Feather-tip Wings
TED LEESON AND JIM SCHOLLMEYER

Single Post | Divided Fiber | Feather Tip | Arc | Reverse Half-Hackle | Reverse Hackle

A pair of properly set feather-tip wings surely makes one of the most elegant upright wings in all of tying. The Adams is probably the best-known example, but a wide variety of patterns can be winged in this style. Many tiers now substitute feather tips on flies that traditionally called for the more fragile quill wings. The chief virtues of the style are a clean, precise profile, a natural-looking translucency, and great versatility. They can be used with a standard collar, a parachute, or a thorax hackle, or when tied carefully, used to dress no-hackle patterns. They are moderately easy to dress and are durable, despite their delicate appearance.

Their greatest limitation is the range of colors, since tiers are restricted primarily to natural and dyed hackle. Fortunately, shades of dun, the predominant color in mayfly wings, are readily available, and grizzly or variant feathers credibly imitate mottled wings.

We prefer very webby hen hackles for their greater breadth and translucency and better proportions; other tiers favor rooster hackle tips, and these make fine wings as well. Duck shoulder feathers can make excellent feather-tip wings, though these are not as readily available.

Occasionally, well-shaped and sufficiently symmetrical waterfowl, chicken, and gamebirds body feathers can make attractively marked feather-tip wings, though they must usually be cut or burned to shape first. In fact, hackle tips, though most often used without prior shaping, can also be cut or burned, which makes more of a cape or saddle useable, since oversize feathers can be used for winging.

The chief consideration in any feather is the stem thickness. Overly thick stems, while easier to tie, produce enough wind resistance to twist a tippet unmercifully during casting. Our ideal feather is a relatively broad, quite webby, thin-stemmed feather, and luckily these are in abundant supply on hen capes and saddles. When cutting or burning a feather, form the wing from the very tip to ensure the thinnest possible stem.


PHOTO #16: Feather-tip wings can be prepared in a variety of ways. Shown here from left to right are natural hen hackle-tip wings (the barbs below the wing-mounting point are preened downward); a wing hand-cut from a hen hackle; a hen hackle clamped in a Renzetti wing burner; and the finished burned wing. Regardless of how the feather is prepared, the wings are tied in the same way. Dressing a feather tip wing is really not much different than tying an upright post.

PHOTO #17: To tie a feather-tip wing, stack the feathers front-to-front so that they flare away from one another. Don't strip off the excess barbs below the wing-mounting point; rather, just preen them toward the butt of the feather, as shown here. The bare feather stems produced by stripping tend to roll around the shank, making it difficult to position the wings properly. Mounting over the preened-back barbs gives some bulk beneath the thread wraps and prevents the feather stems from twisting. Some tiers cut the fibers below the wing-mounting point, leaving stubs that the thread can grasp.


PHOTO #18: To raise the wings to vertical, simply build a small thread bump ahead of them, as shown on the natural-tip wings at the left. If a greater angle between the wings is desired, make a crisscross wrap between the feathers to force them outward. On the right is a pair of wings fashioned from burned feathers.


PHOTO #19: One of our favorite fly styles uses burned wings and a parachute hackle, but many tiers have difficulty dressing this combination. Wrapping a thread foundation around the base of the wings for hackling often twists the fine feather stems and distorts the wing. You can remedy this problem by using the twisting to your advantage.

Wrap a thread foundation up the base of the wings, and then back down. The wings will be pulled off-center; in this top view, the wings have been cocked slightly clockwise from the thread pressure.

Mount the parachute hackle in such a way that you wrap in a direction opposite to that in which the thread base was formed. Here, the hackle will be wrapped counterclockwise. Wrapping pressure from winding the hackle will be used to straighten the wing. Don't try to align the wings with one turn of hackle; rather, twist them back into proper position over the course of several wraps.


PHOTO #20: Feather tips can make beautiful and effective no-hackle patterns for flat-water use; these can, however, be a little tricky to tie. Because of their symmetry and broad silhouette, burned or cut wings tend to work best.

Dress the tail first, then the body. When dubbing the abdomen, build a distinct "shoulder" at the front end; it will help position the wings properly. In this style, the barbs below the wing-mounting point must be stripped away. Lay a thread foundation ahead of the body, and mount the wings individually, using only one or two moderately tight thread wraps per feather.

When the wings are mounted, use your fingers to adjust their position. As shown at the left, the lower edge of the wing should be level with, or slightly below, the underside of the body. As shown at the right, the wings should flare outward, like pontoons, to support the fly. Once the wings are properly positioned, apply a tiny drop of gel-type super glue to the thread wraps on the stems. Wait a moment for the glue to dry, and then secure the feather stem, using additional wraps, without fear of disturbing the wing position.


PHOTO #21: Clip the excess feather stems, dub a thorax and head, and the fly is complete, as shown on the left. It is quite comparable in silhouette to the standard No-hackle Dun shown on the right, but considerably more durable and easier to tie.

Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer are authors of The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference to Techniques and Dressing Styles (Frank Amato Publications). Leeson lives in Corvallis, Oregon; Schollmeyer lives in Salem, Oregon.

Previous Next

On-Line Catalogs
A.A. Outfitters Full service, fully stocked flyshop located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Allen Brothers Quality Fishing Flies Quality is more than just a word. We use Daichii hooks and all our beadheads are tied with tungsten. Check out unique variations on a lot of the classics, plus our original patterns! Angler's Pro Shop The finest products the fly fishing industry has to offer. Bighorn Fly and Tackle Shop Montana's premium fly shops, lodging and guide service. We're dedicated to helping you experience the best Montana has to offer. Bob Henley's TIE-A-FLY 19 traditional patterns. TIE-A-FLY kits have all materials needed to tie them, instructions/illustrations, a pre-tied fly to use as a model. Gary LaFontaine's "The Book Mailer" Every angling book & media in print—10% off 3 or more. LaFontaine fly patterns & materials. FREE anti-catalog. Crystal Fly Shop Online Store Quality products at reasonable prices from Winston, Elkhorn, St. Croix, Galvan, Solitude, Idylwilde, Chota, etc. Many items 15-35% off. Custom Fly Rod Crafters Fly rod building components, tools & supplies. Dan Bailey's Online Fly Shop Outfitting fly fishermen since 1938. Equipment & information to make your next fly fishing trip be a memorable one.		Fly Fishing Flies & Gear Shop RiverBum.com for premium FLIES and GEAR from Simms, Sage, Fishpond & more ... Free Shipping on orders over $25! FlyShack.com High quality, hand-tied flies. Assortments from $.60/fly. Great selection and excellent service. Free Shipping. FlyShopCloseouts.com Now—new and expanded—with much more brand name fly fishing tackle and gear at huge savings. Save 30-50% on quality brands you will recognize in an instant. Galloup's Slide Inn Online Fly Shop Full online store offering cutting-edge flies, equipment, and the best streamer selection found anywhere in the U.S. Hills Discount Flies Fly shop quality flies at wholesale prices. Over 1,000 patterns. Check out bargains in "Hot Deals" section. Hooked On Flies 65¢-69¢ a fly. That's 3 flies for less than the retail price of one fly. 450+ Trout Fly Patterns! Madison River Fishing Co. Spring is coming! We have TONS of new gear this year. Cloudveil, Simms, Sage, Under Armour, Vosseler Reels and lots more. Click or call 800-227-7127 for catalog. www.ShopUltimateAngler.com Your steelhead and smallmouth specialists featuring Simms, Sage, Patagonia, Orvis, guide services, local fishing reports and more!