sorting hackle

[quillfly]

do you normally sort your hackle before tying ? recently i started plucking my necks and saddles down (i though i was running low on some of the smaller sizes in colors i normally use ,lets just say i was way way wrong)and have noticed i tend to get more accomplished .so what do you think are the pros and cons and do you think its worth the initial investment of time

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I don't sort the hackle prior. When I sit down to tie I figure how many flies I want to tie and then I will pull the hackle I need.

 

[eunanhendron]

if they're on a cape why pluck them off...they're already presorted by size on the cape/saddle.

Seems like extra work to me to take them of and then have to find the right size after they're plucked....

 

[dryflyguy]

If you're tying commercially, you want to pull a bunch of hackles out and have them ready - along with all other materials - so that you can speed things along. Kinda like mass production.

However, when I tie - mostly for my own personal use - I want it to be a more relaxing thing. And I don't pre - pluck hackles. Why rush it?
Like you said - if you pull off a bunch of wrong size hackles, where do you put them now?