Fly-Tying Hackle, Feathers & Marabou

As a general rule, choose hackle proportional to the hook size. Smaller hooks require shorter, finer hackle, while larger hooks can handle larger, denser hackle. Dry flies typically require hackle that is 1.5 times the length of the hook gap of a standard dry fly hook. Many wet flies follow the same rule, but you can go longer for more movement. If you’re following a recipe, use the suggested hackle length, and remember you can always experiment to figure out what works well for you. Density varies depending on the desired profile: Sparse hackle creates a slender profile, while dense hackle creates a fuller, pulsating body. You can vary how sparse or dense by the number of wraps. Orvis fly-tying expert Tim Flagler offers expert advice on understanding different kinds of hackle.

Technically, you can substitute different types of hackle for one another if, and only if, you’re using a comparable stand-in. For example, you could possibly substitute cape and saddle if the feathers are the same density and length and offer similar performance. But if you substitute hackle willy-nilly or the feathers don’t match as closely as possible, you will compromise your fly’s effectiveness.

For dry fly wings, the most common feathers to use are duck quills, goose and turkey biots, hen capes, and cul de canard (CDC). For dry fly tails, the most common feathers are hackle tips, goose and turkey biots, and coq de leon.

We offer plenty of pre-dyed feather options to save time and money, but you can always buy white feathers and dye them the specific color you want.

Marabou is a versatile fly-tying material that has many different uses, but you will likely recognize marabou blood quills as a popular tail material in streamers like the woolly bugger. Marabou can also be used on bodies (as ribbing), tails, and wings of wet flies. 

Marabou purchased from Orvis doesn’t require any special preparation before using it in your fly-tying applications.