I was reminded last week, while getting ready for a trip to the Smokies, why I tie so many hair wing and no hackle dry flies now. It is because all hackle pliers suck. I personally haven’t found a tool yet that consistently does well and I’m not going to grow hermit finger nails like A.K. Best has more or less suggested.
Something else, too. I’ve concluded that I’m not a big fan of UTC threads. I love the color selection, but the thread frays and breaks too easily. Anyone else noticed this?