Whiting Dry Fly Hackle Full Saddle

If you’re a dry fly enthusiast, Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Full Saddle has everything that you need to tie the perfect dry fly for years. Tying solid dry flies starts with using quality hackle, and what you find in Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Saddle is some of the best on the market. The feathers on these saddles are long with great barb density and have stems that are supple and super easy to wrap. Whiting breeds these roosters in a range of different colors and produces them in a few different quality grades, allowing you to dial in your flies exactly how you like. Maintaining the quality that Whiting is known for, these saddles are some of the best on the market and you can count on them to tie all of your dry fly needs for years to come. 

Uses

First and foremost, Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Saddle is an excellent choice for the tier looking to whip up some dry flies. These feathers are nice and long with great barb density, allowing you to tie anything from parachutes and classic Catskill patterns to flies like the Stimulator and Elk Hair Caddis. And although these feathers are bred with the dry fly angler in mind,  you’ll also find plenty of great feathers to use on fresh and saltwater streamers–whether you’re looking for long hackles to add to a Hollow Fleye or something nice and webby to palmer a Wooly Bugger, you’ll find something to use on the Dry Fly Hackle Full Saddle. 

Comparisons

When it comes to an alternative to Whiting’s Full Dry Fly Saddle, there isn’t really anything out there that offers exactly the same quality. Sure, Keough’s Full Grizzly Saddle will work fine if you’re exclusively looking to use the color grizzly, but you won’t get the quality and consistency found from Whiting. Another option would be Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Half Saddle. These half saddles are exactly the same as Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Full Saddle but come packaged as a half saddle–this makes them a good choice for anyone who doesn’t want to invest in a full saddle, but the serious dry fly angler, it’s probably best to go with Whiting’s Dry Fly Hackle Full Saddle

Whiting dry fly saddles are graded based on the approximate number of flies each pelt will tie. The grade does not, as is sometimes thought, denote hook sizes of the hackle. The following steps are carried out to determine the number of flies each pelt will provide. 

1. The approximate number of usable dry fly tying feathers is counted for both sides of the pelt. (Example: a 95 count on the left side and a 100 count on the right side total 195 usable tying feathers). 
2. The average hackle length is then measured. (Example: a pelt has an average hackle length of 8 inches). 
3. The tying sizes of the feathers are determined. Most saddles have two predominant sizes, with some hackle on either side of the predominant sizes. 
4. The total number of flies per pelt is calculated. (An 8-inch feather that is size 14” will hackle four flies; 195 feathers multiplied by four flies equals a minimum of 780 flies.)
5. The saddle pelts are then placed in their appropriate grade based on the minimum number of flies each pelt will tie. 

Bronze - will tie a minimum of 500 flies

Silver - will tie a minimum of 800 flies

Gold - will tie a minimum of 1,100 flies

Platinum - will tie a minimum of 1,500 flies

Half Saddle Pelts will tie approximately ½ of these quantities

Quarter Saddle Pelts will tie approximately ¼ of these quantities