banjoflyfish
03-22-2006, 02:20 PM
Synthetic Hackle
By Mike Hogue
Synthetic hackle is one of the newer hot products out on the market
this season. While some of the products may be new the idea itself can
be traced back many years to some of the most clever designed flies
ever made.
Frank Potts may have been one of the first fly tyers to create the
first synthetic hackle. Potts was a wig maker by trade and used his
skills to design and develop one of the first ( and few/and or only )
patented fly tying techniques. His flies were called Pott's Mites. The
flies such as the Sandy Mite were woven flies that had a woven hand made
hackle for the head. These flies were largely stonefly imitations and
were both effective and popular flies. Potts later had an entire fly tying
business organized in which he made and sold these flies across the
west.
Some time later George Grant spent a considerable amount of time
trying to learn Pott's methods of creating hackle. Largely by taking
Pott's flies apart, Grant developed his own process of making hackle using
elk mane and weaving small bundles of hair together in a small rope.
George later created his Grant stoneflies which had a woven head and a
body made of monofilament, to create one of the most beautiful stoneflies
ever made. I have one of his stoneflies made before he retired and this
is truely one of the most beautiful flies ever created.
So the idea for making hackle is basically not all that new. The
big change is the process and method using some modern materials.
Baiscally, fibers are twisted and tied between two strands and then this
creation of fibers and flash results in an entirely new method, approach and
use of materials.
One of the more interesting innovations in the past few years has
been Petitjean's Magic tool. This allows you to create your own
combinations of feathers, fiber, flash or fur to make your own patterns. By
twisting and wrapping materials in split thread, you are able to make your
own dubbing ropes and hackle. Petitjean's Magic tools is an innovative
way to create and design hackle on your own.
Some folks feel that with the advent of bird flu, we may not only
find that these products are interesting and innovative, it may be
entirely possible that this is the only sort of product we have available in
the future. So I don't think this is simply just the newest, latest and
hottest craze. I expect we will continue to see more of these as time
goes. I have some of the products listed below for you and these will
continue to develop as time goes on.
One great advantage is for most of this you can cut the material to
size, use a marker and color it and it won't rot, isn't endangered or
threatened and it can be shipped anywhere. Also for some, no animals
were harmed when it was processed.
-------------------------------------
Snythetic Hackle Materials:
Mike's Wooly Bugger Yarn: This is a soft one sided yarn that has long
fibers sparse soft fibers. Can be used as a collar, wooly hackle, for
spey flies and also some streamer patterns. Comes in white, black, brown,
lime or olive. $1.50
Mike's BCFT Fiber (AKA Eyelash Yarn): This is a very soft one sided
material. Looks sort of like an eyelash, although it has fine antron
sparkle yarn woven together in one continuous piece. Used for many minnow
or crab patterns by tyers like Jack Gartside. Just wrap and brush out,
makes a bushy body. Comes in black, white, tan, shell pink, hot pink,
silver gray, lime, orange, purple. $1.50
Mike's Disco Yarn: Has long soft fibers with a twist of flash in the
body. Very nice stuff. Can be used for leeches, wooly buggers, streamers,
spey flies and all sorts of interesting stuff. Colors: Claret, olive,
black and purple. $1.50 a pack.
Mike's Secret Sparkle Pearl Yarn: I found some of this and it is very
nice. Soft pearlized yarn that is sparsely twisted together in a single
strand. Use for minnow patterns or color with a marker and clip short.
At a recent show, Harrison Steeves was using a yarn similar to this for
underbodies. although his was cut short. Pearl only. $1.50
Hareline's Krystal Hackle: This is a medium length transparent
material. Has overdyed colors. Use as a body wrap and make bodies with this.
Ideal for many terrestrial patterns. Colors: Olive, Black, Brown, Pearl,
Hot Orange, Chartreuse, Olive Brown, Black $3.00
Cascad Crest Tri Lobal Hair: This is the base material used in making
the new Tri Lobal hackle. Has a thick strand which can be split into 4
separate strands. By combing this out, you get a very fine transparent
material which can be used for wings, shucks, backs or twisted as a
body. Can be cut and added into a Petitjean Magic tool ropes. Colors:
Ginger ( tan) , Dark Olive ( medium ), Light Olive, Gray( silver gray) ,
White. ( note all colors are softer and not dark aggressive colors) $7.00
Packed in a plastic tube.
CCT Body Fiber: In a recent issue of Fly Tyer this material was used to
make bodies on minnow patterns. This design is an update of the old
Shenk's minnow in which rabbit was spun for a body. This is a soft antron
material wrapped along the hook shank. Colors: Hot Orange, White, Gray,
Black, Lime. $3.50
Hula Wrap: This is the jumbo stuff, extra long with fine mylar fibers,
hackle is about 2" in length. Being used for offshore patterns or as
collars on big bugs. Can be used for pike flies or bass flies also. Very
cool stuff and it can be cut to a shorter size. Blue, Lime, Gark Gray
and Silver. $7.00
Tri Lobal Hackle: This is the newest material. Has a two side flat
appearance. Can be used has hackle or wrap with a traditional hackle for an
even more interesting effect. Fine sparkle fibers are twisted into a
hackle. Use on dry flies. Colors: Black, white, mediun dun, fiery brown,
burnt orange, chartreuse. $7.50
Polar Chenille: Sparse material twisted on a strand. Used on some newer
leech patterns by Stalcup. Used on some of Petitjean's damsel patterns
also. Very cool stuff. Olive, Chartreuse, Tan, Pearl, Uv Copper, Black,
Hot Orange. $3.00
Tri Lobal Holographic : Very flashy stuff. Similar to Estaz almost. Mix
of tri lobal fibers and holographic cut fibers. Use for steelhead
flies, salmon patterns or some minnow and swimming flies. Colors: Black,
Root Beer, Silver or Gold. $7.50
Henry's Fork Hackle: CDC twisted into a rope. Use for a hackle,
parachute or such. Reel CDC made into a hackle with monofilament. Colors;
Light dun or Grizzly. $4.50
By Mike Hogue
Synthetic hackle is one of the newer hot products out on the market
this season. While some of the products may be new the idea itself can
be traced back many years to some of the most clever designed flies
ever made.
Frank Potts may have been one of the first fly tyers to create the
first synthetic hackle. Potts was a wig maker by trade and used his
skills to design and develop one of the first ( and few/and or only )
patented fly tying techniques. His flies were called Pott's Mites. The
flies such as the Sandy Mite were woven flies that had a woven hand made
hackle for the head. These flies were largely stonefly imitations and
were both effective and popular flies. Potts later had an entire fly tying
business organized in which he made and sold these flies across the
west.
Some time later George Grant spent a considerable amount of time
trying to learn Pott's methods of creating hackle. Largely by taking
Pott's flies apart, Grant developed his own process of making hackle using
elk mane and weaving small bundles of hair together in a small rope.
George later created his Grant stoneflies which had a woven head and a
body made of monofilament, to create one of the most beautiful stoneflies
ever made. I have one of his stoneflies made before he retired and this
is truely one of the most beautiful flies ever created.
So the idea for making hackle is basically not all that new. The
big change is the process and method using some modern materials.
Baiscally, fibers are twisted and tied between two strands and then this
creation of fibers and flash results in an entirely new method, approach and
use of materials.
One of the more interesting innovations in the past few years has
been Petitjean's Magic tool. This allows you to create your own
combinations of feathers, fiber, flash or fur to make your own patterns. By
twisting and wrapping materials in split thread, you are able to make your
own dubbing ropes and hackle. Petitjean's Magic tools is an innovative
way to create and design hackle on your own.
Some folks feel that with the advent of bird flu, we may not only
find that these products are interesting and innovative, it may be
entirely possible that this is the only sort of product we have available in
the future. So I don't think this is simply just the newest, latest and
hottest craze. I expect we will continue to see more of these as time
goes. I have some of the products listed below for you and these will
continue to develop as time goes on.
One great advantage is for most of this you can cut the material to
size, use a marker and color it and it won't rot, isn't endangered or
threatened and it can be shipped anywhere. Also for some, no animals
were harmed when it was processed.
-------------------------------------
Snythetic Hackle Materials:
Mike's Wooly Bugger Yarn: This is a soft one sided yarn that has long
fibers sparse soft fibers. Can be used as a collar, wooly hackle, for
spey flies and also some streamer patterns. Comes in white, black, brown,
lime or olive. $1.50
Mike's BCFT Fiber (AKA Eyelash Yarn): This is a very soft one sided
material. Looks sort of like an eyelash, although it has fine antron
sparkle yarn woven together in one continuous piece. Used for many minnow
or crab patterns by tyers like Jack Gartside. Just wrap and brush out,
makes a bushy body. Comes in black, white, tan, shell pink, hot pink,
silver gray, lime, orange, purple. $1.50
Mike's Disco Yarn: Has long soft fibers with a twist of flash in the
body. Very nice stuff. Can be used for leeches, wooly buggers, streamers,
spey flies and all sorts of interesting stuff. Colors: Claret, olive,
black and purple. $1.50 a pack.
Mike's Secret Sparkle Pearl Yarn: I found some of this and it is very
nice. Soft pearlized yarn that is sparsely twisted together in a single
strand. Use for minnow patterns or color with a marker and clip short.
At a recent show, Harrison Steeves was using a yarn similar to this for
underbodies. although his was cut short. Pearl only. $1.50
Hareline's Krystal Hackle: This is a medium length transparent
material. Has overdyed colors. Use as a body wrap and make bodies with this.
Ideal for many terrestrial patterns. Colors: Olive, Black, Brown, Pearl,
Hot Orange, Chartreuse, Olive Brown, Black $3.00
Cascad Crest Tri Lobal Hair: This is the base material used in making
the new Tri Lobal hackle. Has a thick strand which can be split into 4
separate strands. By combing this out, you get a very fine transparent
material which can be used for wings, shucks, backs or twisted as a
body. Can be cut and added into a Petitjean Magic tool ropes. Colors:
Ginger ( tan) , Dark Olive ( medium ), Light Olive, Gray( silver gray) ,
White. ( note all colors are softer and not dark aggressive colors) $7.00
Packed in a plastic tube.
CCT Body Fiber: In a recent issue of Fly Tyer this material was used to
make bodies on minnow patterns. This design is an update of the old
Shenk's minnow in which rabbit was spun for a body. This is a soft antron
material wrapped along the hook shank. Colors: Hot Orange, White, Gray,
Black, Lime. $3.50
Hula Wrap: This is the jumbo stuff, extra long with fine mylar fibers,
hackle is about 2" in length. Being used for offshore patterns or as
collars on big bugs. Can be used for pike flies or bass flies also. Very
cool stuff and it can be cut to a shorter size. Blue, Lime, Gark Gray
and Silver. $7.00
Tri Lobal Hackle: This is the newest material. Has a two side flat
appearance. Can be used has hackle or wrap with a traditional hackle for an
even more interesting effect. Fine sparkle fibers are twisted into a
hackle. Use on dry flies. Colors: Black, white, mediun dun, fiery brown,
burnt orange, chartreuse. $7.50
Polar Chenille: Sparse material twisted on a strand. Used on some newer
leech patterns by Stalcup. Used on some of Petitjean's damsel patterns
also. Very cool stuff. Olive, Chartreuse, Tan, Pearl, Uv Copper, Black,
Hot Orange. $3.00
Tri Lobal Holographic : Very flashy stuff. Similar to Estaz almost. Mix
of tri lobal fibers and holographic cut fibers. Use for steelhead
flies, salmon patterns or some minnow and swimming flies. Colors: Black,
Root Beer, Silver or Gold. $7.50
Henry's Fork Hackle: CDC twisted into a rope. Use for a hackle,
parachute or such. Reel CDC made into a hackle with monofilament. Colors;
Light dun or Grizzly. $4.50