Note 2 Read commentator Gary Cranston's comment on 11/14/17 about fishing the EB this past week WITHOUT WADERS. It's not too late!!!
Ok, I'm known as the Soft Hackle guy and for good reason. Under every condition other than flooded rivers the Soft Hackle Fly, in all of it's sizes, is the deadliest fly that you can attach to your leader BECAUSE it represents the living insect better than any other fly. Now, I'm not talking about plutonium glow, super root beer estaz glitz that doesn't even make an attempt to look like you are TRYING to imitate anything that lives in that stream you're fishing. You are not imitating anything BECAUSE all trout food in a stream relies on some for of camouflage to survive. You have entered the murky world of attractor fishing that brings up the question of why a trout would bite that thing. Even Thomas Ames couldn't solve the question of why a trout would hit a bead head nymph. Was it the body material or the bead? Two years ago I answered the question by gluing a bead to a hook, no material added, and caught some stream wise Swift River browns with it. I haven't been able to hook a trout on a bare hook yet but will keep trying.
What makes soft hackles work. It's the movement of the flimsy hackles that we use AND the profile of the body that we tie. It looks and acts like a living insect and that is the key. The colors are muted and found in the aquatic insect world. And wrapping a soft hackle around the thorax of some space age concoction doesn't make it a soft hackle, sorry.
The more natural the better and that means natural materials. Try working more with natural materials such as body furs and natural fibers such as silk and cotton.
Every aquatic insect in the size 8 to size 18 range can be imitated with a SH and that's all of the mayflies, caddis, stoneflies and such and that includes ALL of their life stages. I will add that a soft hackle, swung in the current initiates a heavy strike, much heavier than the take of a weighted nymph. That's what I look forward to!!
Dress them sparsely by not overdoing the hackles and body. Keep them THIN! The last 30 trout taken by my clients have been on sparse partridge and olives in sizes 16 and 18 including a brute 20 inch bow this week. So, ditch the glitter, present the fly correctly and go catch some trout!!!
December is a lot warmer than January and some days in the past have been fairly balmy. The fishing has been great so book me!!!!
Ken
10 comments:
Hi Ken - I hope this comment finds you well.
Quick question for you in regards to tying soft hackle. When do you tie in the thorax? I learned to tie mine in before the hackle, but I know some people swear by tying the thorax in after the hackle in an effort to get the hackle tightly butted up against the thorax. The idea being that the pulse action (from the hackle) when twitched in the current would be much more pronounced and would also prevent the hackle from laying too much over the thorax if tied in after.
Many thanks,
Justin
Ken,
You converted me to soft hackles!! Thank you1
GW
Justin,
When winding hackles my thorax always goes on BEFORE the hackle and is behind the hackle. I've always felt that it gave a good profile to the fly. When tying smaller soft hackles I will lay loose fibers on the top of the hook shank and spin them as I attach them. The butt ends are then covered with dubbing in the form of a thorax. This is the only time the thorax goes on last.
That is all becoming a moot point since my soft hackles are now tied mostly without a thorax!!
Ken
Have to say I am very grateful for learning about this fly from this blog. It worked really well today at the swift. I like to tie mine with more hackle - amazing how buggy they look when wet. I also omit the thorax as it seems to work really well without.
However:-) I am crossing to the dark side this winter and plan on trying euronymphing.
C&R
C&R,
Glad that you got some useful knowledge from this blog.
Euronymphing - you can euronymph, swing wets and soft hackles and fish emergers and dries all with the same rod but it won't be a nymphing rod. They are one trick ponies that are designed to separate you from your money. Get a moderate to fast rod of the longest length that you feel comfortable with and use that. You'll be surprised.
Ken
My top producing fly ever....a little gray softie
Red Thread Head
Gray fur(muskrat) body(sparse so the red thread body shows through)
Grey tail(hen fibers 3-4)
not ribbed
Grey hen (sometimes brown) hackle.
I tied up a bunch for a friend 20 years ago who endeavored to catch a fish in every state within a year. He did and called me back twice for more of these. I put one on a float trip on the Madison last fall and slammed fish with it all day...the guide asked me what the hell I was using...then he saw it and exclaimed "best flies ever" and that he would used them more but the hard take plus being in a boat with sometime inexperienced anglers often results in many many lost flies; he saves them for emergencies.
Anyhow I am doing a bunch of authentic Breadcrust nymphs (which are soft hackles) to see if some of the sea run fish might be interested soon.
Many thanks for the reply, Ken - much appreciated. I actually found the video that first lead me on to this technique. I thought I'd share - it's of Yvon Chouinard (owner of Patagonia) tying a Pheasant Tail and Partridge. At minute 4:40 he explains this technique and why he does it. I'd be curious to know what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PMr4dAnCco
Thanks again,
Justin
Justin,
Chouinard is my hero!!! His tying bench is the seat of a wooden chair and his vise looks like one of those $25 Sunrise India vises. The room he is tying in looks "understated" and not like the room of a billionaire. I've heard that he's trying to catch as many species as possible with that PT nymph, even saltwater species.
Bob T.
I want to try that first nymph but that breadcrust will present a problem. I once had a tail section of grouse but it's long gone. Are you still cutting and scraping???
Ken
Yup...doing it tonight...I will do a dozen quills. Such a pain but its authentic and there is something to be said for authentic! I got a few tail clumps at Blue Quill Angler a few years back. They and Charlies Fly Box sometimes have them. And then there is this site which I have not tried https://www.hideandfur.com/inventory/3072.html
Ken,
It is hard to beat soft hackles, so simple yet so effective. I appreciate reading about Bob T's musk rat version which I tied up a few tonight.
No fishing opportunities for me of late, but I tie up a few flies hoping they get the desired results when I get out again. I have reorganized my flies, weeding out some that aren't too good, or wonder why I tied them in the first place. Most of those I can dismantle and still use the hook for a fly I know I'll use.
Sam
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