Saddles come from that part of the chicken where you would mount a saddle (the back), if it were possible to ride a chicken.Years ago, saddle feathers were seldom suitable for dry-fly work. However, with the development of genetic hackle in recent years, saddles have caught up to — and in several respects surpass — cape hackle.
Prime saddle feathers sometimes exceed a foot (30 cm) in length. On top-grade saddles, almost the entire length of the feather is of dry-fly quality, and most of the feathers on the pelt are of equal quality. In other words, almost the whole feather is one huge sweet spot. The very best feathers are found along the sides of the saddle patch, and there are usually some softer ones in the center, which make great Woolly Bugger hackle.
Quality saddle feathers usually have thin quills and an extremely high barb count, means more hackle per wrap. This enables you to get several or more flies out of one feather. In fact, I've gotten as many as a dozen in sizes 14 and 16 from a single feather, which justifies the price of such pelts.
Common Hackle Colors: 1.Ginger. 2. Barred Ginger. 3. Cream. |
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Another advantage of long feathers is the ease of handling. You usually don't need hackle pliers until the feather is virtually used up. Thanks to the fineness of the quills, it's also also possible to wrap two feathers at the same time, obtaining the mix called for in the Adams and many other patterns. Saddles vs. Necks (Capes)
At this point you might be wondering: Why use necks at all? There are several reasons. First, saddles have a very limited range of sizes-three at the most. They don't tie down to the very small sizes that can be of great importance to the fly fisher.
They do not yield tailing material, nor do they yield tippets for the wings that many patterns require. So both capes and saddles have their place in your war chest.
Another difference between necks and saddles is that with necks, unless you're tying smaller flies, you'll usually need to use two feathers. With very high-quality cape hackles, you might be able to obtain sufficient hackle with one feather for a size 14, but usually you have to get down to a 16 or 18 before this is true.
With top-grade saddle feathers, one feather will usually do the trick, the reasons being (1) the extraordinarily high barb count, (2) the strength of the barbs, and (3) the ultra-fine quill, which enables tighter packing.
Beware of Aberrations
When evaluating a cape or saddle, be sure to look for aberrations, particularly when choosing the latter.
Sometimes you'll encounter a saddle with shorter barbs on one side of the quills than the other. If this difference is modest, it's not a big problem. But if the disparity is significant and found on many feathers, find another feather.
Also, be aware that the occasional long saddle feather can change sizes in the middle. In rare cases, I've encountered three different sizes on one feather! If the quality is good in other respects, go ahead and use the saddle; just keep an eye on how the size runs. If it suddenly changes to larger or smaller than you want, switch to another feather, laying the initial one aside for later use on a different-sized fly.
One final flaw to watch out for in saddles is what I call"cupping." This refers to feathers whose barbs curve inward. A little is tolerable, but not much. Stay away from saddles with more than a slight amount of cupping.
