Soft hackle/wet flies question

Wow!Thanks for the detailed reply

I am going to use your set up for a couple of weeks to see how it works for me.I have been using the uni knot to attach segments,leaving only 5-6 " pieces,under the assumption that anything longer would get tangled up.But 18"...and it doesn't get tangles is simply amazing to me.But I'll give it a shot

thanks again for taking the time to write a vry detailed reply
TL
Tom
 
18" would be the longest. Once I tie a fly on its getting closer to 16". I might work it down to 12" before I change it but I usually snag and lose the dropper fly before that happens! I like to keep some distance between my flies to prevent foul hooking fish with the second fly. Today I fished with only a single fly because I was fishing less familiar water. On the creeks where I know how the water works, and where the snags are, I use a double setup.

Please let me know how it goes. I did a similar thing...My second year of fly fishing I tried a year of the whooly bugger, but it started to morph in to a year of streamers. I learned a lot that year through trial and error. Staying with one fly, you start to get a feel for the nuances of everything else, drift, depth, strikes, holds, etc...while the fly remains the constant. I think the soft hackle has more advantages than the whooly bugger. It will be a good experience.
 
I fish almost exclusively weighted soft hackle wets. Match size and color for the hatches, and partridge and tan as an all around caddis emerger/searching pattern, sizes 10 down to 14.

When I left PA, only fished trico and BWO on the surface.

Here in Oregon, same soft hackle strategy, but going as big as #8.
 
Spent the day yesterday fishing a private stretch of Mc Michaels Creek as the guest of a friend.
All I fished were soft hackles,mostly PT and yellow with partridge.
Had a blast and caught a lot of fish.However,before I get too gushy,IMO this is not a true test, because the club stocks the stream with plenty of fish and quite a few lunkers.

It was nice having a fancy lunch served stream side,but it killed 2 hours and I would have rather eaten a PBJ sandwich and fished those two hours.

What I do intend to do over the next few weeks(water temps permitting) is to learn where the non private stretches and the feeder streams are located,and fish/scout them.
If you live in that area &/or want to help with advice,
I'd appreciate it.
Thanks
Tom
 
Wow! I didn't realize so many on the forum fish soft hackles and wet flies. Sometimes I just want to zone out, swing my line and let the fish hook themselves. It's rare to find tackle shops that carry a nice selection so I tie my own. I thought they just didn't sell that many to justify stocking them. If anyone knows a good source please let me know. My top three patterns: Dark Hendrickson (wood duck wing), bead head soft hackle pheasant tail, hare's ear soft hackle. 12's and 14's.
 
Here's a great article about rigging and fishing wets:

Old School

The old school way to fish wets was the fish down and across and let the flies swing a little new school with the old to catch more fish.

Try the rig illustrated in the above article > two flies on droppers and a fly on the point.

I usually use 3x or 4x fluro for the dropper rig fishing 3 flies at least 20" apart

Try a weighted fly on the point - My favorites are a SF PT or a SH HE with Tungsten bead and/or lead wire tied to the shank.

The heavy fly on the point will allow you to tuck cast and fish dead-drift upstream, essentially nymphing for the first part of the cast. The flies are usually deep as they start to swing. Many times the hit occurs at the beginning of the swing.

You can allow a straight swing, mend to slow or speed up, or animate the flies at this time. Try every type of presentation. At this stage, I never set the hook, in fact I often bow the tip down at the hit to give some slack and just tighten up, letting the fish hook themselves.

It a good idea to let the flies hang for while then begin animate them by stripping upstream and finally letting them fall back a few times.

Recast and repeat covering all the water you can reach.
 
I fished soft hackles on the Pohopoco yesterday. First cast had a strike, second cast lost one, every 4th or fifth cast was a strike at least. I love the simplicity of a soft hackle. Especially since I don't have the patience to tie for a long time.
 
Incahoots, fly shops carry limited wet flies because they don't catch fisherman. Many people think they need the "hot" fly of the year, which usually has a silly name, beads, rubber legs, and trailing hooks. Hell, most flies sold in shops are terrible imitations of bugs anyway because they're overdressed.
 
^^^^^
Truth.
 
InCahoots wrote:

Sometimes I just want to zone out, swing my line and let the fish hook themselves.
Click to expand...

Another variation/option to try:

Fish exactly the same way, just with a nymph on the point (end) rather than a wet fly.

 
AFISHN wrote:
Spent the day yesterday fishing a private stretch of Mc Michaels Creek
Click to expand...

Were you fishing Donnie Beaver's section off Strawberry Hill Road or the Pohoqualine? Also, if you're looking for non private waters, stay away from Hypsy Creek. It's a headwater trib to McMichael's but it's severely choked with laurel. Fall creek is much easier to fish.
 
Pohoqualine
 
Heading out all day tomorrow to do begin my exploring project on McMichaels.Staying overnight up there ,so I can give the trip a full day Friday and half day on Saturday
Doing more walking,looking,taking temps than fishing.
Just trying to put together the info I saw on the maps.

Any suggestions(including places to eat) would be appreciated
Thanks
Tom
 
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