Here I go again beating the drum for soft hackles. As readers of this blog know the SH is my favorite subsurface fly because it represents virtually ALL insects from the smallest of mayflies and caddis to huge stonflies.
It was only about 15 years ago that I found myself on a stretch of the EB on a morning in late May. A friend of mine gave me a BIG tarantula dry which immediately became my indicator after I dangled a large partridge and yellow only 18 inches off the bend of the fly. When I mean large I mean size 8! The tarantula caught a fish or two but the partridge and yellow rules the day as I fished some of the heaviest riffles I could find. I switched over to a partridge and orange and the party continued. Needless to say the trout liked that fly which was about the size of your larger stonefly nymphs.
My fly box has soft hackles from size 8 to 18 with 12 and 14 being the sweet spot. My hackles are from partridge, hen and starling. Don't mess around with tiny bags of feathers but buy the whole skin.
Hen is totally underrated as a soft hackle feather. It is very inexpensive and looks great as it moves in the water. I bought a beautiful olive hen cape at the Deerfield Fly Shop which should last a year. Starling is great for smaller flies but it can be difficult to work with because it is so fragile but it makes nice little BWO nymphs so you must have it!!!
I intend to experiment with making larger soft hackle flies up into the size 4 range but that's another post.
10 comments:
Whew, my biggest SH is a 12. Never thought to go larger!
Anonymous 8:33
GO BIG!! You may want to beef up the body using dubbing instead of just floss.
Ken
ok so u would not share the killer bug material. I would like to pass this on to u and your readers. use a streamer hook and u can use blue orange brown etc.(any color u see damsal flies in your area waters. After your body material wrap one strand of fine flashaboo around the body to make a rib. not really necessary but it looks cool. Make a small dubbing area a small way behind the hook eye,then use a native breast feather from our wild turkey (they are really colorful) get one so the length of the hackles will be almost as long as the hook shank. Strip off one side and do only one turn around the hook shank. A killer fly .Blue bodies are my best. Great for smallmouths and largemouths. YOU CAN THANK ME WHEN WE GO STRIPER FISHING. L.O.L. So now you have a reason to tie a large soft hackle. I use a bright blue from the wife sewing basket. You need to know a turkey hunter or find these in the spring where turkeys dust.
If you don't have turkey feathers u can buy dyed ones at a craft store they have them in black in bags for a couple of bucks. Or buy one of those feather wraps than the use for costumes. Go big soft hackles or go home.
Hey Ken, hit the swift today. Fish seem few and far between, lost of spin guys looking for dinner. I managed to land two rainbows, both about 16" on a size 16 jig head partridge and orange. I really think the extra weight lets me get right on the bottom and stay there. Great post and I love your blog, keep it up!
Ethan,
Good work on the Swift. With water temperatures in the 30's it's important to get deep and stay there.
Ken
I'm a do what works kind of guy so I wouldn't consider myself a traditionalist, but one of my most successful flies has been an 18 SH with a micro bead on it, and then another size 18 same SH and colors but without a bead, in tandem. Sometimes i'll put a 20 SH on the bottom if they're real picky. Unnatural but it works on picky fish. I know how you dislike beadheads but it gets that top fly bouncing and that bottom one floats above it a few inches below the surface. I use it because it works.
Josh,
I use beadheads when needed, high water, but I've worked over to micro shot to get deep. Micro shot will keep that single fly down deep but just above the bottom.
Ken
Hi Ken- Great blog, I have a reservation in Pittsburg for mid- may and hope the salmon are running at Magalloway when I get up there.
I'm working on a consulting assignment in Springfield for 6 months and can't wait until the fishing gets going out here. Until it does I would like to improve on my fly tying skills which are minimal. Any suggestions ?
Thanks
Hockey
Hockey,
Youtube!!!
Ken
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