A Whiting Pro Grade saddle is the best value in top-tier dry fly hackle. Hackle is one of the biggest investments you'll make in fly tying, and a Pro Grade saddle pays it back for years. The feathers are long and thin-stemmed with stiff, evenly sized barbs, so a single feather can hackle several flies. Pro Grade saddles cover roughly sizes 12 to 18, mostly 14 and 16, the sizes you tie most for parachutes, Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, and everyday trout dries. About Whiting grades: Whiting grades saddles by how many flies they'll tie, not by feather quality. Every grade has the same high-quality feathers: supple quills, dense barbs, and minimal web. Pro Grade is the entry grade, followed by Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each with more and longer feathers. That makes Pro Grade the smart first saddle, with the same hackle on your flies as the top grades.
