HA HA HA that should have been "as" not "ass" wow great typo though cause it totally fit the sentence :happy: :happy:
hackle in dry flies allows it to sit on the water without sinking (with the help of floatant of course) if you notice other patterns use hackle for the tail (as tail fibers) and then wrap around the collar of the fly which allows the hook eye side to sit up higher with the tail sitting in the surface film but not sinking. with an emerger you would usually tie with a parachute post and tying the hackle horizontally (or at least i tie mine parachute style) therefore everthing under the hackle sits in the surface film creating a better silhouette(not as effective for fast or choppy water though, so i have been told)
have fun searching online you can get so many tips/tricks for tying and fishing dries :thumbup: the information is endless