A question I get a lot is “What is the difference between Whiting Pro Grade and Bronze Grade hackle? Well, the simple answer is to say Bronze Grade will tie more flies than Pro Grade hackle cape, which is absolutely true.  If we dig a little deeper though we can explore the different variables that factor into evaluating these two grades.  Within these two grades we have saddle and cape hackle. Cape hackle is found on the head and neck of a chicken, in the case of dry fly hackle, the neck of a rooster.  Saddle hackle is found at the rump of the hen or rooster, again in the case of dry fly hackle, the rump of a rooster. Let’s explore the different dynamics between the two and how each are graded.

Pro Grade rooster dry fly cape hackle typically has a wider range of fly sizes it can tie than saddle hackle, and typically has shorter feathers as well. Pro grade capes will typically tie sizes 10 to 18 or 12 to 20 which will tie the most commonly used flies.  The feathers usually tie 1 to maybe 3 flies as well. However not all Pro Grade capes are typical. Sometimes a Pro Grade cape will tie sizes 8 to 24, 6 to 16 or 16 to 28 and anything in between. Sometimes they will have some feathers that will tie 3 to 6 flies or more per feather, but the cape will have overall less feathers. The quality of the feathers found on Pro Grade capes are outstanding  but there may be some will have slight flaws , such as broken tips , ( tips are not usually used any way on dry fly hackle) , the base of the feather  is too webby but most of the feather is web free ( web in the feather absorbs water, not good for a dry fly) and other minor imperfections that do not hinder the quality of the usable dry fly hackle and will tie as good a fly as a bronze grade or even a higher grade.

Pro Grade dry fly saddle hackle will usually tie 2 to maybe 3 sizes. The common size ranges are: sizes 14 to 16, 16 to 18 with some larger or smaller sizes on the fringe, but not always. Sizes 12 to 14, 12 to 16 or less commonly 10 to 12 are also found in Pro Grade saddles. Midge saddles will tie in the size16 to 26 range with sizes 16 to 18, 18 to 20 or 16 to 20 the most common size ranges. The feather quality is outstanding with typically little to no web found on the feathers. The length of these feathers can be 7 to 14 inches long with 7 to 10 inches most common. Each feather will tie 3 to 5 flies. The minor imperfections found on Pro Grade capes can be found on saddles as well.

Bronze Grade dry fly capes tend to have a size range of 10 to 20 or 12 to 22. The quality of the hackle is outstanding with less of the same flaws as found in Pro Grade.  The feathers will tie 2 to 5 flies. It is not unusual to find some feathers that are seven inches long and perhaps longer on a few capes. Bronze Grade capes have more feather density than Pro Grade capes and will many more flies. The price per fly goes down as the grade goes up but at a higher overall cost.

Bronze Grade dry fly saddle hackle will have a size range of 2 to 3 sizes. They will have longer feathers and more feather density on the saddle pelt. The feather quality is consistently excellent. There will be less minor cosmetic imperfections than the Pro Grade saddle. Size ranges are the same as the Pro Grade but will tie more flies and overall price per fly with a Bronze Grade saddle will be less than a Pro Grade.

One last note on Whiting Hackle feather quality. There really is not any difference of feather quality across all the grades of Whiting Hackle. From Pro Grade to Platinum Grade. There is a difference of cost per fly. The higher the grade the lower your cost of fly but at a higher price per cape or saddle. Hupe this answers the question of the differences between Whiting Farms Pro Grade and Bronze Grade cape and saddle hackle.

Feel free to contact Jimsfly@aol.com or HouseofHackle@gmail.com for all your questions about hackle.