Earlier this month, I tested out a whole bunch of soft hackle patterns on a particular lake in the Eastern Sierras (along with some other patterns I wanted to try out). Almost all were not tied with the traditional, suggested sparse hackling...The patterns:

http://planettrout.wordpress.com/201...ll-water-done/

The results:

http://planettrout.wordpress.com/201...n-the-sierras/

I have never been convinced that Trout, and sometimes in great numbers, will not take (what would be called) an overly hackled pattern...just too much experience using them in still and moving water...


PT/TB