Maybe someone on here is fortunate enough to have or once had a cape sold by Harry Darbee, and could tell me how it was packaged? Did he have a backing card
with his shop logo, or was it in a plastic bag, or did he just hand it over the counter, etc? Thanks, CJ
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Darbee hackle...
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 catskilljohn |
Darbee hackle... |
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Posts: 83 11/04/2007 19:56 |
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oneculm |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 319 11/05/2007 09:06 |
The one I had was given to me over the desk. I came back a week later to get some eggs to start my own flock That never happened. dave
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mvbrooks |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 1613 11/05/2007 18:45 |
I own one. It's a dark dun neck. I received mine in a plain "mailer" envelope, no package, many years ago. It's still in nearly mint
condition. Compared to todays hackle, it is quite soft. The barbs are very thin and rather "whispy" and the size range from #14 and up. The color is
the thing about these, though. Calling it dark dun is a lousy description. It's dark, nearly black in places, but has rust and darker yet dun speckling
throughout. Modern genetic necks simply lack the soul those old duns had.
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mer |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 2416 11/06/2007 08:46 |
Mike, have you had a chance to look at some of the stuff from Charlie Collins? Comparing his stuff to some of the others, it seems to be "better" in
some subtle way (at least to me), perhaps that soul you're talking about. I have what he calls a barred ginger that if you look at it in the sunlight it
just beautiful. He's in NY state somewhere, I think his flock may have connections with some of the old time Catskill tyers (either Darbee or Dette). He
often has a booth at one or two of the winter FF shows out this way.
"I pick one up, cast it, and it makes me smile. That's its job and it does it well. "
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 creakycane |
Collins | #4 | ||
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Posts: 1236 11/06/2007 09:21 |
Mer beat me to it, the Collins capes seem to be to have that character and sparkle that some of the genetic necks seem to lack - they have hackle quality, yes
- but often lack sheen, speckling, larger hackles, spades and overall character. Collins capes are quite nice for Catskill flies where just getting the right
shade of ginger or right flecking in the dun hackle is of interest - the quality is also very good, even in the 3's.
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CTcanelover |
Darbee genetic stock lives on.... | #5 | ||
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Posts: 6 11/06/2007 12:47 |
I'd like to chime in on this...a quick visit to the Whiting site will reveal that the Darbee ancestry lives on through their Hebert-Miner line of hackle.
This is from their site:
"The Traditionalist's choice! Our Hebert-Miner line of fly tying feathers is best known for gorgeous natural colors such as creams, duns &
browns with brassy overtones and natural sheen. This is the perfect selection for Catskill and traditional pattern fly tiers. Only Whiting Farms has the
custodial rights to the legendary Hebert stock. We've combined this with the historic Catskill stocks of Darbee and Miner to make the finest
natural-toned dry fly feather available. This combination cannot be found with any other breeder."
That being said, I am a fan of Charlie Collins hackle and own a number of his necks. His barred capes in ginger, cream and blue dun produce some very nice looking flies. Charlie's primary focus in breeding is the characteristics of the quill of the hackle. The hackle isn't overly stiff....that's right I said hackle can be too stiff(how many silly jokes went through your head on that one!!!....lol). For a discussion of this see AK Best's Advanced Fly Tying. AK advocates buying number three necks and that's what I do...buying primarily Collins number threes and Whiting Hebert-Miner Pro Grades(the best deal in hackle IMHO) Charlie was recently featured in one of the magazines and I fear it's going to get harder to find his necks...if you can find some..buy them. |
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CTcanelover |
We digress.... | #6 | ||
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Posts: 7 11/06/2007 13:28 |
...after reading the thread I realize we strayed from CJ's original point. I was wondering if anyone who has a copy of Catskill Flytier by Harry Darbee and
Mac Francis could tell us if there's anything in the book to answer CJ's original question....I'll give 1 to 5 odds creaky's got it in his
library.
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mer |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 2419 11/06/2007 13:45 |
Charlie sells mostly from his house and the shows, I think there may be only one or two places that sell them. As for Whiting, I like the Hebert-Miner capes
much better. I have a copy of the Darbee book and I don't recall any pictures or discussions about the packaging of the hackle. But I'll check later
this evening.
"I pick one up, cast it, and it makes me smile. That's its job and it does it well. "
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DrLogik |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 1210 11/06/2007 13:51 |
This is one of the better write-ups I have found on the Web about the history of hackle. A lot of good lineage info here also:
http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/sshackle/ I own a few Collins hackle necks also. Quality is first-rate and you get the saddle with the neck! His necks make flies "look" more buggy.
Last Edited By: DrLogik 11/06/2007 13:54.
Edited 1 time.
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CTcanelover |
Collins suppliers | #9 | ||
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Posts: 9 11/06/2007 14:17 |
www.catskillflies.com and ebay seller pacer0036 both distribute Collins hackle. I have purchased Collins stock from
pacer but he separates the saddles from the necks. The saddles are great for larger Catskill dries and I have acquired them for as little as $7.00 a piece. His
rusty dun makes a mean looking Hendrickson fly. I've seen Joe Fox carry the Whiting Hebert-Miner prograde in the past at Dette flies and EBay seller
jimsflyco usually has a nice selection as well.
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mvbrooks |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 1615 11/06/2007 15:30 |
Thanks Mike, all - I will start looking for some Collins hackle. Does he have smallish saddles? I tie a lot of #14 and small flies.
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mer |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 2421 11/06/2007 15:41 |
I'll have to check; I think 14 may be about as small as you'll get, but not too many.
"I pick one up, cast it, and it makes me smile. That's its job and it does it well. "
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creakycane |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 1237 11/06/2007 16:35 |
With Collins, I'd skip the saddles and go for the grade 3 necks - plenty of size 12 - 20 hackle. The saddles are a bit ragged and webby.
I think the Collins colors are better than the Hebert Miner, generally, but many of the H-M's are quite nice. No markings or special wrappings on Darbee necks that I know of. |
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mer |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 2423 11/06/2007 18:44 |
I couldn't find anything in the Darbee book about how they packaged the hackle. I took a quick measure on a few of the saddles that I have, all were marked
#2, they were all pretty solid 12's, with a few 14s. The bigger feathers work well for streamers.
"I pick one up, cast it, and it makes me smile. That's its job and it does it well. "
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catskilljohn |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 84 11/06/2007 20:11 |
Last night, I called a friend, Frank Audino and asked him about Darbee's hackle. He said first off "does it have newspaper print on the skin
side"? Apparently, all his capes were set to dry on newspapers, and the ink stained the skin to the point you could actually make out words. He
then told me that Harry's capes were quite large, huge actually, and that he also had a certain way he cut the cape from the bird, a signature cut so to
speak, as did all hackle breeders. It sounded to me like he could spot a Darbee cape from a block away! He has a box of Darbee capes, and quite a few of there
flies also, as he learned from and tyed for the Darbee's back in there day.
I have a large selection of hackle from Charlie, and agree that he is producing what is most desirable for us Catskill dry fly tyers. His capes are beautiful, reasonably priced, and have Darbee blood in there line. I found a barred rusty dun at Catskillflies in the spring, and it has to be one of my most prized capes. For the guys that didn't read his article in Fly-Tyer magazine, he stated that barred capes are much "buggier" in appearance, and wonders why he doesn't sell more of them. After the article came out, he said his barred capes sales went way up! I also love the Hebert-Miner hackle, though compared to Charlies price, its a little more pricey. I will admit the hackles are much longer, nearly saddle like, and they wrap beautiful. They also come in some very desirable colors, I have a dark champagne that is gorgeous, and there dun shades are beautiful. Thanks for all the input guys. After talking to Frank, I hung up the phone and started thinking about him, and all the "veterans" of fly tying, and if it not for there giving nature and willingness to share information, how would guys like myself ever learn this stuff? Thank you, CJ
Last Edited By: catskilljohn 11/06/2007 20:38.
Edited 1 time.
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bswild |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 287 11/09/2007 17:07 |
Andy Miner was a lawyer from St. Paul, Minnesota, and belonged to a club called The St. Paul Fly Tyers. He raised chickens hatched from eggs he got from Harry
Darbee. Those eventually became the Hebert/Miner necks. Bucky Metz got his eggs from Miner and started Metz Hackle with them. I used to belong to the St. Paul
Fly Tyers, and a lot of the old guys were still tying with Andy's hackle.
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wsbailey |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 3 12/02/2007 11:13 |
I asked Charlie about speckled capes at Somerset several years ago. He told me that he tends to dye such capes because tyers today won't buy them. They
want the color in the fly recipe they are tying without variation. You really can't blame the guy for putting economics first.
Bill |
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bob2935 |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 586 12/04/2007 13:02 |
Hi Elsie gave me my first tying lesson when I was 12. I know I have some Darbee necks that are in mint condition, I would take pictures of if you are
interested. The Darbee experience as a boy remains my favorite memory. Elsie was so nice to me. She taught me how to tie a Light Cahill. Catching the tail end
of the Golden Years in the Catskills in the mid seventy's made a big impression. The only shops left that still that mom and Pop feel for me is Frank
Kuttner's shop on the way to the upper Beaverkill and of coarse Mary Dettes in Roscoe. Frank is a great guy to do business with and for me he ties the most
perfect Catskill dry that I have ever seen. It is difficult to get one of Frank's flies but they are so perfect that I plan to frame the few flies that I
have. Frank also sells some cane rods.
Let me know if you would like to see some pictures of the Darbee dry necks. I know I have one of Harry's Grizzly and a nice Golden Badger. They were not packaged with any label but always came with newspaper on the back. Bob
Last Edited By: bob2935 12/04/2007 13:27.
Edited 2 times.
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catskilljohn |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 87 12/04/2007 22:31 |
Bob, Thanks for the reply...you sound like a guy I would like to meet someday.
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