Soft Hackles

[kelso2340]

I love fishing soft hackles. I usually do pretty well with them but have began to question if i could be doing better. I was looking for some input on how your other fishermen fish them? I am particularly looking for some input on your rigging techniques. Do you fish them in tandem with other nymphs? Single? Top or bottom? Split shot anywhere? Basically just the whole rig lol. Thanks guys.

 

[SteveG]

My favorite way to fish them is across or downstream to a fish taking emergers. I'll also use them as a top fly on a nymph rig. I personally haven't had much success fishing them upstream. It'd be hard to detect takes.

 

[BelAirSteve]

I fish soft hackles most of the time. I find i get most strikes either at the beginning or end of the swing. You can also swing them to rising fish. Once you know where the fly is in relation to the length of the leader you can target fish.

 

[GenCon]

BelAirSteve wrote:
I fish soft hackles most of the time. I find i get most strikes either at the beginning or end of the swing. You can also swing them to rising fish. Once you know where the fly is in relation to the length of the leader you can target fish.

^ Yes what Steve said. I love swing wets to rising fish. Very effective and lots of fun.

GenCon

 

[Chaz]

I usually fish them downstream, but more like a dry fly. I really depends on how the trout are taking them.

 

[Coughlin]

Yep, unweighted soft hackle on the swing can really be effective. Try putting a dab of sink on the fly and casting straight across or just slightly upstream, as the line tightens the fly begins to rise and will often attract a fish, even if there's nothing coming off.

 

[AFISHN]

I have just started fishing them ,almost exclusively, and have used them about a dozen days so far this season.So I'm a novice with them.
However:
Recently,I have had vg success with fishing them unweighted, but putting a single bb split shot ,about a foot above the top fly on a 9.5--10 ft ft leader.I secure the shot with a blood or uni knot.Fishing across ,letting it swing,and leaving it downstream for about 5 seconds,before recasting.

 

[KeithS]

Google Oliver Edwards. I watched a video last night all on wets.

 

[GenCon]

I typically fish 2 flys. One dark and one light. I use to tie the second fly off the tail end of a blood knot. This year I added a tippet ring between my leader and tippet. It works very well and can easily be changed as needed. . As far as adding weight. I start with out any then add if needed. If I am swinging to rising fish I use no weight. Mostly I fish down and across. If I want to fish one dragfree I fish them below a dry fly. I did very well this year using a breadcrust as my tail fly and a partridge and yellow on the dropper. If using 2 flys I almost never false cast. Doing so can assure a tangle. In most cases there is no reason to.

GenCon

 

[Coughlin]

If you tie your own or are thinking about it, a really productive fly is a soft hackle with a bead. The trick is to tie the hackle in front of the bead. Just tie the fly as you would and whip finish behind the bead. Then tie thread at the eye of the fly ahead of the bead and tie in the hackle. The bead works nicely as a thorax and also keeps the hackle played out. I generally keep about 1/2 eye length space between the eye and the bead for a clean tie-in.