soft hackle spiders...

[cholcomb13]

I've been intrigued with them and wanted to give them a ty.


What do you think?

Hook 16
Thread 8/0 Olive
Tail...Olive hackle barbules
body...Olive Quick descent dub.
Throax...Peacock herl
Hackle...partridge

Anyone have success with them locally....I tied some up in 18's as well and thought I could drop them off a bigger nymph next time I go out.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Don't know about your local rivers but I fish soft hackles in Washington, Oregon and Idaho with great results.

The one you tied looks like a great fly, and should bring many fish to hand.

REE

[Joe Billingsley]

The Quick Descent body is interesting. I like the idea.
Joe

[Crotalus]

I fish a lot of soft hackles. They work great for me.

I use red, purple, yellow or green floss for the bodies. i usually skip the tails. For the hackle i use partridge and guninea.

[Alberto]

Nice tie, I specially like the sparse hackle.

I use them alot. Usually fish them as droppers off a heavy streamer or nymph.

I keep mine pretty simple, thread/body of Pearsall's silk, bit of dubbing as a thorax, and then a partridge hackle.

Alberto

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I've been fishing soft hackles a lot lately. The sparse hackle you've tied seems to work best for me (one full turn of partridge is enough). I don't put tails on either, but there are those who do so it's not "wrong", just "anther way".

I've found woodcock, starling, pheasant (male and female), grouse, and hen feathers all work well for hackles (as well as partrige of course). Slim bodies, are best I think. Sometimes I'll add a turn of peacock hurl in front of the hackle as a head, sometimes two turns behind as a thorax (or a small dubbed thorax). For a body, I'll add a "mist of dubbing" on some, and for others it will just be a floss body, one turn of hackle, and a small head of the same colour as the body.

It's hard to say which works best though. I've generally found size 14 is the best "all rounder", though size 12 is good, and 16 and 18 have worked too.

I'll also tie them on dry fly hooks, when the idea is to fish them just under the surface, on just in the surface film. Heavier wet fly hooks are useful to get them to sink a bit more. Basically, softhackles are a very versatile type of fly.

- Jeff

[chris from canada]

Very nice tye!!!

Tye up?a couple of white ones, they work wonders when nothing is moving arround.

I usaually fish them in tandem style; two or three drifted cross stream.

Happy tying.
cfc

[Bluegill222]

I don't think I've ever not had at least some success with soft hackles. Not always the most effective fly on a given day, but usually can depend on catching a few on 'em. That goes for most species I fish for, and I fish for most species-- from trout to carp. I tie them small and sparse for both trout and panfish, big and heavier hackled (maybe two full turns of hackle, not enough to inhibit motion and up to size 6)for bass. The one you have pictured looks great. Pheasant tail and peacock herl make good bodies as well as the traditional floss in various colors.

[Hans Weilenmann]

cholcomb13,

Here are some more variations to give you perhaps some additional ideas - flies from a recent swap I have been involved in:

http://www.danica.com/flytier/ibf_swap_3/ibf_swap_3.htm

Cheers,
Hans W

[flyangler]

It certainly looks buggy, which the fish will tell you, too. And it has that fish-love-it stuff called peacock herl.

To help this fly sink, I've been tying soft hackles with out tails and using various colors of ultra wire where you're using quick descent. So if it's a Partridge and Orange, it would be a Partridge and Orange Wire for me. We have good luck with orange, dark green, gold, red, black and chartreuse. Then for the thorax I like the quick descent too, but more often use ice dub in either a contrasting or coordinating color.

I caught a really nice brown on a Partridge and Green Wire on SD's Rapid Creek a few years back.