woolly buggers and palmered on flies or jigs. Then dry fly quality saddle and cape hackle used for just flies pretty much. One other important kind of hackle is soft hackle which come for them sides of the cape and saddle on a rooster or it's from a hen if it's chicken. A lot of other kinds of birds as used a soft hackle on things like a spider type fly.

If your hackle is thin on width then it's probably saddle hackle and not the best for tails.

Sometimes for a color I can't get in the Salt Water Neck Hackle I will buy the shorter 3"-5" strung neck hackle, bit I prefer the longer 4"-6" Neck hackle. Hope that is more clear than mud, LOL!

Skip