What is the collective name of fly fishing feathers?

Answer 1

If you fly fish at all, you will know about flies. Tying flies requires feathers of some sort. These feathers, called hackles and saddles, serve specific purposes on the fly. These feather vary greatly in color and the varied colors make the different flies.

The hackle

The neck hackle comes from the upper part of the bird, close to the head.

These feathers are normally long and thin. Most hackles are used for dry flies. When you wind these feathers onto the shank of the hook, the feather helps the fly float on the water.

Dry fly hackles come in grades. The higher number of quality feathers for tying dry flies, the lower the hackle number. A #1 grade hackle will get the largest number of feathers for dry flies. A #4 will get the fewest number of feathers for dry flies. The better the grade hackle, the more expensive the piece.

Very small hackle feathers are used to create wings on the dry flies. These wings add stability and realism to the fly as it floats in the water.

The saddle

The saddle comes from farther down on the bird, on the back.

Saddle hackles are shorter and thicker than the hackle. These feathers are suitable for tails and bodies for larger flies, such as streamers and poppers. Like a hackle, saddles come in grades. The lower the grade, the more expensive the saddle. Saddles are normally less expensive than their hackle counterparts.

Fly anglers who fish in salt water make extensive use of saddles. The long feathers work better with the large hooks needed in salt water fly fishing.

Buying hackles and saddles

In the days before the internet, tying your own flies meant buying from catalogs or if you were fortunate enough, going to a fly shop.

The fly angler now has the opportunity to comparison shop via the Internet for the best prices on hackles and saddles.