Quote Originally Posted by Scrapper View Post
skip... well...this is all for the crappie and whatever else might be in the lake at any given time with an appetite for flies...lol. Its really making since more tonight...and my hand actually is getting used to the bobbin. I'm taking baby steps...but they look SOO much better tonight than they did last night. Watched a video on the woolly booger tonight on youtube...LOTS of info there..lol. who would've thought?? lol.

What about hackle pliers? A guy used them on a video and seemed to work pretty good when wrapping the hackle around the fly. I used my hand and it worked but what do you think about the pliers??

I'm amazed at what the hackle does when you spin it around your fly...I thought it was used just for tail till I saw the video...man that is the coolest part of the whole fly...when you wrap it around and it makes that hairy body!! I'm using nonpainted heads right now...please don't stone me...but baby steps...lol. I'll get that once I can tie decent. :D
OK let me say this...
Hackle is also for tails and most hackle that is wrapped on bodies is not the same and usually comes from a cape. They even have woolly bugger capes just for that. Other than that you can get strung saddle hackle and that is for doing the same thing, wrapping it around the body or neck of the fly/jig. Almost always the strung neck hackle is to wide and webby to using like that. I have capes for this and capes for dry flies are even different too. About all the strung neck hackle is good for is tails. If you decide to get into all that other stuff better break out your wallet, LOL! A good

Hackle pliers, yes, but I didn't think you would be getting into palmered hackle, LOL! Just get the Griffin Rotating hackle pliers with the little rubber band around the jaw. They are not high cost and work well. I even use them sometimes when my chenille gets short.

You can get what is called Saddle Patch which are good for Palmering as is the Strung Saddle hackle, but the capes are usually better quality. The more premium the feather the higher the cost so the dry fly capes are the highest priced. You can get a lot of capes for $12-$20 for what you are doing. The Woolly Bugger Saddles I buy wholesale for about $10. Strung Saddle Hackle is about $3 wholesale and probably $4-$5 retail.

Go to this site and click on feathers so you can get a good idea what I am talking about... Bob Marriott's Fly Fishing Store - Product Catalog - Fly Tying Materials

You should probably take me up on calling me on the phone, LOL!

I never need any glue on my thread at all until I tie in something and then only when doing some things like tying in rabbit strips I use some brush on Super Glue for that and special things. I don't have any trouble with regular jig and never use glue until I have finished my whip finish and then only one drop of thinned head cement or if like me what I make up.

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