Advanced Fly Tying:
Woven Hackle Flies
By Al Campbell
If I had to pick the one person who had the biggest impact
on my style of tying, it would have to be Franz Pott. His
woven body flies were and are the basis of many of my
own patterns. The swept and/or hair hackle designs can be
seen in many of my personal creations like the SHWAPF
and EZ Nymph and many others.
In the late 1930's, a wig maker named Franz Pott patented a
method of weaving hair into a string of hair hackle.
Knowing that even with a patent his methods wouldn't be
totally safe, he was very secretive about his work. It didn't
take long before others were devising methods to weave
hair hackles, but none could exactly match the weave of the
master.
Another person who earned fame as a weaver of hair hackle
was George Grant. George was not a wig maker by trade,
but I'm guessing the techniques and tools of that trade were
part of the techniques he used weaving hair hackles. In fact,
I'll bet both Pott and Grant adapted some of the techniques
used in wig making into their personal methods of weaving
hackles, but obviously their methods and backgrounds were
different.
To add to the confusion in my brain, another gentleman
from my home state of Montana named Pete Sanchez
developed a style of knotting hair that produced a hackle
similar to those of Pott and Grant. His flies were sold all
over the state when I was young, and most people just
called them Potts Flies thinking they were the originals that
started the whole hair weaving craze.
As a youngster, I was privileged to watch an old man
weaving hair hackles for his business. At the time I was
told he was Franz Pott, but after thinking hard about it I
have a doubt or two about the validity of that claim. The
old man lived in Missoula, Montana and tied in an old
garage he had converted into a fly factory. After hearing
how secretive Franz was, I'm guessing I was fooled by
someone who thought it would be an easy way to make a
young kid happy. All I can tell you about the man is that he
was old, impatient and crabby; but he took the time to show
me the Pott's body-weave and two methods of weaving hair
hackle. One was a simple knotted hackle used by Sanchez
and the other was a woven creation that used a wig maker's
tool (hair hook) to weave hair between three strands of
thread.
Although I can't be certain I ever really met Franz Pott or
that the weave I refer to as the Pott's weave is really the
original weave, I'll refer to that weave here as the Pott's
weave as I have all my fly-tying life. Even if it isn't the
original method, it is effective and easier to perform than
the other two methods of weaving.
This is an especially long segment that will likely take
several reviews of each part before you feel confident you
have it right. If it helps, print the steps out for review at the
tying bench. I'll be showing you all three methods of
weaving hair hackles and two body weaves all in one
segment. You choose the styles of hair weaving you prefer,
but it's also a skill builder to learn all of the styles.
One last thing; to my good friend Dan Rupert (Ol' Rupe),
this bug's for you. Call it a reward for all that hard work
you have done trying to learn hair hackle weaves.
Sandy Mite
Sandy Mite (easy version to show you how to weave the body) -
List of materials:
" Hook: Dry fly, Mustad 94840; Tiemco 100; or equivalent.
" Thread: 6/0 or 3/0, black.
" Body: Woven strands of fox squirrel tail hair and orange
embroidery floss.
" Hackle: Fox squirrel tail hair; an extension of the body
hair.
Tying steps:
" 1.Start the thread on the hook. Select a small bunch of fox
squirrel tail hair from the tip of the tail (needs to be long
enough to weave).
" 2. Trim the ends of the hair even.
" 3. Tie in the hair by the trimmed tips, securing it all the
way to the bend of the hook.
" 4. Tie in two strands of orange embroidery floss to the far
side of the hook, securing it all the way to the bend.
" 5. Make a wrap of hair around the hook. As it comes
around the bottom of the hook, loop the floss around the
hair as shown.
" 6. Cinch the floss against the bottom of the hook; then
repeat step 5.
" 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have a complete, woven
body with the floss on the bottom.
" 8. Tie off the floss and hair. Trim the floss and secure the
hair to just behind the eye of the hook.
" 9. Flare the hair back with your thumb and index finger,
trying to keep it even on all sides.
" 10. Hold the hair in place while you build a head. Whip
finish and cement the head when you are finished.
" 11. Trim the hair a slightly past the bend of the hook.
" 12. Your finished fly should look like this when you are
done. (This is the way Dan Bailey's tiers tied this fly when I
lived in Livingston, MT.)
Woven scud patterns use this same body weave. The fly
pictured here uses strands from a mallard breast feather for
a tail, orange Larva Lace for the body and 3 strands of
ostrich herl woven in as legs. The weave is identical to that
of the mite flies; just the materials are changed.
Fizzle
Fizzle - (Just the body for now; the hackle will come later.)
List of materials:
" Hook: Dry fly, Mustad 94840; Tiemco 100; or
equivalent.
" Thread: 6/0 or 3/0, black.
" Body: Woven strands of pink fluorescent wool and
peacock herl.
" Hackle: We'll use a woven hackle later.
Tying steps:
" 1. Tie in a strand of pink fluorescent wool, securing it all
the way to the bend.
" 2. Tie in 2 or 3 strands of peacock herl to the top of the
hook; again, securing them all the way to the bend of the
hook.
" 3. Make one complete wrap around the hook with the
wool.
" 4. Make a wrap around the wool with the herl as shown.
Cinch the herl down toward the hook before you make
another wrap of wool. (This is the same weave as before,
but on top of the hook.)
" 5. Repeat steps 3 & 4.
" 6. Each time you make a herl wrap, cinch the herl close
to the hook before you make another wrap of wool.
" 7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have a complete, woven
body with the herl on the top of the body. Tie off the body
far enough back from the hook eye to leave room for the
hackle.
" 8. Trim the body materials. We'll leave the fly here and
work on hackles. After we have created a few hackles, we'll
return to the fly and finish it with a woven hair hackle.
Hackle Weaves
All weaves use the same materials.
List of materials:
" Hair - Original patterns called for ox ear hair, European
badger, exotic monkey and other types of hair that are
virtually impossible to obtain today. Dyed badger hair
(American) and hair from the mane of miniature horses is a
good substitute that is readily available. Make sure the hair
is at least 2 inches long so it can be handled easily.
Cementing the bottoms of the hair together will make each
bunch of hair easier to handle.
" Thread - At least 3/0, black or color similar to the hair
color. (I'm using bright thread so it will be visible in the
photographs.)
" Looms - You will need two boards (2X4 or 2X6 works
well) about 10 inches long. On one pound two 16-penny
nails about an inch apart in each end. The other will require
three nails the same size about an inch apart on each end. If
you want to make only one loom, make the six-nail loom
and only use four of the nails for the Grant and Sanchez
weaves.
Sanchez style:
Weaving steps:
" 1. Set up a two-thread loom with 4 or 5 half hitches around both
strings to cinch them together on one end of the loom. Take a
small bunch of hairs (5 to 8 works best) and make a simple
overhand knot in the hair around one of the threads on the loom.
" 2. Cinch the hair knot tight against the half hitches you put
around the loom threads. Don't pull too tight or the hair will break
off.
" 3. Pull the loose tag of thread over the hair knot and make a
half-hitch around both threads of the loom.
" 4. Cinch the half-hitch tight against the hair knot.
" 5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until you have as much hackle as you
want. Add several extra half-hitches at the end of every hackle
bundle to keep it secure on the loom thread.
Grant style:
Weaving steps:
" 1. Set up a two-thread loom like you did last time. Take a small
bunch of hairs (5 to 10 works best) and slip the tips of the hair
between the threads of the loom so that the hair is behind the top
(right) thread and in font of the bottom (left) thread. Adjust the
length of the hair extending past the top thread to the length of the
hackle you wish to create, then pinch the hair to the thread with your
finger.
" 2. Fold the hair over the top thread and down in front of both
threads. Then fold the hair over and behind the bottom thread and
bring it up between the threads.
" 3. Next, fold the hair over the bottom thread again (so it makes a
loop completely around the bottom thread), then behind both
threads, over the top thread and down in front through the hair as it
passed over the bottom thread (forming a half-hitch). Did I lose you
there? Me too. The picture shows it completely, so study it hard.
" 4. Pull (gently so the hair doesn't break) on both ends of the hair to
tighten your weave, then cinch it against the knot in the thread loom.
" 5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until you have as much hackle as you
want. Each time you cinch the knot of hair against the previous
bunch, tighten the hair knot by hand so it will be secure.
" 6. Use your thumbnail to compress the hair knots on the loom so
your hackle will remain tight.
" 7. The knots will begin to look like the stem of a feather as you
progress along the thread.
" 8. When you have the amount of hackle you want, repeat the
weave one more time with a strand of thread, then add a couple half-
hitches to make it secure. Your hackle is now ready to trim from the
loom and use on a fly.
Pott's hackle weave:
* (Special note)* Franz Pott used a three thread loom and a hair hook (wig
maker's tool) to weave his hackles. You can find this tool at a beauty supply
house or beauty salon. The tool is commonly used to pull strands of hair
through a plastic cap for highlight dying of human hair. (My wife is a
cosmetologist and dyes a lot of hair this way, so I procured (stole) one of her
metal hooks. The plastic hooks work just as well and cost less.)
Weaving steps:
" 1. Set up a three-thread loom with a set of half-hitches near one end.
Leave a long tag of thread attached for use in the weave.
" 2. Thread a small bunch of hairs in front of the bottom (left) thread,
behind the middle thread and in front of the top (right) thread. Measure
the hair extending past the top thread for the length of hackle you want
to create.
" 3. Next, fold the hair over the top thread and down behind all the
threads.
" 4. Pinch this hair against the thread with your finger.
" 5. Thread the hook through the loom behind the top thread, in front
of the middle thread, behind the hair tips and behind the bottom thread.
Hook the long ends of the hair as shown.
" 6. Pull the hair through the loom with the hook. If you lose any of
the hairs, go back and pick them up with the hook and pull them
through.
" 7. Pull the ends of the hair tight (not so tight you break the hairs),
then slide your hackle to the thread knot.
" 8. Make a half-hitch of thread on the far side of your hackle with the
tag of thread you left at the knot. (I let the hackle relax a little so you
can see the weave better.)
" 9. Cinch the half-hitch tight against the hair knot. Pull the tips of the
hair tight again so you have a nice, tight weave.
" 10. You can use this weave (or any of the weaves) to make hackles
from any stiff hair. You can also weave several hackles on the same
loom at one time.
Applying the Hackle:
" 1. Remove a hackle from the loom. (This is a Pott's style woven
hackle.)
" 2. Tie one end of your hackle string to the hook. Note that I left
plenty of room for the head.
" 3. Wrap the hackle with the tips of the hair pointing back toward
the bend of the hook. Tie the hackle off when you have it fully
wrapped. (It takes a little practice to know how much hackle you
need in a string to go completely around a hook one time.)
" 4. Trim the excess hair near the hook eye.
" 5. Build a smooth head and whip finish.
" 6. Note the knotted hackle?
" 7. Your finished fly should look similar to this. Each type of
hackle weave produces slightly different hackles, so they each look
different from the others to a slight extent.
A Sandy Mite with woven hackle would look like this.
Pott's style woven bodies can be used with many types of materials
to produce interesting bodies for hoppers, stoneflies, scuds and even
mayflies and caddis pupae. Experiment a while and see if you can
adapt this weave to other flies. Maybe a stimulator that uses a Pott's
style body?
Woven hair hackles aren't common now like they were when I was
young. That doesn't mean they don't work, but with the time it takes
to weave them, most people don't bother to learn them. However, in
fast water, these types of flies can be killers. I've also had great
success fishing these flies in lakes with a slow twitch. Folks who live
on the West Coast should try the fizzle on sea-run cutthroats. I tied a
few up for one of my uncles who live in the Portland area (Battle
Ground, WA). He says it's a killer fly they can't resist.
Well, there you go folks; a challenge that will test your skills and
patience. Are your skills up to the task? There's only one way to
know for sure.
See ya next month - Remember, I'm always happy to answer your
questions, feel free to email me. ~ Al Campbell
ADVANCED Fly Tying Archives
[ HOME ]
[ Sponsors ] [ About FAOL ] [ Bulletin Board ] [ FAOL Travel ] [ just old flies ] [ Knots ]
[ J. Castwell ] [ LadyFisher ] [ Al Campbell ] [ Monthly Drawing ] [ World Wide ] [ Fly Of The Week ] [ Flies Only ]
[ Reel Fish Tails ] [ Beginners Section ] [ Book & Video Reviews ] [ Product Reviews ] [ Saltwater ] [ Rod Repair]
[ Dave Micus ] [ Our Man in Canada ] [ With Bamboo ] [ Eye Of The Guide ] [ Panfish ] [ Readers' Casts ]
[ Native Waters] [ Entomology ] [ FAOL Humor ] [ Friends of FAOL ] [ Chat Room] [ Guestbook ] [ Stillwaters ]
[ What's Cooking ] [ Ozark Angler ] [ Dressing Atlantic Flies ] [ Rod Building ] [ Great Rivers ] [ Home Waters] [ Flat's Dude]
[ Search ] [ Contact FAOL ] [ Media Kit ]
FlyAnglersOnline.com © Notice