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3. Hebert Miner hackle?

Does anybody out there have experience or tie with Hebert Miner Pro Grade hackle, a Whiting product? I ran across a shop selling these capes for $ 35.00 and while I know not to buy sight-unseen this may be too good to pass up.

Roguerat

'Ignorance speaks for itself, often and loudly...'

JCN

Hebert Miner...good stuff man. For that price get e'm...that's cheap. CJ

I second that emotion

I'd still take a good look at it. How old is it...Is Hebert still Hebert or where they absorbed by someone? I can't remember...

I'm going to look them up.

Spence

http://featheremporium.com/Fly-Tying-Feathers/whiting-dry-fly-capes.html

Hebert Miner is top notch. Whiting owns it now. Its probably one of the one or two best products available for the price asked.If you are tying Michigan flies (we have at least six big drakes here ranging from #10 to #6 3xl) Collins hackle capes will allow you to tie parachutes from #20 all the way through #6 3xl.

Whiting owns the line. It's good stuff!

*EDIT*
Sorry I didn't see Tim's post.

Thanks for the informed opinions, I don't have the history that you guys have!

So far I've seen the aforementioned necks on 2 fly shop sites, $ 35.00 and
$ 40.00 respectively.

Looks like they're a bargain even with shipping added.

Roguerat

If you are looking for Whiting capes and saddles and want to see the actual cape or saddle you want to buy check this out...

http://www.campfirelodgewestyellowstone.com/Cart-Brands.aspx?d=1&b=1

Over 1200 hackle capes and saddles in stock and each one has it's own photos. You actually see what you get.

John-

That's one (of two) of the sites with the low pricing...I've checked this shop via link when I'm looking over YOUR website. Wisconsin is darn close to MI for climate and hatches, and I really appreciate the class your site has- Kudos!

The number of the neck or saddle corresponds to what one is buying, and a picture of the actual product- in this day of commercialism and buyer-beware that's a real cut above the norm.

Question- I'm not familiar with the Whiting High & Dry line, how does this compare to their Pro-grade line?

Mark N aka Roguerat

'Less is more'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

Roguerat, you mean you are over the big lake with Spence? :-)

Our snow is gone how about on your side?

Here are some real Whiting rooster cape examples from my Whiting "dry fly" rooster hackle drawer. :-)



Look at the Whiting Farms Silver Grade capes versus Whiting High & Dry rooster capes, not much difference!!






If I can get what I want in High & Dry I would take it. High & Dry capes to me are darn close the Whiting Farms Red label which was the old Hoffman line. I actually think Whiting kind of confused everyone when they came out with the High & Dry series.

Full disclosure: I do Jim Slattery's Campfire Lodge website work as time permits. So I am biased about his website, but he is the only one taking the time to take photos of each and every cape and saddle he has in stock and give you a brief description along with the hackle sizes.. It is as close as you are going to get on the Internet to touching them.

Yes John, the poor old soul is stuck in the same state as me. :)

What nice pics...As you know I stayed at the Campfire Lodge a couple years back and Jim also makes some of the best and largest breakfasts in Montana.

The "Wall of Hackle" is kinda hard to take. I've had to have folks drag me out of there a couple times. Jim was a buddy of our good friend here, the late Mark Libertone. They both shared a "soft" spot for softhackles.

Speaking of snow melt...We still have a little to go, but this weekend is the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo, and we use that as the harbinger of spring. I get to host Rick Hafele this year and I'm really looking forward to it. I relied heavily on his, "Western Hatches" for my trip to the Madison in 1995.

Charlie Craven will be tying there as well.

The weekend after the show I'm having a tying deal here again in the basement. We had 10 guys last year and we invite Dennis Potter, a Michigan tier, to instruct us for the day. He's a great tier and works us hard on proportions and durability...It's a productive day.

We finally have had a few really nice days here after two whole months of artic like weather. Spring is hinting of a return...Better get tying, Boys!

Spence

Yeah, we're both Michiganders AND of Dutch descent, although I'm on the West Coast...lots of snow yet, we've got 12-14" on the ground but fading this week- temps will be in the high 40's.

We walked the ice on the Big Lake yesterday, Grand Haven has some really lunar scenery.

I'm tying (should have been doing this more over the winter, do'h) and also going over my Delorme's, MDNR, and USFS maps for stream access points...gonna' be trout-driving soon and then comes the REAL thing!

Roguerat

'Less is more'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

I got carried away with this state-I-live-in thing...we were discussing HACKLE.

The local Gander Mt store went all-guns a couple years back and had a clearance on everything else. I cleaned up on a bunch of Whiting Red label capes, an even half-dozen for $ 29.00 each. Never happen again...really, really nice hackle.

Montana stuff-

The shipping fee from Campfire Lodge is more than reasonable, as well.

Just so you fellas know Spring is here... I was outside tonight in my tennis shoes and sweatshirt grilling hamburgers! That gets me really pumped to get geared up for a new fly fishing season.

Spence, Jim changed his fly shop all around since you were there. See his new fly shop...http://www.campfirelodgewestyellowstone.com/Madison-River-fly-shop.asp.

I was at Campfire Lodge last September during some warmer weather days. We had Baetis and White Millers on the YNP rivers. I caught some beautiful rainbows and browns on small dries.

I developed a new general dry fly pattern over the Winter I call it the "Bumpkin". It's a misfit, not a hatch matcher. I am anxious to beta test it and see how it performs on Upper Midwest freestone trout streams during the summer. I think it will do well, it is all about the shape and silhouette.

Is the Bumpkin top-secret, or just until it's passed R & D?

No it's not secret, just needs to be trout approved, which I hope it will.

It's really a pretty simple fly with several different materials, including UV2 peacock herl body, holo tinsel tag, chartreuse wire ribbing and a double elk hair wing combined with CDC fibers underneath. The wing is oversized on purpose.



The peacock herl body is supposed to ride in the film and the wing is made oversized to be the first thing entering the trout's window of vision.

WiFlyFisher,Bumpkin,crazy name but I like it. I could see a fat trout sucking that fly.Peacock herl body & the big wing, but it looks like it all just fit.
I'll wait to hear the test report!!!
Good luck with it in testing & have fun with it as,well....

John,

I was out there this last summer. I think after the change. It looks like I saw it last. He moved the hackle to the other side of the the front from where it was the first time I saw it.

I'm skipping Montana this year and thinking about trying a different time of the year and a different area next time out.

Spence

MiltRPowell, ya it is a crazy name, for a misfit fly by a bumpkin fly fishing for trout nut.

Spence, we had Craig Mathews about a month ago speaking at a small, Madison WI FF show. He showed slides of all the off the beat places to trout fish in YNP. They are also in his book on FF'ing in YNP. It was a good reminder to me to try some of those streams which few people make the effort to walk in and fish. Hopefully, I will do that this summer. Plus, I want to get down to one of my favorite rivers again, the Henry's Fork.

I've been using HM capes in tiers and bronze grade for quite a while.
They are well worth their price. The only negative comment I would personally make that is justified by the lower cost is that the barb count is a little low on some capes. Overall, they are a great buy.