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Kris

Need Some Constructive Criticism ...

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Yes, that dress makes you look fat. :lol::lol::lol: I always wanted to be able to say that without taking my life in my hands.

Seriously, your feathers look very good.

I only make lures for freshwater bass, not muskies or pike, so take that into consideration when you read my comments.

For me, the length of feather is determined by both the type of lure, and the size.

I typically don't tie feathers that are more than half the length of a lure, if I'm looking for just a tail, like with a popper. I want the tail to flair on the pause. I think too long a feather can lead to fish missing the treble on the strike.

For walking baits, I actually trim the feather until it no longer inhibits the action of the lure. Long feathers can keep a walker from walking.

The Lunker Punker is one walking bait that works so well they are able to put long feathers on it without affecting the action negatively, but smaller walking baits and jerk baits are very sensitive to feather length.

For cranks, if I use a feather at all, it is typically very short, just the length of the treble itself.

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shorten the feathers to just above the wide fluffy part at the bottom before you start tying . I tie lots of feather tails and always do this other than that your tails look great. remember colors are endless I have a 3700 series plano in my boat with size1/0 2 4 and 6 trebles in it all in a multitude of colors reds oranges chartreuses a few greens blues blacks and purples I have a lot of shad colors with and without tinsel and flash you never know what baits work better with and without them unless you try them I have a custom painted shad rap that has a brown and red tail and a orange brown mottled belly feather that catches fish when nothing else will just a matter of imagination is all. also a little less thread or shorter tie looks better if you want to try that

Edited by airbrushextreme
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I agree that they look good. Its all about the action and look you are trying to achieve. A lot of great opions hae been posted already... Can i just add that I think you are using a saddle hackle which is typically longer and more expensive. Think about using neck hackle which is cheaper and shorter but usually wider. I use both but to learn with i used neck hackle. Go ask around in the fly trying section as those guys are golden on this stuff.

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Thanks to all for the tips and help.

While tying this one I was wondering if I had the wrong type of hackle. The feathers are long and I kept having to cut them down.

Any of those out there that tie their own could you post a couple of hooks you've done so I could see what a good feathered hook looks like ?

Thanks.

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Saddle hackle

saddle hackle is more fuller? More Web making it a thicker feather than a dry fly hackle

the tail should extend 1 1/2 to 2 times the length of the hook. Or personal preference.

a little more krystal flash.

and the other thing to disguise the hook is you could also tie in a hackle or two at the tips of the feather(s) and palmer them in towards the barbs of the hook.

Beautiful lure good luck

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Saddle hackle

saddle hackle is more fuller? More Web making it a thicker feather than a dry fly hackle

the tail should extend 1 1/2 to 2 times the length of the hook. Or personal preference.

a little more krystal flash.

and the other thing to disguise the hook is you could also tie in a hackle or two at the tips of the feather(s) and palmer them in towards the barbs of the hook.

Beautiful lure good luck

I don't think hiding the hook is a real issue on a bass lure, especially a reaction lure that's moving anyway.

Now, for trout flies, it is critical. Damn trout must wear reading glasses!

For me, palmering a hackle back down the treble would create too much bulk, which would really affect the action of the lure.

I find that the fine line between enough feather/flashaboo and too much is just that, a really fine line. Larger walking baits, like the Lunker Punker or Super Spook, have enough weight to be able to handle big feathered trebles, but smaller walkers, like the smaller Sammies and the like, can really be affected by too much feather, because of the drag it adds to the lure's tail. And even on the big lures, the illusion I'm trying to create is of a moving tail, and feathers extending back from the hooks themselves are what give me that effect.

Feathers on cranks and jerkbaits have the same issues.

I tie my feathers so they extend about 1 1/2 times the hook length past the hook, and then trim them as needed once I see how they affect the lure's action.

I'll try and upload an image of a lure with one of my feathers on my gallery page. I don't have the photo managing stuff I need to post it here.

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they look good and you're using the right feathers, just leaving them too long. i think they should be about 1/3 of the length you have them. the amount of feather hanging off the hook should be about the length of the hook itself. just use the tips of the feathers. you might also want to shorten the length of the shank that is wrapped in thread.

basically just gotta shorten them up and it'll look great!

here are some that i tied if you wanted to look at them:

IMG_0699.jpg

Edited by DSV
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Lately I've gone away from actual feathers, and just used mylar, flashaboo, and tinsel. I get more flash from my top water "feathers" that way.

People started with feathers because that's all they had, like the old shuttlecocks in badminton, or the insides of the old golf balls.

The newer stuff that's available now works great, and better in some cases.

Edited by mark poulson
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