Soft Hackle Flys

[jbewley]

Is anyone still using the Partridge & Orange or Partridge & Green, Red or Yellow.

Jim

 

[AndyP]

All the time. My preferred method is to swing them thru riffles and the tail end of broken water at the head of a pool. Partridge and orange is the my go to.

 

[Tigereye]

Grey soft hackles have been productive lately. I'll use partridge and green ones in a week or two.

 

[redietz]

Pretty much every time I fish -- which is a lot (or was until the lockdown in MD.)

 

[fritz]

Yes. But when sulfurs come i usually use dun from the shoulder of a mallard wing for the soft hackle.

 

[troutpoop]

Yep, still using them. I much prefer dry flies but these are my next go to flies.

 

[redietz]

fritz wrote:
Yes. But when sulfurs come i usually use dun from the shoulder of a mallard wing for the soft hackle.

Same here.

 

[dc410]

I really enjoy fishing and tying all kinds of soft hackle flies (including the standard partridge and floss flies). This is the time of the year when they really start to produce. I really enjoy the challenge of figuring out just how the fish want them presented on any given day or hour for that matter. I am always amazed at how it turns on/off almost like a light switch.

That’s a great idea of using the mallard wing shoulder feathers for dun colored soft hackles on sulfur patterns. I’m definitely going to give that a try.

 

[jbewley]

Are you using the Mallard, with the yellow body, to copy the Sulfur?

 

[shakey]

Every time I fish.
I often start with P&G,P&O, and a peacock and any color hackle.

If that doesn’t produce , I switch the orange for a yellow.

For dun feathers I often use California Quail. I tye no red with partridge,only quail.

If there is a hatch going on , I will switch to that, of course.

I use a lot of hen soft hackles too. Often subbing speckled hen for partridge .

I use speckled,Brown,black, blue dun,dyed olive and silver Doctor hen.

I use starling a lot . If a size 12 P&Y works, chances are a 14 starling and yellow will work too.

Also, grouse, or whatever you can get your hands on that’s a legal bird .

 

[redietz]

jbewley wrote:
Are you using the Mallard, with the yellow body, to copy the Sulfur?

That, or as a Tup's spider. (Yellow silk body, pinkish thorax.)

Mallard coverts (shoulder feathers) with a pheasant tail body in smaller sizes make for a great BWO emerger. Slightly larger, a PT body with a yellow thorax and mallard coverts makes for a good sulfur emerger.

 

[jbewley]

Thank you all. I seem to be rediscovering soft hackle wet flys.

Jim

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

jbewley wrote:
Thank you all. I seem to be rediscovering soft hackle wet flys.

Jim

They are very effective. Try weighting them when you tie them to get them lower in the water column. Many takes once the swing starts.

 

[SteveG]

If I was forced to fish only 10 flies, a sz18 starling and peacock would be one of them.

 

[Fly5]

I will have to try the Starling and Peacock, size 18.
What hook are you using for that fly? What hooks do you guys generally use for your Soft Hackled flies?

 

[shakey]

Fly5 wrote:
I will have to try the Starling and Peacock, size 18.
What hook are you using for that fly? What hooks do you guys generally use for your Soft Hackled flies?

i tye them on wet fly hooks if want them to sink and dry fly hooks if i want them to stay in the film,

generally mustad 3399 or 3906 for heavy and mustad 3913b upeye lights.

i find it is easy to get mustad 1921 in odd sizes like 13&15.

i also use gaelick supreme sylvester nemes hooks ,partridge,and others,

amongst my favorite hooks are eagle claw fly hooks,but they're hard to get now.

 

[SteveG]

I use a standard dry fly hook for the starling and peacock, and "wet fly" hooks for most of the other patterns.

 

[Fly5]

Ok, Thanks for the info!