Soft Hackle Flies

[Mlandry 0]

I fish soft hackles on the surface by adding some jell floatant.

 

Mike

[Chuck McFarlane 0]

I went out after smallmouth yesterday. I put on a black zonker leech with a blue bodied soft hackle trailing 2 feet behind. Before I got started on the bass I spotter a large carp, about 24", 15' ahead of me in some shallow water. I tossed the flies about 3' beside him. He turned and cruised past the leech and sucked up the soft hackle. I looked at my watch because I knew I was in for a long fight. Exactly 15 minutes later the 6 pound flourocarbon tippet broke. Kind of glad it did. The carp had at least 15 more minutes left in him, but I don't think I did.

 

Soft hackles work!

I can relate to that. I often tag a soft hackles along for the ride with bigger flies in case carp, blugill or even small bass are up for a wee chunky offering. I've often been pleasantly surprised. My soft hackles are tied from ringneck peasant and resemble nymphs rather than the delicate north country spider variety. In fact the hackles from the church window feathers are rather stiff and act kinda like weed guards. Do't remember where I got this pattern but it's not my original idea. Love soft hackles and fish them a lot!

[thinkingredneck 0]

What is the body made from?

[Chuck McFarlane 0]

What is the body made from?

Ringneck pheasant center tail fibers. Same material used on the pheasant tail nymph.

[redietz 0]

 

Cold, I wish I knew a way to warm up your soft hackle fishing but I've had good luck what little fishing I've been able to do the last few years.

Much of it probably has to do with the fact that I much prefer fishing dries, so in many of the conditions where a soft hackle would be most effective, I'm throwing a parachute...and the obvious extension there being that the only times I resort to the soft-hackle being those when the fish are already uncooperative.

 

I'm the same way about a wooly buggers. I've never caught a trout on one, almost certainly because I never use on unless I'm desperate. Obviously a lot of people catch a lot of fish on them, so it's not the fly. OTOH, I catch almost all my trout on soft hackles. You catch the most fish on the fly you tie on the most often, and that leads you to tie it on even more often.

 

One place you might want to consider tying on a wingless wet fly instead of a dry is in places where you stand a good chance of losing a fly: under branches on the far side of the stream, into brush piles, etc. Places you know there's a fish in, but might be reluctant to risk a dry. Since it only takes a minute to tie, it doesn't matter if you lose it. And it doesn't matter quite so much if you don't get a perfect drift.

[Bruce Norikane 0]

For me, soft-hackles are weirdly one of "those" flies.

 

They look fishy as all get out. I know they catch fish. I've fished alongside guys absolutely rocking them with a partridge and orange...and over the past 5 years, I've taken less than 5 fish with them, and not for lack of trying.

 

I have boxes of dozens of them, use them any time I think they might help (certainly before going to the nymph in anything but the fastest water), and still, I haven't seemed to put it all together.

 

They really are gorgeous little flies, though, so I keep tying them, in hopes that my luck with them will change.

 

I have very similar results with soft hackles. Tie them and try them a lot, but only scattered success. I had a really good afternoon drifting a partridge and orange, but have not been able to repeat.

 

I know it's not the fly. It's me, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong with soft hackles.

[Cold 0]

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[FKROW 0]

Years ago I made annual trips out west,,, live in New England.

 

Read all the books and tied up the popular Western patterns.

 

In northern New Mexico I found a nice large pool with good visibility,,, lots of trout.

Used every fly in the box with no success,,, final tied on some olive body soft hackles,,, every 2nd or 3rd cast hooked a nice fish.

 

Alaska in the Aleutian Islands,, in the Navy stationed on Adak Island,,, we had small brooks loaded with dolly varden trout,,, best fly by far was a orange body soft hackle.

 

We tie up soft hackle flies on small salmon hooks in the colors of traditional full dress salmon flies,,, they hammer the Landlocked Salmon in northern Maine.

 

Many times a soft hackle has saved the day,,,, to me it is more important to study presentation methods not exact color and historical spider patterns.

 

Dry flies are a two dimensional puzzle,,, wet flies are three dimensional and somewhat more complex,,, great fun.

 

Regards,

FK

[Cold 0]

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[FKROW 0]

I have several old timer friends who keep log books.

 

Two of them at different times and independently, decided to use one dry fly pattern for one entire season,,, grey body with brown hackle,, classic dry fly. Had various sizes of course,,,, both showed me their records with basicly the same number of trout caught for a season compared to "match the hatch". These are dry fly purists and very experienced FF.

 

I have always believed presentation is the most important element.

 

Regards,

FK

[TheCream 0]

Definitely something magical about them. And there's really no wrong way to fish them. Over the weekend I was on the South Holston River in TN and caught a few fish on soft hackles when nothing else seemed productive. I fished a soft hackle above a weighted nymph on a tandem rig fished deep and hooked my best fish of the trip on the soft hackle, which I promptly broke off. Thank you 7X tippet. I also caught fish swinging small soft hackles through slower water with a lot less flow.

[Cold 0]

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[prairiedrifter 0]

I have had 50 fish afternoons with this one.

[Henrik Thomsen (DK) 0]

Great comments so far, and I'll add this book by Mike Harding to the list:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-North-Country-Flies-Step/dp/1845134893

 

TC

Really dont like that book, sorry. ;-)

 

But will recommend http://www.anglebooks.com/the-north-country-fly-yorkshire-s-soft-hackle-tradition-by-robert-l-smith.html

The best book since T. E. Pritt....

 

H

[FKROW 0]

Prairiedrifter,

 

Interesting variation,,, is that a glass or weighted bead behind the soft hackle?

 

I like the idea for an attractor.

 

Regards,

FK