New to Togens Fly Shop

We are happy to announce the arrival of our new line of hackle Whiting, Herbert Miner hackle. The savings are on, purchase now as we have a limited supply at these prices.

Whiting Hackle dry fly saddles are grade on the approximate number of flies each pelt will ty. The grade does not denote the hook sizes of the hackle.

1. The approximate number of dry fly tying feathers is counted for both sides of the pelt,(Example: a 95 count on the left side and a 100 count on the right side total 195 usable tying feathers.
2. The average hackle length is the measured.
3. The tying sizes of the feathers are determined. Most saddles have two predominant sizes, with some hackle on either side of the predominant sizes. (i.e., #14 & #16, #16 & # 18, etc.)
4. The total number of flies per pelt is calculated. (An 8-inch feather that is size 14* will hackle four flies; 195 usable feathers multiplied by four flies equals a minimum of 380 flies. It is important to note as hackle decreases in size, a given length will tie more flies.)
5. The saddle pelts are the placed in their appropriate grade based on the minimum number of dry flies each pelt will tie.

Bronze      will tie a minimum of 250 flies

Silver         will tie a minimum of 450 flies

Gold           will tie a minimum of 750 flies

Platinum    will tie a minimum of 1,000 flies

Half saddles will tie approximately 1/2 of the quantities

Quarter saddles will tie approximately 1/4 of the quantities.

Herbert Miner Dry Fly Hackle

This incredible dry fly hackle began its odyssey in 1954 when legendary Catskill tier Harry Darbee generously provided Andy Miner with some of his Darbee hackle stock hatching eggs. What resulted from this gift was a pivotal event and foundation for the future of genetic dry fly hackle. A Minnesota lawyer by profession Andy Miner was also a meticulous, patient soul and through judicious study, experimentation and perseverance bred a markedly better hackle rooster. In 1974 Ted Hebert of Laingsburg, Michigan obtained the best of the Miner hackle stock. For the twenty plus years Ted Hebert continued the genetic selection as Andy Miner had taught him and further advanced the stock in pursuit of ever improving hackle and beautiful colors. In 1997 Tom Whiting, Ph.D., President of Whiting Farms, inc., assumed stewardship of this superb gene pool. Dr. Whiting's goal is to preserve the inherent characteristics of the exceptional hackle stock while continuing the development and refinement of its hackle qualities and unique natural colors.

Every cape is carefully evaluated by the best professionals in the business- the Whiting Farms Grading Staff. They grade each pelt for the following items:

• Fine, supple quills... for neat, effortless wrapping.
• Freedom from web... for more strength and less absorbency.
• Uniform barb length... for optimal appearance and higher floating flies.
• High barb count.... for more hackle per turn.
• High barb strenght.... for maximum support on the water's surface.
• A longer "sweet spot"... the area where prime hackle resides on a feather.
• Full, generous pelts.... for excellent value and economy.

Besides the great attributes listed above you can expect rich vibrant colors with high sheen in your Herbert Miner Hackle. Whiting farms produces powerful browns and badgers, delicate creams and gingers, fishy variants, totally unique champagne and select patterns, and the widest array of natural duns ever seen.

As the specific sciences of genetic selection, nutrition and husbandry at Whiting Farms are all applied to this exceptional stock, the overall quality of the Herbert Miner Hackle will continue to improve. This higher plateau of quality demands a rethinking of how hackle is graded. No longer is the old grading system of 1,2 or 3 appropriate; feathers from Whiting farms are all high quality. Rather an Olympic medal designation will more effectively guide fly tiers to their appropriate level of expenditure:

Bronze -   Excellent quality and adequate for most all tying.

Silver -      Additionally strong in the overall length and density of the feathers.

Gold -       Extremely high quality and high density of feathers, with particular emphasis on the hard to find tiny midge size hackle sizes in the cape or extraordinary feathers counts in the saddle. For the most demanding fly tier.

Platinum - For the collector. The pinnacle of genetic progress. Rare.

Herbert Miner Hackle, exclusively from Whiting Farms, is a dry fly hackle of extraordinary quality; a premium product for the most discriminating fly tier and fly fisher.

Whiting Farms - committed to providing the finest feathers for the fly tiers of the world.

Save! Save!! Save !!! only while quantities last.

These Whiting and Herbert Miner saddles have unique hard to find colors. 

	Howard Hackle Saddle Patches Nice selection of colors and feathers. Orig. Price: $26.00 Sale Price: $13.00
	Hoffman Grizzly Cape Dyed Olive #2 Nice very dark olive capes. Orig. Price: $35.64 Sale Price: $30.29
	Herbert Miner Saddle - Light Ginger #1 These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $34.02 Sale Price: $28.92
	Herbert Miner Saddle - Furnace - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $49.40 Sale Price: $41.99
	Whiting Saddle - Golden Badger - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $66.42 Sale Price: $56.46
	Whiting Saddle - Barred Dark Ginger - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $55.08 Sale Price: $46.82
	Whiting Saddle - Dark dyed Dun - Bronze These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $37.26 Sale Price: $31.67
	Whiting Saddle - Medium Ginger - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $53.46 Sale Price: $45.44
	Whiting Saddle - Barred Medium Ginger - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $71.28 Sale Price: $60.58
	Whiting Saddle - Light Ginger - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $71.28 Sale Price: $60.59
	Whiting Saddle - White - Silver These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $71.28 Sale Price: $60.59
	Whiting Saddle - Dyed Light Dun - Bronze These saddles are unique, select hard to find, they are not from the everyday bird. For the tier that's looking for the very best feathers and unique colors. Orig. Price: $37.62 Sale Price: $31.98

Purchase now while quantities last.

Receive a further 10% discount off our already low marked down prices, sign up at our Monthly Specials page, you will receive your discount code by return email.