Wet and Dry Hackles (Cock and Hen Hackle)
One of the most challenging aspects of tying is acquiring a good range of
hackles to tie both wet and dry flies. Paying $60 - $120 for a few chicken
feathers seems like a lot, and so you should know what you really need. I
have a few tips here for helping you pick the right feathers to make your
fly tying a bit easier. Depending on the quality of the feathers, an average
cape can produce 400 - 600 flies, and a high quality cape can produce beyond
that.
Hackle refers to the feathers wrapped around a fly. These are usually
chicken feathers from a rooster, or hen, and come from the neck or saddle of
the bird. Hackles can refer to a cape, a saddle, strung feathers, or
individual feathers. Hackle that is taken from roosters is mostly used for
tying dry flies. The feather fiber from this hackle tend to be shorter and
stiffer. These help the fly stay afloat because they do not absorb a lot of
water. Rooster hackle can also be used to tie wet flies. Saddle feathers are
denser, and work well for streamers like the wooly bugger. Hen hackles are
used primarily for tying nymphs and wing tips on some dry flies. Hackle
comes in natural and dyed varieties. Some of the natural and dyed varieties
are grizzly, chinchilla, furnace, badger, creme, light blue dun, dark blue
dun, brown and black. You can also find lots of bright colors for specialty
flies.
Rooster hackle:
- Used primarily for tying dry flies.
- Comes in a range of sizes for tying ( #6 - #28).
- Sheds water, and has a stiff feel.
- Rooster neck hackles are usually short and can only tie one fly per hackle. More expensive hackle may allow you to tie several flies from a single feather.
- Rooster saddle hackle has longer feathers, and can accommodate 3 or 4 flies with a single feather.
Hen hackle:
- Primarily used for wet hackle applications.
- Hen hackle is generally bigger in size, and is much less expensive than Rooster.
- This is a great choice for wings on dry flies.