Quote Originally Posted by flyguy66 View Post
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Here's the thing, Ed: For the hackles to flair (abduct), a soft hackle must be at a true dead drift in the water or suspended in the surface film. The slightest variance moves the hackles back and forth - toward the eye or shank of the hook. This is what the soft hackle so effective. This is what gives it "life." This breathing gills or moving legs motion is almost always undetectable to any observation by the naked human eye, but it is occurring even when the hackles seem to be "plastered to the body of the fly." The hackles form a long arch down the side of the fly and undulate in and out as water friction moves them ever so delicately. Don't ask me why fish see this instantly and miss that big ole hook sticking the end of the bug they're about to eat! I have no clue. But they do it all the time. It has something to do with the way that sub-pea-sized brain is wired I imagine. It is programmed to do about 3 things I guess: eat, procreate, and avoid natural predators. Fish hooks sticking out of a bug's butt or bait fish's belly and tail just doesn't register as a threat, I guess. That's all I can figure. It's sort of the opposite of why they think a chartreuse spinner bait looks like food: beats me!
Flyguy66, I came to the understanding that soft hackles have to be fished on a dead drift to reach their potential. I didn't realize that the first time I tried them, but I worked my way around to it. (You might say it was an upstream struggle to learn that.) I think that we pretty much agree on soft hackles. That said, I'm still not above using a single wrap of dry fly hackle on an otherwise soft hackle style of fly. In fact, I am pleased to say that the JV rooster which I recently got from Conranch has proven its worth for that, even if nothing else. (And that JV rooster has plenty of other utility. I took it into a fly shop to show off recently and thought I was going to have to fight to get it back.)

Tight lines,
Ed