There
are several schools of thought regarding hackle trimming. Some fly
tiers say that a trimmed hackle will float higher than an untrimmed
one because the ends lie flat, don’t absorb water and will take
more abuse. By contrast, other tiers say that untrimmed hackles float
just as well, look more natural when floating and improve the success
of the fly.
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| Trimmed Hackle |
Since I have used these methods with equal success I believe that it doesn’t make any real difference. Try each of these methods for yourself and see if you notice any appreciable difference. However, if you decide to trim the hackles, use a larger than normal hackle and trim the ends so they are equal to the gap distance.
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| Untrimmed Hackle |
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| Reversed Hackle |
Another method that’s supposed to help the fly float better is to tie in the hackle butt so that the hackles are pointing forward. Test this method and compare it to the other two.
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