Fishing soft hackles

[AFISHN]

Although I have been ff for over 50 years,I never fished soft hackle flys.Could someone give me a few pointers on
1)how do you fish them
2)always on a floating line or do you use other lines
3)do you rig them the same as wet flys
4)any recommendation on good searching patterns if no hatch is taking place
Any other thoughts
Thanks
Tom

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Lots of ways to fish them, apparently. You can drop them behind a dry fly, you can swing them, rig them like other wets, grease them up and fish them like dries, etc.

 

[Tups]

I fish them almost exclusively, always using a point fly and a dropper. But I never tie a dropper to the bend of the hook of another fly, rather I tie my dropper to a short piece of mono about 2 feet above the point fly.

I fish them upstream, across stream, and downstream depending on which seems best suited to the situation.

I always use a floating line DT4F. If the water is cold or deep and nothing is rising, I use a bead head SH to get the fly down to the fish.

Searching patterns include a Hares ear SH, Stewart's Black Spider, and a peacock body SH with brown, grey or red hen hackle. On this last fly I like to tie a butt of green Uni-stretch.

 

[geebee]

i usually swing one or two - a quick way to make a dropper is attach a tippet ring to your tippet and leave a 6" tag, then tye more tippet (12' or so) to the tippet ring as usual.

something i must try this year is one 3" behind a match the hatch dry fly.

 

[Chaz]

I usually fish soft hackles down and across, and then let them swing and rise in the column. Try it with a tiny split shot or just get it good and wet so it drifts just below the surface. I use a floating line.

 

[Stimey]

I like to add them to the end of my nymph rig. two nymphs and a soft hackle trailing it all. dead drift the nymphs and then let swing at the end of the drift. Seems to work well

 

[sandfly]

I run 3 wets together, a winged, soft hackle and dabbler or flymph as point fly. sometimes a weighted nymph as a point fly too. I tie traditional type leaders with droppers.

 

[Maurice]

And don't forget to hold on!

 

[foxtrapper1972]

My favorite soft hackle overall is the Syl's Midge. It is a peacock body with a partridge hackle. Usually use it in a 16 or 18... I mainly fish it dry or actually to be more accurate "damp"....that is in the surface film....Not quite riding high like a dry but still floating and dead drifting. Sometimes I do fish one dry and use a bit of Mucilin and even skitter it during a caddis hatch. I have success on this fly when the trout are eating craneflies, caddis or unknowns. Good luck with your soft hackle fishing....It is a versatile fly and well worth exploring.

 

[outsider]

After the swing, slowly "twitch" them upstream, using your rod tip to "twitch" them. Twitch, stop, retrieve a bit of line, and repeat the process.

 

[Acristickid]

Down and across. I dead drift them too. Leading Coachmans are great flies. I fish them all the time.

 

[Maurice]

acristickid wrote:
Down and across. I dead drift them too. Leading Coachmans are great flies. I fish them all the time.

Thats not a soft hackle spanky. Thats a wet fly.

 

[barrybarry]

I had good luck with them for a few years, this year not so much.

What I like about them is that I can get them to drift into some of the harder places to fish. Let them drift down to a really difficult to cast to area and tighten up. They swing through while rising.

 

[rubby]

what are your favorite soft hackle,mine is the partridge & orange

 

[beeber2]

My two favorites, my top producers, are hen-and-flash soft hackle and a pheasant tail soft hackle. If the fish aren't hitting those it's time to go home and have a beer.