Hackle for Wooly Buggers

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Anybody have some reccomendations for wooly bugger hackle? I have some hen necks that aren't webby or long enough and some saddle hackle that gets too large where it gets webby enough.

 

[jayL]

http://tinyurl.com/dbw2es

I love 'em.

 

[RLeeP]

I suppose it depends upon how symmetrical and well proportioned we feel the fly has to be for our needs, because within reason, I don't think it matters to the fish.

But as a suggestion, I can't ever remember seeing a modest to good quality domestic neck from somebody like Metz or whoever that wasn't loaded with perfectly fine hackles for making buggers. This was always one of the attractions to me of these sorts of necks. Long after the usable dry fly hackles in smaller sizes were gone, I had hackles for buggers out the kazoo. So, I'd say in colors like brown or grizzly with their general overall better natural feather quality, virtually any old domestic neck would do. Black would probably be a little more problematic, but a black #3 Metz or something along those lines would make a lot of nice buggers and also some servicable dry flies.

But than again, I'm not a very fussy tier and don't really care very much about how my flies look.

 

[JoeE]

I use what I have on hand to tie wooly buggers. I don't have much need of the the big feathers on a skin.


Joe E

 

[tomgamber]

this is like what I use... this is but one source. Your fly shop should have this too.

 

[Maurice]

RLeeP wrote:
.......

But than again, I'm not a very fussy tier and don't really care very much about how my flies look.

Well there ya go.

I have a bowl on my desk with pieces and parts of materials I cannot seem to throw away. If its long enough to make it through a palmer to the eye, it could end up on one of my buggers. Often I misjudge and wind up short or unwind it and make fewer wraps.

I do however have a few (Dun, black and cream) saddles for buggers. For the rest I primarily use the bigger feathers around the edges of a dry fly neck. None of them go to waste....none of them.

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

I've been tying more and I'm getting better results with the hen necks and saddle hackle if I pick the right portion of the right feather and use two feathers instead of one and palmer them individually.