first soft hackle

[agn54 0]

This is my first go at a small soft hackle. I have tied several larger Gartside style baitfish soft hackles but nothing like the small trout ones. Any suggestions on how to improve it are much appreciated. I have no idea what the proportions should be or how to measure them, I just tried to copy what I have seen in pictures.

 

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

looks good my only suggestion would be less hackle I typically like 1 to 2 wraps swept rearward

[Losthackle 0]

As riffleriversteelheadslayer said, I would use a little less hackle. When using wood duck I usually strip the fibres from one side of the feather and take 1 wrap, maybe 2 wraps.

 

Having said that, I think there are a number of different styles of soft hackle flies. There's the American style (Nemes, Leisenring, Hidy) style ...the swept back hackle; the Pritt and Edwards North Country Spider style ...very sparse with the hackle standing more straight out from the hook; the W.C Stewart style where the hackle is spun onto the thread and then wound in open turns up the shank (a right old mess); the tenkara Sakasa Kebari (reverse hackle fly) where the hackle is tied to flare over the hook eye.

 

The American swept back style seems to "imitating" the emerging caddis, so the hackle is swept back and perhaps a little fuller than the other styles as it imitates both legs and wings. Designed to be fished upstream and then held in the downstream current (the Leisenring lift)

 

The Spiders were designed for the rough and tumble freestone streams of the North Country, where any fly was quickly sucked under and messed about. Stewart's style similarly. (upstream, short line)

 

The tenkara fly is designed for fast flowing mountain streams, and to be fished with a subtle pulsing movement to enliven the hackle.

 

Interestingly, the proportion of hackle length to hook shank is about the same (1 to 1 1/2 times) and all the flies emphasize the importance of movement...the mobile hackle.

 

One final historical note: GEM Skues' first set of "nymphs" were actually imitating mayfly emergers and used soft hackles very much as the North Country Spiders. (Dead drift upstream to fish "on station").

[EzGoing 0]

I like to fish soft hackles across or down and across and let'm swing....like spey fishing. The takes are hard and aggressive! [Dries I will fish upstream.]

[shoebop 0]

Good answer Losthackle.

 

I like less hackle on my river flies and about 2/3 to 3/4 the length. On stillwater flies I like a fuller hackle like a Bibio or flymph style.

[Henrik Thomsen (DK) 0]

As the others with regards to hackle.

 

The body could be shortened to only reach back to above the point and also be thinner.

Normally go with the tying thread in touching turns down the body and back to the head again, no more....

And then maybe a smaller head would be nice.

Some spiders call for 2-3 turns of peacock herl as head to cover up the tying mess left at the head....

 

 

/Henrik

[flytire 0]

fish it!

 

if it catches fish then tie more just like it.

 

theres no right or wrong in fly tying

[mvendon 0]

Hi agn54,

 

Here's a couple of charts on proportions depending on what style you're tying. I have these printed out and in a binder by my tying bench too.

 

Regards,

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Losthackle 0]

forget what i said about the hackle proportions...mvendon is the man! Thanks for those charts...really good. especially the second one.

 

The differences and the reasons behind the different styles doesn't seem to be well understood or documented, as far as I know...love to be wrong on this. Anyone know a good reference?

 

 

The evolution of the different styles grew out of differences in the type of waters and the type of fishing. The type of fly life maybe a secondary consideration, excepting the development of the flymph.

 

I have had very little success with the Stewart style on the rivers I have fished...far more success with the North Country Style with the longer hackle (& more recently the kebari style), fished upstream, and the flymphs, fished with the Leisenring lift.

 

There's a lot of subtlety in the choice and use of the style. A lifetime's study!

[agn54 0]

Awesome info guys, thanks a ton! Losthackle, your first post was extremely helpful. I know virtually nothing about soft hackles or what they even imitate. I just always thought they looked cool when I saw them posted so decided to try my hand at something different. I think I used 3 turns of the hackle but probably should have stopped at 2 or even 1.

 

mvendon, those charts are fantastic, thanks for posting them.

 

Henrik, thanks for the input on the body. Since I tie primarily for the salt, I am still amazed out how small and sparse a lot of these flies should be.

[Randyflycaster 0]

I'm reading the Soft-Hackled Fly by Nemes. So far a good read. It has a lot of history of soft-fly fishing.

 

Randy

[oldtrout58 0]

As the others with regards to hackle.

 

The body could be shortened to only reach back to above the point and also be thinner.

Normally go with the tying thread in touching turns down the body and back to the head again, no more....

And then maybe a smaller head would be nice.

Some spiders call for 2-3 turns of peacock herl as head to cover up the tying mess left at the head....

 

 

/Henrik

 

I agree with Henrik. Of course, the fish have the final say. That is an excellent first soft hackle, 1000 times better than my first effort.

[Rolf Jacobsen 0]

fish it!

 

if it catches fish then tie more just like it.

 

theres no right or wrong in fly tying

Yep!

[Hellgrammite 0]

Soft hackles are my nemesis; such a simple seeming thing, and I think your first is better than any of mine.

 

Ps. The fish dont mind that mine look nasty. Im sure they will like yours better!

[Losthackle 0]

For anyone interested in the history and development of the "soft hackle" fly there is a good article by Phillip Bailey here

 

The old books by T. E Pritt North Country Flies (not all soft hackle) (1886) can be read online and downloaded here

 

Harfield Edmonds Brook and river trouting, a manual of modern north country methods, with coloured illustrations of flies and fly-dressing materials (1916) here

 

W.C Stewart's The Practical Angler (1907) here

 

By the bye the internet archive is a useful search point for all old books.

 

Enjoy!