Saddle Up!

I don't know what makes me opinionated about some things and completely non-opinionated about other things, but if there's one thing I definitely have an opinion about, it's saddle hackle. Specifically dry fly quality saddle hackle from Whiting Farms. This might seem crazy to you, but my opinion of Whiting Farms dry fly saddle hackle is that it is....AWESOME!

OK, maybe that's not such a crazy opinion. Whiting has the reputation of being some of, if not the highest quality hackle in the fly tying industry. And I would wholeheartedly agree with that. I tie a lot of dry flies, most of which are size 16 and under, and Whiting saddle hackles are perfect for that application. The feathers are long, so they are easy to hold on to. And that length lets me get 8-12 flies out of each feather. The barb density is always very full, so it takes fewer wraps to get the nice thick hackle that will help to float my flies. The stems of the feathers are supremely supple, meaning that they are less apt to break whilst wrapping. I can't remember the last time a Whiting hackle has broken on me in the middle of a fly. And the colors are vibrant, both the natural and dyed colors. While natural colors have some variance from bird to bird, Whiting's dyed saddles are very consistent, so when I go buy my next Dyed Dark Dun saddle, I know it will be the same color as the saddle I have been using for my Blue Winged Olives over the past several years.

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for Whiting, but their saddle hackles are pretty great. Next time you're in the market for some dry fly hackle, make sure you check out Whiting saddles.