Hackles or Beards

[scotview]

I tie my own flies but cannot do hackles very well, consequently my flies are tied with beards top & bottom (usually lightly dressed).

Basically I fish Silver or Gold Allys, Silver stoats or Black & Yellow Tubes , thats it.

As I said my dressed flies are tied with beards rather than hackles.

Nevertheless they seem to catch Salar, when he is in the mood. Size & depth being the main factor.

It was gratifying to see todays posting of photos of the very successful kylie shrimp, in rookies corner. It looks as if the are tied with beards top & bottom.

Are hackled flies just a preference or are they really more successful ??

[hardygem]

scotveiw,
IMO, it makes absolutely no difference what so ever to the fish,as you said they take your flies when they are in the mood and that is all can be expected of any fly(when salmon fishing anyway).It would however( imo) greatly enhance your own enjoyment of your fly tying and subsequently your fishing if you were to learn how to tie full hackles (dont worry it can be a long learning curve ) I've spent many hours at the vice trying and i'm still learning ,that i beleive is one of the wonderful aspects of our sport.We do get very involved in fine detail sometimes but thats all just part of the fun for me.For advice on hackle tying i would recommend THE HANDBOOK OF FLY TYING by PETER GATHERCOLE.Not a lot of salmon flies in this but chapter 7 shows clearly how to tie various hackles .a decent set of hackle pliers helps good luck

[Fruin]

IMO - Beards allow you to tie a slimmer fly and don't mask the body of the fly from the sides. Full-hackled flies, unless the hackles are swept right back, offer more resistance to the current and will swim slightly different. I use flies tied both ways, and would not like to gamble on what one fishes best.
If you fish in streamy water, either will do. However, I think that a fly tied with a full soft hackle can be of benefit in slacker water, but it would all depend on the overall style of fly and other materials used.
If you have confidence in the ability of your flies to catch fish, I don't think it matters whether they are tied with beards or toothbrushes

[macd]

gary is spot on. try using fox for beard hackles.