Soft Hackle Beginner !

[JohnP]

Excellent read. Thanks for sharing. There is much there to ponder and digest. Could you explain the technique used for setting the hackle?
Thank you.

[MuddlerDaddy]

MD,
Only problem I saw was the large head, but that's just me.REE

I agree REE, the head was terrible !!

MD

[DUBBN]

MD,
Only problem I saw was the large head, but that's just me.REE

I agree REE, the head was terrible !!

MD

It's only terrible to you. Target Mentally Challenged fish like I do. They like the bigger heads!

[willowhead]

[Mike Connor]

Excellent read. Thanks for sharing. There is much there to ponder and digest. Could you explain the technique used for setting the hackle?
Thank you.

I can try!

Most dressers I knew manipulated the fibres in various ways. This was especially prevalent in Yorkshire. "Setting" and "bending" was common, and most did it in some form or other. This was also applied to wet flies with wings. Even those who did not carry out any further manipulation still usually stroked the fibres backwards with the left hand thumb and forefinger while winding the hackle with the right.

Until I actually saw somebody "bending" a hackle for the first time, I simply did not know how it was done, or how they achieved such an appearance to their flies. Setting was easy enough, and is the result of fibre and thread manipulation. With quill wings slips, other manipulations are also possible.

Simply winding a hackle around a hook so that one got a concentric ring of fibres was not done very often. This method is popular nowadays though, and in fact it seems most people now do it like this.

Over the years, I have seen one or two authors, and indeed others try to explain why flies were often "flat", and the fibres curved in particular fashion. All sorts of reasons have been given. To date, I have rarely seen anybody give the correct explanation, that this was intentional. I am always a little wary of maintaining that some things are "correct", and others not. Whatever suits you is correct, as long as it achieves what you want.

Setting, means manipulating the fibres in such a fashion that they project at a specific angle, and usually only above or below the hook.

Bending, means manipulating the fibres on the finished fly, so that they take on a specific curve. This was often done by pulling the fibres over the thumbnail, but there are other ways, I have also seen it done with a dubbing needle, and other things.

The last person I personally knew who did this with nearly all his soft hackle flies, was Mr. David Cook, a bailiff and river keeper on the Yorkshire Esk, but that is a long time ago now. He was quite old when I knew him for a number of years, older than I am now, and he passed away a long time ago now.

This is a Partridge and Orange, with a floss body, and a "set" and "bent" hackle;



This is a Partridge and Orange with a silk thread body and gold rib, where the hackle is "set" but not "bent";



This is a Badger Spider dressed without any set or bend;


This is a dun spider dressed "buzz" or "Stewart style", or "semi-palmered, also no setting or bending, which is really pointless on a palmered fly anyway, even if one could do it reasonably, although one can attain more of a hackle angle by stroking the fibres back when tying in. there is little point in doing so on a palmered fly;



This is a dark snipe and purple ( Starling hackle used here)with a floss body, and the hackle "set", but not bent;



Snipe and pürple with the hackle “set” but not”bent”



There are very many possible variations, and these all affect how a fly behaves in the water, and what it may be suitable for.

Of special note, is the fact that quite a few flies were dressed "set and bent", but with different fibres set and bent in a different way for the wings and legs. I have not seen this style now for over forty years.One common pattern was a fly with an orange body, slate grey wing fibres, and dark brown partridge legs. The Wing was set at about 30°, the hackle was set at about 90°, and "bent" so that the fibres curved back so that the tips were parallel to the hook shank. The legs were also shorter than is normally used today. There were a number of patterns like this, and I assume that they were "transitional" patterns between winged wets,and soft hackles ( or "spiders", or "hackles" as they were mostly called), from a single feather. They are not seen at all nowadays, although they are extremely successful patterns for a lot of things.

Some Clyde style flies and similar patterns have similar characteristics and appearance, although most of these use quill slips, many other wet flies also use quill slips, these are slips of feather cut from matching, ( left and right) wing feathers, usually primaries or secondaries, but they may also be formed from various tail feathers.



These have been taken from grey duck ( mallard) primary quills.

After a few casts, or having gotten wet, they look more or less identical to bunch or folded wings, as the slips turn into a bunch of fibres. I still use a few of these flies, and I have a couple of boxes of them somewhere. They were very old when I first saw them, and they have now fallen completely into disuse.

There are a great many more variations and styles than those which are commonly used today. Probably due to the existing literature concentrating on particular types and styles, many are now more or less unknown to many dressers. Also, professional and semi-professional dressers tend to dress patterns of the same type and style. This is also then propagated as the "correct" way to do things, although of course it is nothing of the sort. Usually merely one of many.

The "set" of a wing or hackle, is the angle at which it is tied in, or set by thread and manipulation. This term was used by all the good dressers I knew, although I have rarely seen it used in any literature, in fact I cant think of a case offhand. By the way, I only personally knew about half a dozen really top dressers, they were not exactly common, and it was sometimes very difficult indeed to get to know them at all. I knew a few others as well of course, but there are only a few real experts on such things at any one time. Also, not all dressers used all techniques. I only got into it because the whole complex fascinated me, and it still does.

Set up, or set down, refer to the way in which a wing slip is placed, either with the natural curve upwards, or downwards. Set up vertical, means that the natural curve is towards the front of the hook, ( or "up" in relation to the hook shank)and the wings are vertical. There are also cases of the wings being " set up forward, also referred to as “advanced wings”", which means slanting forward over the hook eye, with the natural curve forward. But the “advanced” description could have the curve either way. Also see Fly styles.

Many slip wings were manipulated to produce particular shapes.

Set down forward, would mean the wing slanting over the hook eye, but with the natural curve of the feather pointing backwards, or "down" in relation to the hook shank. This is also called “advanced”

This "set" is permanent. When the fly air dries naturally, the wing retains the orientation.

The "bend" refers to the curve given to the fibres by manipulating them, usually by curling them very gently and carefully over the thumbnail.;

Shown here on a hair hackled fly; the “Pink Squirrel”



And the result;



This requires quite a bit of practice in order not to damage or break the fibres on delicate soft hackles,, and also to get the desired curve. This is similar to the technique parcel wrappers use when curling decorative parcel wrapping tape over the back of the scissors. This forms a permanent curve in the tape, and causes it to cringle and form ringlets etc, the amount and type of curve depends on the pressure exerted, and where it is exerted.

This too is permanent, when the flies dry naturally, the fibres will retain this bend. Steaming might remove it, I dont know, I have never tried it!.

Wings are bent by sliding the fibres over each other, so that the wing takes on a certain shape. This will not normally last very long, as casting, fishing, and catching fish will normally reduce such slips to a bunch of fibres quite quickly. They will retain their set, but not their bend, or their shape

Bent hackles behave differently in the water, the curves, which are usually in the last third or so of the projecting hackle, cause a "flickering" motion, when the fly is moved in water. This behaviour is very different from the behaviour of an unbent hackle.

Dressing with a "kick", whether with a thorax or without, simply means setting the hackle forward. Forcing the fibres to point forward using turns of thread, or a small thorax of fur etc. This was only normally used on upstream flies, and concentric hackles. It can also however be used on other flies used in faster water. It causes more movement of the hackle.

Where the bend is applied ( although as noted, usually on the last third of the hackle), the actual curve achieved, and how the hackle is set, depends on the dresser, the insect being imitated, and the effect required. The first picture of the Partridge and orange above is a more or less "standard" bend. For some caddis imitations, and various other things, the set might be only 30° or less, and the bend begin halfway along the hackle. The degree of bend was also varied according to fly. Of course, the same flies for the same purpose had the same set and bend. Good dressers produced flies like this which looked identical to each other, in terms of dressing, set, and bend. I don't know of any books which refer to this and I have never seen the technique described anywhere else.

TL
MC

[Mike Connor]

When "bending" the hackle, a bunch of the hackle fibres is collected together and then held firmly between thumb and forefinger and pulled up straight. This bunch is then allowed to slide out between the thumbnail and forefinger under pressure. Depending on where one starts applying pressure, and how much pressure one applies, the fibres curve to a greater or lesser degree. One may also hold the bunch tight and use the back of scissors or a dubbing needle forced against the fibres to make them curve. This is remarkably difficult to explain in words!

TL
MC

[JohnP]

Thank you for the reply. It appears that the hackle is wound on, then separated into two bunches, top and bottom, using thread wrapped, perhaps, in a figure-8 fashion? The bending I think I understand, but the setting is a little harder to grasp.

[Mike Connor]

[quote="JohnP"]Thank you for the reply. It appears that the hackle is wound on, then separated into two bunches, top and bottom, using thread wrapped, perhaps, in a figure-8 fashion? The bending I think I understand, but the setting is a little harder to grasp. [/quote

No, the hackle is wound and tied in normally, no extra thread wraps. Pulling the fibres into place is all that is required. Some people would let a little thin head cement seep into the base of the hackle when finishing the fly, to lock them, but this is not necessary.

The "set" is the angle at which the fibres, ( or wings etc.), project from the hook. There are various ways of affecting that. Manipulating the fibres does both if desired. One may also use thread or fibre manipulation when tying in. The thread base also affects the set of things.

Unfortunately it is rather difficult to explain, and pictures don't help much because it's a "feel" thing. If you play around with it you will grasp it fairly quickly.

TL
MC

[JohnP]

Thanks for the clarification.

[Mike Connor]

Hey Mike,
Excellent information - from the beginning some of my questions were being answered. I have communicated with a gentlemen in the UK about hooks and he recommended a straight eye as in your article (ordered but have not received as yet). Interesting also was the different ways to tie in the hackle for desired effects in fishing methods. Most of the time when you see soft hackles in fly shops or on the internet they are all tied the same way!
Greatly appreciated and I will be reading several times !

Many Thanks,
MD
Rick

For a very long time, it was not possible to obtain hooks smaller than a 17, and the quality was not very good either, so many dressers avoided using very small hooks. Modern hooks in these sizes, and even very much smaller, are now readily available, but it is often a problem obtaining soft hackle feathers small enough to suit such hooks, and of course certain small natural flies.

For quite a while it was possible to buy hooks in all the uneven sizes as well, but very few manufacturers make these nowadays, and only the even sizes are readily available. I use a special hook for my wet flies, the straight eyed "Drennan Carbon Specimen" in sizes 12 to 18.



These are available from Tom C.Saville the well known English fly dressing supplier, and will certainly be available elsewhere. These hooks are also excellent for many dry flies, being of fine wire and excellent quality. I use these mainly because the appearance of the finished flies more closely matches the original designs which were tied directly to gut, which I find aesthetically pleasing, and because I do not like the apparent increased bulk at the head caused by up or down eyed hooks. This is however purely a matter of personal preference. One disadvantage of these hooks, if you use a lot of them, is that they are only supplied in packets of ten. I bought several thousand of these hooks not too long ago, and I nearly went mad emptying all the small plastic packets into suitable containers.

It has been brought to my attention on several occasions that American hook sizes differ somewhat, sometimes considerably from British or European sizes. An American size 22 or 24 being closer to our size eighteen in practice. In case this should be a problem the hooks used for these flies are shown below with a centimetre rule to allow comparisons. Due to the rather complex and of necessity universal nature of electronic communications it is sometimes quite difficult to discern the actual size of some objects shown on a computer monitor. Hopefully this will help in showing the correct sizes.



It was common practice years ago to dress these flies very short in the body indeed, in fact hook-shanks were often cut down to allow this, before tying them to gut or hair. It is possible to do this with modern hooks as well, but the resulting connection is usually not as good as a decent knot on an eyed hook, and so I do not do this. Also, I think the spiders are a lot more aesthetically pleasing on short shank hooks! The fish seem to think so too!d1640

I have heard from a number of people that these Daiichi hooks, No. 1640 are identical to the Drennan hooks, and it does indeed seem so.



( After some research I have been informed that these hooks are produced in the same factory and merely repackaged, there are some others which seem identical as well).

The first line below is the Redditch or "Old" Scale which is in use today. Second line is the Pennell or "New" Scale used in many older books. Over the years, many different hook scales were used, often form individual makers.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

5 4 3 2 1 0 00 000

here is a picture; Sneck Bend Hooks



The odd numbered hook sizes are not so easily available nowadays, and not many manufacturers offer them.

At one time, quite a few hooks were “japanned”. JAPAN BLACK - "The following is a good japan black for metal surfaces: Take 12 ounces of amber and 2 ounces of asphaltum. Fuse by heat, and add 1/2 pint boiled oil and 2 ounces of rosin. When cooling add 16 ounces of oil of turpentine. One can test antique hooks to see if they are antique. Just heat them, and the japanning will run, and smell of resin.

TL
MC