Creative unknown Fly Tying Materials Review
Our verdict
This badger feather fly tying material sells for $15.71 and carries a 4.0 star average across 536 reviews, a review count that outpaces three of its closest competitors. At 9.07 grams for a single 5 inch piece rated for bass, salmon, and trout patterns, it lands in the middle of the price range for feather-based tying stock.
Check price on AmazonBest for
Anglers tying bass, salmon, or trout patterns who want a badger feather in a fixed 5 inch size and do not mind paying more than the cheaper Hareline options for a single piece.
Skip if
Skip this if you are stocking a fly box on a budget, since the Hareline Natural Elk Hair runs $3.95 and the Hareline CDC28 runs $7.95, both well under this material's $15.71 price.
- Material Feather
- Weight 9.07 g
- Target Species Bass, Salmon, Trout
- Size 5"
- Color Badger
- Pieces 1
- Priced 57% above the category median ($9.99 across 67 tracked models)
Our scorecard
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Owner rating4.0/5
4.0 average across 536 owner ratings
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Popularity4.6/5
536 owner reviews, more than most models here
The overall score is owner satisfaction weighted by how many reviews back it, so a high rating from few reviews counts for less. The bars below show where this model stands against the other fishing gear and tackle we track in this category on price, popularity and size. Context, not marks against it, and our read of the data, not a lab test.
Overview
Picking feathers for a bass, salmon, or trout streamer pattern usually means choosing between a handful of badger, grizzly, or natural hackle options, and price differences add up fast once you are buying more than one piece. This listing covers a single 5 inch badger feather weighing 9.07 grams, priced at $15.71.
At 536 reviews and a 4.0 star average, this material has more review volume than the Hareline CDC28 ($7.95, 4.0 stars, 359 reviews) and the Hareline Natural Elk Hair ($3.95, 4.5 stars, 110 reviews), though its rating sits below both alternatives. The Hareline NB377 comes closest on review count at 550, holds a 4.2 star average, and shows 50 or more units bought in the past month, a demand signal this listing does not report.
For tiers targeting bass, salmon, and trout specifically, the named target species narrows the fit more than the generic listings from Hareline, which is useful if you tie to a specific pattern book rather than experimenting with whatever hackle is on hand. The tradeoff is price per piece, since $15.71 for one 5 inch feather is roughly double the Hareline CDC28 and nearly four times the Hareline Natural Elk Hair.
Pros
- Targets bass, salmon, and trout specifically, rather than a single generic species listing.
- 4.0 star average across 536 reviews, more review volume than the Hareline CDC28 or Elk Hair options.
- Fixed 5 inch size takes the guesswork out of proportions for streamer patterns.
- 9.07 gram weight gives a sense of bulk before you buy, unlike listings that omit weight.
- Badger coloring is a specific, named shade rather than an assorted or unspecified color.
- Ships as a single ready-to-use piece with no assembly needed.
Cons
- At $15.71, it costs roughly double the Hareline CDC28 and nearly four times the Hareline Natural Elk Hair.
- 4.0 star rating is tied for the lowest among the four fly tying materials compared here.
- Bought last month shows 0 or more, with no clear demand signal like the Hareline NB377's 50 or more.
- Only one piece per purchase, so tying multiple flies means reordering.
- No feature list or technique guidance is provided beyond the basic specs.
Specifications
| Material | Feather |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.07 g |
| Target Species | Bass, Salmon, Trout |
| Size | 5" |
| Color | Badger |
| Pieces | 1 |
Performance notes
A 9.07 gram feather at a fixed 5 inch length tells you what you are getting before it arrives, which matters more for feather stock than for synthetic material since natural feathers vary piece to piece even within the same badger grading. Listing the target species as bass, salmon, and trout points this material at streamer and wet fly patterns rather than small dry flies, where a heavier or longer feather would be wrong for the proportions. Compared to the Hareline Natural Elk Hair at 0.25 ounces and the Hareline CDC28 at 0.1 ounces, this feather is a heavier, single-piece purchase rather than a bulk supply, so the per-tie cost depends on how much of the 9.07 grams a given pattern actually uses. For anglers tying larger baitfish or streamer patterns for bass and salmon, that size and weight are a more direct match than a generic hackle pack.
What buyers say
A 4.0 star average across 536 reviews puts this material in the same rating tier as the Hareline CDC28, which also sits at 4.0 stars but with 359 reviews. That review volume is higher than both Hareline alternatives except the NB377's 550, suggesting steady but not exceptional demand. The listing shows 0 or more bought in the past month, which does not confirm current sales momentum the way the Hareline NB377's 50 or more figure does. Combined with a rating below the Hareline Natural Elk Hair's 4.5 stars, the pattern here reads as a well-established listing with a large review base but middling satisfaction relative to the cheaper competing materials.
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Frequently asked questions
What species is this fly tying material best suited for?
The listing specifies bass, salmon, and trout as target species, which points it toward streamer and wet fly patterns rather than small dry flies. At 9.07 grams and a 5 inch length, the feather has enough bulk for baitfish imitations tied for these species rather than delicate midge patterns.
How does the price compare to similar fly tying materials?
At $15.71 for one 5 inch piece, it costs more than the Hareline CDC28 at $7.95, the Hareline Natural Elk Hair at $3.95, and slightly less than the Hareline NB377 at $18.06. Buyers paying a premium here are getting a badger colored feather with a named species target rather than a generic hackle.
Is the 4.0 star rating a concern given 536 reviews?
A 4.0 star average across 536 reviews is respectable but not the strongest in this comparison, since the Hareline Natural Elk Hair holds 4.5 stars, albeit on far fewer reviews. With over 500 reviews, the 4.0 average is a fairly stable signal rather than a small sample that could shift with a handful of new ratings.