Obtaining your hands upon a whiting tailing pack is honestly among those "lightbulb moments" for anybody who spends too much time behind the fly-tying vise. When you've ever fought with dry flies that look excellent in the hand of your hand but sink like a stone the particular second they strike a ripple, you know exactly what I'm speaking about. It's frustrating. You may spend ten moments meticulously wrapping hackle, only for the end to collapse due to the fact the fibers were too soft. That's usually where these packs come in to save the day time.
For a long time, I just used the leftover barbs from the bottom part of my hackle capes for tailing. It appeared like the logical, thrifty point to do. Yet those feathers are usually usually a little bit too webby plus soft. They soak up water, they reduce their shape, and they also just don't have the backbone needed in order to prop up a fishing hook. Once i finally changed over to a dedicated tailing pack, the difference in how my flies rode on the water was night plus day.
What Makes These Feathers Different?
If you aren't familiar with the backstory, Whiting Farms basically revolutionized the way in which we think about feathers. They took the particular legendary Coq sobre Leon (CdL) genetics—which were famous vacation for centuries—and identified how to grow them on the scale that truly makes sense for the particular average tyer. A whiting tailing pack is essentially the lotion of the harvest with regards to tailing material.
The particular fibers are extremely stiff. That's the most important part. When you draw a couple of fibers off the quill, these people feel almost like fine wire. They have this particular amazing resilience. Mainly because they're so rigid, they don't simply sit there; they will actually provide structural support. If you're tying a Parachute Adams or a classic Catskill-style dry fly, you require those tailing materials to act like outriggers on the boat. They distribute the weight of the hook over the surface tension of the water. If the tail is soft, the back of the fly dips, the catch penetrates the movie, and suddenly you're fishing a wet fly you didn't ask for.
The Value Factor
One thing I seriously appreciate about the whiting tailing pack is the fact that it's really a good deal, even if the upfront cost seems higher than a random bag of loose down. When you buy the pack, you're obtaining a handful associated with feathers that are specifically selected for tailing. There's nearly zero waste.
Unlike a full cape exactly where you're paying for a huge range of sizes, these packs focus on one thing: providing long, directly, stiff barbs. You can tie hundreds, otherwise thousands, of lures from a single pack. I've acquired some of mine with regard to years, and am tie a lot. Because you only need probably 4 to 6 fibers per fly, an one feather goes the long way. It's among those rare situations in fly angling in which the "premium" choice actually ends up being more economical within the long work because the high quality is so constant.
Choosing the Right Colors
Picking a colour could be a bit mind-boggling because Whiting provides several. Most individuals start with something versatile. If I needed to pick just one, it's tough to beat the particular Mottled Medium Pardo. It has this beautiful, speckled appearance that mimics the natural variegation a person see in real insects. It looks "buggy, " which is a word we tyers love to throw around.
If you do a lot of light-colored Mayfly imitations, a light ginger or a lotion pack is excellent. But for the generalist, those mottled Pardo colors would be the gold standard. They have a certain translucency and shine that will really catches the light without searching fake. Plus, the particular speckling helps split up the silhouette from the fly on the water, which can be a big deal when you're dealing with spooky trout in obvious water.
Tricks for Tying with Tailing Packs
Using a whiting tailing pack isn't rocket science, but there are usually a few tricks to make your life easier. First, when you're tugging fibers from the come, try to keep your tips aligned. A person don't want in order to have to trim the ends due to the fact the natural taper of the dietary fiber is the reason why the travel look elegant.
I usually "measure" the tail length contrary to the catch shank—typically one shank length may be the guideline of thumb—and after that I use the pinch wrap in order to secure them right on top associated with the hook. Mainly because these fibers are extremely stiff, they can sometimes want in order to roll throughout the shank if you utilize too much twine pressure too rapidly. A light contact at first, followed by a couple of solid wraps, usually will the trick.
Another thing I've noticed is that you don't need a massive clump of fibers. Because the whiting tailing pack fibers are therefore strong, five or even six barbs are often plenty to aid a size 14 or 16 fishing hook. If you go too heavy, the travel can start to appear a bit clunky. Less is usually more here.
Beyond Just Dry Fly Tails
While they're promoted for dry take flight tails, I've found myself reaching with regard to my tailing packages for other things too. Earning fantastic legs for small nymphs or even feelers on shrimp designs for light deep sea or carp lures. The stiffness that makes them great for dry flies furthermore makes them very durable. They don't get chewed up as easily by toothy fish since softer materials do.
I've also used the individual fibers to rib small midge patterns. If you cover a single stiff dietary fiber around a thread body, it adds the really cool, segmented look plus a bit of extra strength. It's fun to experiment with, especially since a person have so much material to work alongside within one pack.
Why Quality Actually Matters
I am aware some guys who else swear by artificial tailing materials such as Microppets or different fibers. And hey there, those work great. They're consistent and easy to utilize. Yet there's just some thing about the organic sheen of the whiting tailing pack that synthetics can't quite match. There's a "life" in order to natural feathers. The particular way they connect to light and water just feels even more authentic.
Also, let's end up being honest: half the fun of fly tying will be working with stunning materials. There's a tactile satisfaction within pulling an ideal bunch of Coq de Leon materials and seeing them sit perfectly directly on the catch. Much more the entire process more enjoyable. When you trust your materials, you link with more confidence, and I'm the firm believer that will a well-tied travel actually fishes better—maybe because it floats better, or maybe just because you think in it even more.
Final Thoughts on the Tailing Pack
In the event that you're looking in order to gain levels your dried out fly game, the whiting tailing pack is a solid expense. It solves a single of the nearly all common problems within fly tying—sagging tails—and it can it along with a natural materials that looks incredible. You don't require to go out and purchase every color at the same time. Grab the mottled Pardo or a neutral gloomy, and just see how it changes your own flies.
You'll probably find, like I do, which you stop searching at your aged hackle scraps with regard to tailing material fairly quickly. As soon as you get used to the particular stiffness and the particular ease of use that these packs offer, it's hard to go back in order to whatever else. It's just one of those pieces of equipment that does exactly what it's supposed to do, every single time a person sit down at the vise. Joyful tying!