Baron
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You did it Bob. You brought up my current favorite style, Soft-hackle, nice to see how he fishes them.
barrybarry
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- Feb 23, 2009
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Really enjoyed watching it. Thanks. Been fishing soft hackles a lot this year. Had a great day on Muddy Creek a couple of weeks ago. Sort of hooked on wet flys lately.
Baron
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I fish only for Panfish and often use soft hackles under an indicator or I twitch them under the surface.
Rainier42
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- May 26, 2020
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Question ... how do you get soft hackles to sink, what does a rig look like?
redietz
Well-known member
You don't. They're (traditionally) fished near the surface.
Generally, it's a team of two or three flies, with the point fly (aka "stretcher") at the end of leader, with one or two droppers hanging off the leader spaced a couple of feet apart above. (The top dropper is sometimes called the "hand" fly.) You can see one of the droppers hanging from the leader at about 4:00 in the video.
barrybarry
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I fish them in several different ways. With a nymph as a point fly and the wet on a dropper. (as shown) Also by themselves with just two flys unweighed. (using mends to allow the flies to sink)
Three flies always seem to be more trouble than what they're worth.
EXAMPLE—This image was while taken using two wet flies and a bead-head hares ear dropper.
The trouble with droppers is releasing fish. This was from a few weeks ago. Even though I fish barbless, I couldn't get the hook out on the stream. Drove home and studied it in good light. Once I got the angle correct, it came out pretty easy.
Three flies always seem to be more trouble than what they're worth.
EXAMPLE—This image was while taken using two wet flies and a bead-head hares ear dropper.
The trouble with droppers is releasing fish. This was from a few weeks ago. Even though I fish barbless, I couldn't get the hook out on the stream. Drove home and studied it in good light. Once I got the angle correct, it came out pretty easy.
Attachments
redietz
Well-known member
There was an article in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying a couple of years ago by Howard Croston a few years ago that contained a sentiment with which I heartily concur. Howard is one of the top competitive fly anglers in the world and the article was on how to weight nymphs. He had this to say about beadheads on soft hackles:
"If truth be known, many anglers rely too heavily on bead-heads these days and feel naked without one on the cast, to the extent that you now see many so-called 'North Country Spiders' on social media festooned with a glittering bead-head -- basically turning the deadly Spider into little more than a badly dressed nymph!"
In other words, if you're looking to fish a weighted fly, fish a nymph or streamer. If you're looking to fish a soft hackle, leave the weight off.
"If truth be known, many anglers rely too heavily on bead-heads these days and feel naked without one on the cast, to the extent that you now see many so-called 'North Country Spiders' on social media festooned with a glittering bead-head -- basically turning the deadly Spider into little more than a badly dressed nymph!"
In other words, if you're looking to fish a weighted fly, fish a nymph or streamer. If you're looking to fish a soft hackle, leave the weight off.
M
maxima12
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DAVY WOTTON, NORTH COUNTRY TO ME, MEANS, IRELAND, BRITISH ISLES, SEARCH THERE, DIFFERENT IN LOOK AND STYLE. THROW THE 12 AND 14 OUT. WANT SOME FISH, 10 AND BIGGER.
8 ABOUT RIGHT, LEADER? **** IS ON THE WEB, REAL DEAL, IS IN MY HEAD.
STILL AROUND AFTER 34 YEARS. NO ADDS, NO REPS, NO PHONE, NO FACEBOOK, NO SENSE, GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN REST, PENN STATE, LONG AGO, BEST, WE HAVE SEEN, PA. TROUT UNLIMITED. LONG AGO.
THE MAGIC HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THOSE WITH NICE PHOTOS AND A QUICK WHITE LIE. LOTS HAVE STOLE BUT THE FAVORITE OF TIME IS MINE. YOU SAW THEM, RED TWIST TIE LEADERS, I SEE A LOT OF COPIES. I CALL THOSE COPYCATS. WELL, COME FISHING WITH ME AND I WILL TELL YOU, OVER A BURGER, DOG AND SMOOTH WHISKEY.
MAXIMA12
8 ABOUT RIGHT, LEADER? **** IS ON THE WEB, REAL DEAL, IS IN MY HEAD.
STILL AROUND AFTER 34 YEARS. NO ADDS, NO REPS, NO PHONE, NO FACEBOOK, NO SENSE, GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN REST, PENN STATE, LONG AGO, BEST, WE HAVE SEEN, PA. TROUT UNLIMITED. LONG AGO.
THE MAGIC HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THOSE WITH NICE PHOTOS AND A QUICK WHITE LIE. LOTS HAVE STOLE BUT THE FAVORITE OF TIME IS MINE. YOU SAW THEM, RED TWIST TIE LEADERS, I SEE A LOT OF COPIES. I CALL THOSE COPYCATS. WELL, COME FISHING WITH ME AND I WILL TELL YOU, OVER A BURGER, DOG AND SMOOTH WHISKEY.
MAXIMA12
skybay
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- Jan 11, 2009
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- 624
Soft hackles are remarkable; you can do so much with them!
Steeltrap
Active member
Huh....I've been tying my soft hackles with some twist of lead free wire under the body.
This get's the fly down and seems to work as I've caught many on them.
Are you saying to not use any lead wrapped around the hook?
This get's the fly down and seems to work as I've caught many on them.
Are you saying to not use any lead wrapped around the hook?
afishinado
Moderator
Staff member
I tie my soft-hackle flies without weight. That way it can be fished as a dry, emerger or in the mid-depth area. You can always add weight to get it down and nymph with it.
gulfgreyhound
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A ratty beat up dry fly will work also.GG
