Getting Started in Fly Tying: Preparing Hackle Feathers

Preparing our hackles before we start tying helps us speed up the process, plus become more consistent form one fly to the next. Here's how I prep my wet fly and streamer hackles.

[@borbonic]

Thanks for the detailed video

[@dinoconsabor]

Great video, Peter. Thank you for taking the time to go into detail about one of the finer points of fly tying. Too often things like that are glossed over. I know it will help me improve my hackle techniques.

[@brianrenenielsen923]

Thanks for great tuition and inspiration. Greetings from Denmark

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Very informative tutorial. Thank you!

[@mrblueskynm3968]

Thanks for creating this video, it's exactly what I was wanting to learn. Cheers!

[@FlyTyer1948]

As truckers say on the CB when saying goodbye, “Keep the shiny side up & the dirty side down.” Nice, clear description on prepping the feather. If you’re a saver of materials, the fluff or filo that you strip off can be saved as a marabou substitute for short tails or used in a dubbing loop for some fly bodies. It only makes sense to save this stuff if you know you can use it soon in another pattern. Otherwise you will be buried in waste material.

[@hooked4lifeca]

The one I remember was, "keep the wheels between the ditches and the bears outta your britches". I used to have an old coffee grinder, till it burned out, and I used it to turn this sort of waste and other stuff into dubbing.

[@HellevaNR]

Thanks Peter, great video! I knew there had to be a trick!

[@calteamihai2990]

Great vid! I hope one day you could show us your take on winter perch :D

[@hooked4lifeca]

Were you thinking about a fly for winter perch?

[@calteamihai2990]

@@hooked4lifeca Actually, winter fishing for perch is something I haven't tried and didn't see a lot of people giving tips on the topic (online). A fly will do, if not a video with some tips 😁

[@hooked4lifeca]

@@calteamihai2990 I haven't fished for winter perch in decades so I'm the wrong person to ask. During a lull at a fishing show, one of our Shimano pros described to me how he used freshwater shrimp flies when ice fishing for perch. Sounded interesting.

[@hectatusbreakfastus6106]

Is there any use for the feathers you pull off the quill? Or is it just trashed?

[@hooked4lifeca]

Depends on the pattern, but the short answer is yes.