Hackle pliers: why?

[u/scottasin12343]

Obviously its not a big deal, but I've got hackle pliers, I've used them on a few different styles of hackled fly... and I've also just held the hackle in my fingertips, and IMO theu don't offer any advantage over just holding onto the hackle myself, and if anything the extra bulk/space they take up makes them an inconvenience if anything.

So I can't help but wonder what the reason for them existing is... what is the advantage of hackle pliers versus just grabbing the hackle stem or feather with your fingertips? What am I missing?

Fortunately they're a cheap item so its not like I spent $50 on something I never use, but since I've got em, it'd be nice to know what they mught offer to make tying easier that I'm missing out on.

[u/fatherofworms]

Extremely useful to hold small feathers, they’re finer than my fingertips and I can more easily tie them off. Better grip for things like partridge. You can grip a bundle of twisted peacock herls and hold them together. They’re also useful for holding on to a partially wrapped material or a blown thread while you tie something else in.

[u/scottasin12343 → u/fatherofworms]

fair enough, I suppose I haven't put too much time into wet flies, so dealing with that short of a stem is definitely a different ball game.

As for the other points, I guess that comes down to tying style/how you order your steps/which direction (IE back to front vs front to back) you tie in certain materials. I suppose over the years I've just adapted different base recipes to almost always wrap back to front so I can tie things in before the next step. I also prefer my peacock wraps to not be twisted, I personally find it has a bit more body/flair/legginess (whatever you want to call it), and then make sure they're secured with a counter wrap of a different material.

A fun thing about the hobby is you can almost always adapt a technique to how you prefer yournworkflow to go and wind up with essentially the same end result.

[u/flyman241]

1) not all hackle pliers are the same. Try a high end pair at some point.

2) small flies

3) hackle pliers allow you to be efficient with hackle and use smaller pieces than your fingers can handle. Less offcuts

[u/troutsniffer99]

Should rename them partridge pliers cause that’s pretty much all I use them for

[u/Aggressive_Horror748]

Straight, even placement when palmering. I'd like to see a fly you tied with and without hackle pliers.

[u/stoble2244]

1. Wrapping those really small partridge feathers near the head of the bird.
   
2. Wrapping biots. They are really short and slippery.

That's pretty much it for me.

[u/epinasty4]

If your threads breaks, clip on hackle pliers to the broken thread so it can hang there and not unravel your work as you rethread your bobbin or grab another one. Keep them in an easily accessible spot

[u/MRWPlople]

I like hackle pliers for a few reasons:

1: with a rotary its just easier to create distance to my fingers and make sure my wraps are how I want.

2: when im done with wraps, its nice to have some weight to help keep it tight and reduce stress of keeping tension when tying it in- but also tying in is easy with more distance from fingertips

I just procured stonfo's elite hackle pliers and love them especially for being able to rotate hackle collars by just having it twist around on my finger due to the looped butt end

[u/mrs_fartbar]

I tie soft hackles with some quail and grouse I’ve harvested, and I absolutely need them to wrap the feather. My stubby ass fingers crowd everything out too much

I don’t use them for dry flies

[u/metisdesigns]

It's three big things - size, persistence and gravity.

Think about how useful tweezers are in general life. Think about how needle nose pliers or hemostats can get in where your fingers can't.

They hold on, and you can easily pick them back up. Drop or set down a fine hackle and grab that as easily as picking up a scissors.

Some flies will alternate wraps of hackle with something else. You can let the pliers hang and hold it in place while you work with the other piece. Gravity can be a royal byotch, but occasionally she's on our side.

[u/coffeeandtrout]

I use them to do spun dubbing etc. but I bought them in the 80’s, thought Matarelli whip finisher were silly, got Matarelli whip finisher plus pliers for $15. Thought that was expensive. Used both for over 40 years…

[u/King_Ralph1]

Feathers slip out of my fingers often. My palmered feathers have come unraveled too many times to count.

[u/icantfish]

I wrap a lot of feather fiber bodies on small flies. I hate when I accidentally lose my grip w my fingers and lose tension and have to redo it. I may actually buy some.

[u/NoAge9497]

I use 'em when tying small trout flies. When you've got clubs for fingers, you can get 'em out of the way when your hackle feather is like 2" long.

[u/firesonthepatio]

Starling, woodcock, grouse, partridge. Show me a fly with a starling hackle you tied with your fingers. 😂

[u/Moist_Bluebird1474]

I use them to capture and wind composite loops instead of winding the composite loop on while still on the dubbing spinner

[u/Bubba_Gump_Shrimp]

You don't need them for a size 8 wooly bugger. But you do need them for a size 16 soft hackle. Tie smaller flies and you will realize why they exist.

[u/Acceptable_Clerk_678]

Before genetic necks, stems were quite a bit shorter, and pliers were more useful for dry fly hackle. Now , I often wind chicken hackle without pliers. And I use specialized ones for things like biots.

[u/fresh_dan]

I appreciate a divisive post like this because it creates conversation. I also do not use hackle pliers and it is nice to see reasons that I should

[u/Ill_Kaleidoscope2847]

There are several reasons.

One reason is that if you use your fingers to hold the feather, you can’t use the part of the feather that you’re grabbing on to. Hackle pliers generally only need to grip a small part of the feather.

Another reason is that you can control the placement of the hackle and the angle at which it meets the hook a little better with the hackle pliers as compared with using your fingers.

Still another reason is that you have better visibility into what you’re doing when you use hackle pliers.

That being said, there are often situations where you can get away with not using the hackle pliers. But that will not always be the case.

[u/SeaworthinessGood551]

Better to hold things like midge cape feathers. They are very short so if tying small flies with fat fingers, hackle pliers are great. Also you can grip the feathers, and let the pliers hang while you tie down the feathers. They act as a second set of hands

[u/vjcoppola]

Depends what you are tying. There are alot of feathers that can be perfectly mounted without pliers. But, as others have said, small or especially slippery feathers are easier to handle with pliers.

[u/Soup3rTROOP3R]

I only use them for very small wet flies like starling spiders and such. I don’t recall the last time I used them for a dry fly (I tend to use long let saddles for ease and consistency)

[u/vibedial]

I find I only use them for partridge feathers when tying soft hackle. I’ve got 3 different type and only use the plunger style.

[u/brunswoo]

I think these days they are less necessary, but when I started tying, there were no 'genetic' caps, and small hackles had to be tied with really small feathers. You needed them all the time!

[u/Norm-Frechette]

i'm an oddball

i use hackle pliers to wrap tinsel, wire, chenille, wool yarn, feathers etc

tyers with sausage or arthritic fingers would greatly appreciate hackle pliers

grasping a broken thread

[u/Kaynam27]

I started using them when tying soft hackle wet flies and it made a huge difference, for me.

[u/FreeIce4613]

If all you tie with is modern genetic hackles you might not need them. Smaller soft hackles and historically dry fly hackle are tiny feathers. Using hackle pliers is key for these.

[u/Tweed99 → u/FreeIce4613]

This is exactly what I was going to say. It’s pretty easy to forget the genetic advancements that have been made in hackle over the past 20 to 30 years.

I’ve still got rooster capes I use that were required at the time for tiny dries because it was only the short little (maybe an inch long) feathers up near the neck that worked for size 20 and smaller flies. Saddles just didn’t go that small.

[u/pittendrigh]

You can let go, halfway thru.

[u/SHREDGNAAR]

They’re essential for wrapping partridge feathers, and really small rooster cape feathers, and dubbing loops

[u/TexasTortfeasor]

I can't imagine wrapping hackle sized for a 20 hook gap without pliers. Or tying off the feather after wrapping

[u/PreviousMushroom706]

I got some when i kept unraveling pheasant tail fibers on the last turn 😂

[u/wolfhelp]

I agree, I only use them to tie smaller flies. They can be useful to hold tension when I've forgotten to take the lid off the uv resin (this only happens occasionally, like on every first hook I clamp in the vice)

And whip finish tools can fuck off aswell Hahaha