whitefeather
04-08-2011, 01:16 PM
One of the problems I have run into while tying hackle onto a fly is keeping the hackle out of the way so that it doesn't get tied into the whip finish and have to be trimmed off later. So I came up with this little gadget.
It can be made from any small diameter size piece of soft or rigid tubing. I made my smallest one from a very old section of laboratory pipette tube, which I had saved thousands of many years ago to repair the bottoms of snow skis. Same material as a snow ski bottom. Poly something or other.
The split in the tube facilitates insertion of the tube past the thread that is already in place behind the hook eye at the start position of the whip finish.
Be careful when applying glue as it will tend to be drawn up into the tube causing unwanted wetting of the hackle. Tube may be pushed back a little farther but don't exceed the length of the hackle. Several different lengths of tube for different hackle lengths are quick and easy to make.
Hope these drawings aren't too small or light for you.
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=90&pictureid=597
It can be made from any small diameter size piece of soft or rigid tubing. I made my smallest one from a very old section of laboratory pipette tube, which I had saved thousands of many years ago to repair the bottoms of snow skis. Same material as a snow ski bottom. Poly something or other.
The split in the tube facilitates insertion of the tube past the thread that is already in place behind the hook eye at the start position of the whip finish.
Be careful when applying glue as it will tend to be drawn up into the tube causing unwanted wetting of the hackle. Tube may be pushed back a little farther but don't exceed the length of the hackle. Several different lengths of tube for different hackle lengths are quick and easy to make.
Hope these drawings aren't too small or light for you.
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=90&pictureid=597