Above photo: A. #20 TMC 531 Fall Microcaddis with a traditional hackle collar overwrapped with squirrel and ginger Kapok, and discarded ginger CDC fibers . Breaking the uniformity of traditional hackle collars and creating an impressionistic fly, even on a #20 or #22 hook, is not difficult. The traditional hackle collar does exactly what it should, and it has for well over a century. It floats many different kinds of fly patterns, gives the impression of legs and movement, and creates balance and symmetry. Sometimes too much symmetry. Random and controlled elements, not only in fly patterns but in design principles in general, are what bring believable cadence to an often static, highly predictable world. The world of fly tying is no different. An impressionistic fly does not have to be big or look like a Troll Doll. In the photos above and below, a #20 TMC 531 has a traditional hackle collar tied off from the rear of th e collar, not at the eye. Using a loosely dubbed rope made fr...