Description

The Whiting 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. This specific saddle is labelled as a MEdium Brown, but is quite different to most Medium Brown or Natural Brown saddles as it lends itself more to the shades of a Furnace saddle with a slightly rusty colour and most feathers exhibiting the dark center section as shown in a Furnace saddle. As it is neither fully one nor the other, it has been labelled Medium Brown, but you can see what you’re getting in the photos.

This incredible dry fly hackle began its journey in 1954 when legendary Catskill fly tier Harry Darbee generously provided Andy Miner with some of his Darbee hackle stock 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 extensive 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 next twenty plus years Ted Hebert continued the genetic selection as Andy Miner had taught him and further advanced the stock in pursuit of improving the hackle’s beautiful colors. In 1997 Tom Whiting, president of Whiting Farms, assumed stewardship of this incredible gene pool. Dr. Whiting’s goal is to preserve the inherent characteristics of this exceptional hackle stock while continuing the development and refinement of its qualities and unique natural colors. Whiting Hebert Miner Hackle is the product of a long and careful cultivation by several individuals, each dedicated to creating the finest dry fly hackle available.

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 Whiting Hebert Miner Hackle will continue to improve.

The Hebert Miner Black hackle is a natural colour, not dyed black, so you get a little variation between each cape and saddle, and between individual feathers themselves. The result is a rich, dark dun colour that movies into black on some feathers and sways lighter on others.

At Troutlore, we want you to have the best choice of the best feathers possible to create perfectly floating dry flies. If you can’t see the colour of a Whiting cape you are after, please feel free to get in touch and we will do what we can to get you the feathers you need.

Of course, if you want to create all sorts of natural looking fly patterns, then our ever growing range of natural feathers is the ideal place to start. Aside from all the hackles, marbou, Coq De Leon and Cul De Canard that we have on offer, you can find some real gems the Other Feathers Category of the Troutlore Flytying Store. If you can’t find a product you are specifically looking for, get in touch and we will see if it can be sourced, and kept in stock. Plus, you can keep up to date with new releases through our newsletter and social media outlets.