Hackle comes in all sorts of colors and forms, from darks and lights to solids and stripes. Because Bivisibles can be tied with a mix of colors, the number of possible fly patterns exceeds the amount of available hackle patterns.Grizzly works great, as do dark dun and a brown and grizzly mix. Pale colors, such as cream, tend to neutralize the effect of the white front hackle, because there is little contrast.
There's a lingering controversy over dyed versus natural colors. It has some historical basis in fact, because until fairly recently, the dye jobs done on hackles were pretty poor, not only from the standpoint of the colors themselves, but also because of what the process did to the feathers.
This is no longer the case. The dye jobs by today's top suppliers are excellent, and the colors may, in some respects, be better than the naturals.
The only possible exception is with dun: The dyed grays, while very pretty, tend to be flat, whereas the naturals often have highlights and overtones. I find these attractive, but I can't tell you how the fish feel about them. In short, I wouldn't —and in fact don't— hesitate to use dyed hackles.
Some Common Hackle Colors: 1. Grizzly or Barred Rock. 2. Badger. 3 Furnace. 4. Medium Gray Dun. 5. Pale Watery Dun. 6. Cree |
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The major hackle colors are: Brown: Just as it sounds. It can range from a light brown, also called dark ginger, to a rich, chocolate brown, also called Coachman brown.
Ginger: A lighter brown, or tan.
Cream: As it sounds. It can range from pale to very rich and golden, which is also called straw cream.
Dun: This color is somewhat controversial. The Brits have their own definition. Here in America, dun is synonymous with gray. There are many shades, ranging from very light, which is known as pale watery dun, to almost black, which is known as dark dun. There's slate, which is a rich, dark gray, and medium dun, which is lighter than slate but darker than pale watery There are also complex duns of many shades that show rust and golden tints. They can be gorgeous.
Black: As it sounds.
Grizzly: Barred gray or black and white. Also known as barred rock.
Cree: Barred with multiple colors. Very rare.
Furnace: Brown with a black center stripe. Somewhat rare.
Badger: White or cream with a black center stripe. Somewhat scarce in paler shades.
