Hackle gauge

Thomas Littleton wrote:
"Stan Gula" wrote in message
news:3STld.2535$tS4.2419@trndny09...
This balances the fly nicely on a table top.

unless fishing on the harder winter waters of New England, that is
not how the fly floats, however. If you have doubts, get some
water(unmixed with scotch), lob
some dry flies in and watch the way they float.

Exactly. I was taught by a couple of ex-Orvis tyers. They were very
serious about the standard Catskill dimensions. For a generic Catskill
hackled dry, the table test works well (it also sells flies I would think).
Old Jim and Big Jim (as opposed to Little Jim) would take your flies and
toss them in the air. If they landed upright and balanced on the hackle
tips and the tip of the tail, with the point of the hook just touching the
table, then they would say you got it right.

I agree that this is only for *standard* patterns. The bug is the model,
not the table balancing act.

The three mayflies I use up here are all standard. The damned huge pile I
tie for Penns, well, lets say there a lot of deviant flies you have down
there.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps