Soft Hackles

[redietz]

Another source for hackle of all kinds is Jim Slattery. He probably has the largest selection in the country, and he‘s been selling some fine looking hen necks that you can use to tie soft hackles on his Facebook group, Fly Tying Hackle, in his famous “Hackle Blitzes” the past day or 2. He sells a ton of hackle in those blitzes on Facebook, and he runs a shop in West Yellowstone called Jim’s Fly Company, and just opened another place in Idaho Falls.

Second that.

Also in West, Blue Ribbon Flies has a lot of soft hackle skins. Slightly closer to home, try Badger Creek.

 

[DrownedFish]

Does anyone have recommendations on where to find soft hackle? It seems to be difficult right now to find much of anything in terms of feathers.

Collins Hackle Farm. Call Charlie and inquire about hen sets. He'll take care of you.

For smaller flies, a starling skin is a good value.

 

[redietz]

Collins Hackle Farm. Call Charlie and inquire about hen sets. He'll take care of you.

For smaller flies, a starling skin is a good value.

He's retired.

 

[DrownedFish]

He's retired.

He is retired from breeding and farming chickens, but is still selling from his inventory. That's why I suggested calling first. He'll let you know what he has. I just got off the phone with him to verify this information.

 

[DGC]

A natural hen pheasant skin is loaded with mottled tan and brown feathers. If you have a Sportsman's Warehouse within reasonable distance, they ship to store for pickup free. Probably will not have them in regular stock. About $15.

 

[bdhoover77]

I want to figure out how to get more proficient at fishing wet flies. I love tying them and love the look of them. But I can’t quite figure out how to fish them effectively. I tried swinging them this evening on the local stream — the water was up and I had several hits on a soft hackle hare’s ear and a soft hackle BWO. But I couldn‘t get the fish to hook themselves.

 

[jifigz]

I want to figure out how to get more proficient at fishing wet flies. I love tying them and love the look of them. But I can’t quite figure out how to fish them effectively. I tried swinging them this evening on the local stream — the water was up and I had several hits on a soft hackle hare’s ear and a soft hackle BWO. But I couldn‘t get the fish to hook themselves.

I think fish missing the soft hackle is part of that style of fishing. It happens. I like swinging soft hackles and do it a fair amount.

I think this style of fishing is more prone to missed hookups, but other times every strike you get a fish hooks itself. Often those missed hookups are the days they're taking the flies softly and light. On the days where they crush it and they'll break your tippet unless you have some bend in your rod, they always hook themselves.

Just a matter of different levels of aggression and willingness to bite in my opinion. We've all had days where actually hooking the fish is harder than others because they aren't really going after it, ya know?

 

[afishinado]

I want to figure out how to get more proficient at fishing wet flies. I love tying them and love the look of them. But I can’t quite figure out how to fish them effectively. I tried swinging them this evening on the local stream — the water was up and I had several hits on a soft hackle hare’s ear and a soft hackle BWO. But I couldn‘t get the fish to hook themselves.

The best tip from the video is to not pinch down on the line when wet fly fishing to let the fish take line from the reel. I learned this tip a long time ago from the old-timers that fished wets all the time. Your hook-up ratio will go way up fishing that way.

 

[redietz]

Fish eat small insects by sucking them in, like we drink through a straw. IF you're fishing downstream, when you feel a tug, what you're feeling is that sucking action -- it doesn't necessarily mean the fly got into the fish's mouth and if you strike you're going to pull the fly away from the fish it does. The same applies if you point the rod at the fly and keep a tight line. (If you do latter, you'll never hook a fish.) You some slack somewhere to get the fly that last inch into the mouth. One way thing you should always do is keep the rod tip up, at least as bit to create a "catenary curve' (look it up) in the line; this creates some slack. Then, you need to be able to release a few inches of line. Afishinado suggests one way (never works for me)
,or to keep a small loop of slack under your finger of the rod hand, and release it when you feel the tug. Once you feel the weight of the fish, then you can set the hook if you want to. (The Brits advise beginning salmon angler to say "God save the king" before setting the hook for this very reason.)

 

[CRB]

Afish and redietz
Right on with that video and asvice above.
You need a bit of slack line the vid does not take into account the curve off the rod.

 

[bdhoover77]

Fish eat small insects by sucking them in, like we drink through a straw. IF you're fishing downstream, when you feel a tug, what you're feeling is that sucking action -- it doesn't necessarily mean the fly got into the fish's mouth and if you strike you're going to pull the fly away from the fish it does. The same applies if you point the rod at the fly and keep a tight line. (If you do latter, you'll never hook a fish.) You some slack somewhere to get the fly that last inch into the mouth. One way thing you should always do is keep the rod tip up, at least as bit to create a "catenary curve' (look it up) in the line; this creates some slack. Then, you need to be able to release a few inches of line. Afishinado suggests one way (never works for me)
,or to keep a small loop of slack under your finger of the rod hand, and release it when you feel the tug. Once you feel the weight of the fish, then you can set the hook if you want to. (The Brits advise beginning salmon angler to say "God save the king" before setting the hook for this very reason.)

As I think back to yesterday (and recent attempts to fish soft hackles on the swing), I think you’ve described my problem. I don’t try to set the hook but I also did not release line to allow the fish to hook itself. I also need to make a better effort to keep the rod tip up. Thank you for the suggestions to work on next time out.

 

[DomR]

,or to keep a small loop of slack under your finger of the rod hand, and release it when you feel the tug. Once you feel the weight of the fish, then you can set the hook if you want to. (The Brits advise beginning salmon angler to say "God save the king" before setting the hook for this very reason.)

This is how I was taught many years ago and still employee it today. I LOVE swinging soft hackles and traditional winged wets any chance I get.

 

[caddisflyer]

The Syls Midge which is just peacock body and partridge collar is a very useful and versatile fly. Can be fished dry, damp or underneath. Always have some in my box. Usually 16 or 18.

 

[Fish Sticks]

As I think back to yesterday (and recent attempts to fish soft hackles on the swing), I think you’ve described my problem. I don’t try to set the hook but I also did not release line to allow the fish to hook itself. I also need to make a better effort to keep the rod tip up. Thank you for the suggestions to work on next time out.

Wait even longer to come tight in the fish if your swinging wets at night. Wet fly fishing swing angle is huge and knowing how to mend to narrow the angle to slow speed down. Also knowing how to lower rod to water to put slack into the swing and slow down is key.

 

[fishingdad88]

I fish nothing but soft hackles during the winter months. #14 Grouse and Herl (below) for little brown stoneflies, #18 Light Spanish Needle for little black stoneflies, #18 Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle, #16 Stewart's Back Spider, and #16 Snipe and Purple for various midges and stoneflies.

I've been out three times this year, fishing only a half an hour or so each time and have caught trout on soft hackles each time (and missed a bunch more.)

View attachment 1641228485

So do you mind if I ask some advice on scaling down patterns in regards to thread ? Hackle is easy enough with a huge if I have a cape but say I find a video for the Spanish needle and they are using a sz 14 and pearsalls gossamer ( which I will substitute anyway) what do you do in that case ? I was thinking of using YLI silk ( unless you suggest another brand) do I just use less layers of overlapping silk on the body if I'm tying in an 18 like you mention above ?

Sorry if it's obvious I'm just super new and trying to make sense of it

 

[fishingdad88]

The Syls Midge which is just peacock body and partridge collar is a very useful and versatile fly. Can be fished dry, damp or underneath. Always have some in my box. Usually 16 or 18.

Is there a specific hook you tie them on? This may be a silly question but super new to this for smaller size hooks I know I can use a hackle gauge for the patridge to find hackle suited to an sz 18 but for the peacock just any old piece of herl is good ?

 

[redietz]

So do you mind if I ask some advice on scaling down patterns in regards to thread ? Hackle is easy enough with a huge if I have a cape but say I find a video for the Spanish needle and they are using a sz 14 and pearsalls gossamer ( which I will substitute anyway) what do you do in that case ? I was thinking of using YLI silk ( unless you suggest another brand) do I just use less layers of overlapping silk on the body if I'm tying in an 18 like you mention above ?

Sorry if it's obvious I'm just super new and trying to make sense of it

The Spanish Needle is an odd tie; you tie it backward. Tie in the herl head, wrap it backward and tie it down. Tie in the hackle (either snipe or starling, wrap backward, tie it down, take a few more turns of silk backwards, and essentially make the whip finish the rear half of the body. This gives one layer of body. Alternatively, after tying the hackle down, wrap the silk back to the rear (midway between the point and the barb), the wrap forward and whip finish immediately behind the hackle. This gives two layers of body.

 

[caddisflyer]

Is there a specific hook you tie them on? This may be a silly question but super new to this for smaller size hooks I know I can use a hackle gauge for the patridge to find hackle suited to an sz 18 but for the peacock just any old piece of herl is good ?

Any dry fly hook will do. I use Mustad but also Orvis tactical dry fly hooks are nice. Any peacock herl. The same herl I use to make griffith gnats. Soft hackle is normally tied longer, not like a traditional dry fly.

 

[GraydenValdez]

I really like to fish soft hackles, and fish them non stop in the fall in the Madison and Firehole Rivers in, or just outside, Yellowstone Park where they can fish like dynamite. I also like fishing wet flies here in PA, especially in the spring, although I don’t fish them here as much as I probably should.

Here’s a fly that I often fish in the Madison in the fall, and have found that this fly produces much better for me than the more popular named patterns (and why wouldn’t it, because it’s my fly pattern and I fish it most often!).

View attachment 1641228486

I like to tie a number of soft hackle patterns using SLF Prism Fiber dubbing, tied in a dubbing loop (or not, as you wish) for the body, and a couple turns of Hungarian Partridge at the head. That’s all there is to them. They are very quick and easy to tie, and they are effective. You only need to change the body colors and hook sizes as needed. As you can see, the SLF colors cover a wide range of insects.

View attachment 1641228487

Nice tie. Nice pattern. do you pick out the SLF fibers? and I can't tell from the pic, is there an underwing of krystal flash? Best regards.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Nice tie. Nice pattern. do you pick out the SLF fibers? and I can't tell from the pic, is there an underwing of krystal flash? Best regards.

Thanks. I tie the SLF fibers in a dubbing loop, and yes, there is a Krystal flash underwing.