About Us

The Best Fly Tying Feathers, Bar None!

Chevron Hackles is a unique fly fishing business within the UK, being a hackle farm and supplier of quality fly tying feathers which it supplies to leading retailers and fly tying professionals.  This gives us a tremendous pride in our product as it is raised here in the UK, processed right through to the retailer by ourselves. All the dyeing is done here on site, and we offer a colour matching service too, in order to offer the customer bespoke fly tying materials! Just contact us with your requirements.

Better Colours, Brighter Movement

Our dyed feathers are expertly dyed in all the best and most effective colours, from classic black and grizzle to beautiful bright yellows and hot reds. Some of our cock capes are dyed in traditional trout fly colours for realistic and more subtle fly patterns. But we also produce capes suitable for salmon flies with long, softer hackles dyed in brighter colours such as Hot Orange, Sunburst and Chartreuse, which are also great for pike and saltwater flies.

Our Genetic Cock Saddles have long hackles, suitable for palmering. In the top grade many of these are between 9″ and 12″ long.  These are not so much suitable for dry flies though, unless in the larger sizes.  Our Cock Saddles have longer, slightly softer barbs than many US breeders produce, but are perfectly suited to the tying of Irish Lough flies, salmon flies, streamers etc.  We dye the standard colours, but are quite happy to try to match your colours, and if we don’t have what you need in stock we can usually dye something up for you.

The Finest British Fly Tying Materials

Our capes have many desirable qualities that set them apart from cheap imported capes; the finest stems available today and hackles that stay where you put them, with no twisting or splitting.  Try them, you will see why they get rave reviews!

We currently produce fly tying hackles in many types, from top quality genetic cock and genetic hen capes, and also genetic cock saddles and hen saddles in a wide range of colours.  We also sell selected non-genetic birds and game bird feathers, including partride, woodcock, guinea fowl and superb dyed pheasant tails.

A quality cape will tie literally hundreds of quality flies of many sizes. Our fly tying hackles have superb fine, supple stems and will hackle hook sizes in a full range, in dry fly hackles down to some size 30’s now.  Ideal for small dry flies and fly tyers who love to tie dainty or difficult patterns. Besides cock hackles, we also produce fine quality genetic hen capes, with brilliantly soft and mobile hackle fibres that are ideal materials for tying anything from salmon flies down to tiny little traditional spider fly patterns.

Game Feathers and Natural Skins

We also stock a variety of locally-sourced game bird feathers, capes and skins, both in natural and dyed colours. Our range includes pheasant tail feathers, mallard feathers both bronze and grey, some whole mallard skins, some grouse, woodcock, the occasional partridge.

In spite of our small roots, we have big ambitions.  We are constantly trying to improve and expand.  Our selection process is strict, and all birds are intensively scrutinised and only the very best of the best make it into the breeding pens. In short, we have some great quality and hard to find fly materials which are expertly kept and dyed. Our range is always growing, so do check our new products section.

Fly Tying and Our Pro Fly Tyers

Fly tying is challenging, rewarding and satisfying in equal measure.  We aim to produce easy to use fly tying materials that help to reduce the frustration and maximise the pleasure of fly tying. We now have a small but talented group of pro fly tyers, who appreciate the unique properties of our fly tying hackles and who help promote them at various talks and shows.  Our Pro team is now joined by Scott Aitken, Euan Miller and Ian Christie of Flybox International.  These are some of the most experienced and best known tyers in Scotland and are now happily using our Chevron hackles.

The feedback our pro tyers and customers give us is priceless. You can only fish with the one fly at a time, so whether you are a pleasure or competition angler, choose quality and tie with the best. Cheap fly tying materials are a waste of time.

New Materials and Customer Service

In spite of our small roots, we have big ambitions.  We are constantly trying to improve and expand, with new fly tying materials and products to look out for each season.  As always our focus will be on producing top quality fly tying materials, as locally sourced as is humanly possible, and ethically sourced too. We are only too happy to discuss your particular needs and have no plans for a call centre in India.  Or anywhere else apart from here, in Devon.  Please visit us at a show somewhere, come and talk to us

A bit more about our birds…

Our birds live their lives from start to finish on the farm, and as young birds are free to roam, scratch around and lie in the sun, as any teenager likes to do.  But of course when the birds mature it is a different story, as cock birds have only one ambition in life – to be the only cock on the farm.  This is obviously at odds with our own views, and so we have to take them inside in the autumn and as the cold weather creeps in they are happy to live indoors in spacious sheds with low level lighting to keep them calm and placid.

Our hens have been supplied with a new(ish) laying apartment ( polytunnel ), where after a few months of lazing around in the sun they begin to lay eggs.  In this laying house we have an egg collecting belt so we just wind in the eggs daily, the hens come and go at will so apart from the defiant few who decide to lay their eggs outside, most learn to come inside, lay an egg then return to the great oudoors.

All of our birds, cocks and hens, are constantly scrutinised for damage of any kind, and are kept free from internal and external parasites.  They have vaccinations against most diseases and are generally a very healthy bunch.  Most of our birds are at least a year old when they are culled – apart from the few lucky enough to be of a high enough grade to make the breeding pen!  Most table birds don’t make it to the end of their second month of life before they are ‘processed’ for your consumption.

We are often asked about disposal of the bodies, and are happy to say that they now go to help feed the local hunt kennels.  As we are not a licensed slaughterhouse we are not permitted to sell the meat for human or pet consumption but the hounds are very grateful for this fact!  Hounds are also particularly partial to eggs – shells and all!