Does anyone have any tips/suggestions on fishing soft hackles for someone who has never done it before? I don’t even know where to start. I’ll be fishing a river with lake run trout and would like to give this a shot as I’ve heard it can be very productive. Do I cast straight out and let it swing downstream? What kind of movements should I give the fly (what does a ‘soft hackle’ fly even look like!?). How deep should the flies be (weight, sink tip line??). As you can see, ANY input would very helpful!
I fish soft hackle flies as emergers, up near the surface on either lakes or rivers. When fish are sipping on the surface, often it is for emergers. I use a floating fly line with a long leader. If I use two flies the bottom fly is the heaviest and the soft hackle is above it.
On the rivers I dead drift the flies, casting them upstream and dead drift them by me, and when you get to the end of the length of line you have out, let them swing up to the surface. There is enough water action even on a dead drift to give the soft hackles a very good action in the water. Sometimes on the upward swing you will pick up a fish because it thinks the bug is heading for the surface.
Davy Wooton has a style of casting that he calls ?A Cast of Flies?, where he uses 3 flies, many of them soft hackles, and he makes short casts, basically doing a High Sticking It style of drift where he casts upstream a sort distance and raises his rod really high as the flies go by then lowers the rod as they pass him. His top fly is fished right on or just under the surface and in a way it is his strike indicator, plus may occasionally catch a fish. He starts in close then slowly works the flies out, then moves a few feet and does it again.
You can get a copy of his DVD called Wet Fly Ways by Davy Wooton from Fly Fish TV at www.flyfishtv.com. The DVD is 120 minutes long and is filled with great suggestions and tip on fishing streams and rivers.
Good luck fishing. 
Larry
I was actually just reading Nemes’s book on that very subject and well they can be fished anyway really.
I like to if given the room fish them across down stream on the swing on a floating line just below the surface as a emerging insect. You can throw in a mend down stream to speed the fly up or upstream to slow it if you feel its needed.
As far as action Nemes’s said “you only need a jerk at one end of the line.” and he was referring to the one that the fish will give ya.
To set the hook be gentle more often then not they set them selves just a lift of the rod is normally enough and sharpen hooks to make catch rates sky rocket. As far as patterns there are a bunch here lately but they look like these on the lid of the box.
You’ve received some good info above on fishing the wee wets. I, too, usually cast them upstream and mend to keep them fishing well. Once past me and the line starts to tighten, let them swing until they are directly down stream of me, wait a second ot two and make a couple of strips in. I’ve had takes on the dead drift, on the swing and on the dangle. They are very effective flies to fish with.
For some samples of wet flies, might I suggest Donald Nicolson’s fine web site. Donald is a contributer here and a very welcome one. here’s his site http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/
Look for wet flies and spiders.
Hope this helps a bit.
REE
:lol:
Sage, this is actually a method as old as fly fishing itself.
It was taught to me by my grandfather
(He probably learned it from Walton )
mtangler,
Two articles on this subject. I hope they help.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstre … 05,00.html
[http://www.fineflies.com/Articles/softhackles.htm](http://www.fineflies.com/Articles/softhackles.htm)
Best wishes......
mtangler,
Try this link. It’s a classic pattern.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytyin … klefly.jpg
The article for this fly is located in the Fly Of The Week archives, as Soft Hackle Fly in the second quarter of 2006.
I fish mine 99% of the time without added weight (and no bead heads either), but was reminded this past weekend that a small split shot about a foot up the leader can be a deadly addition. A friend and I fished the same stretch of water, with the exact same soft hackle fly, both of us casting across and letting them swing. He was hooking up on nearly every other cast, while I was doing good to get a tap every half hour or so. It wasn’t until we were done that I realized he had split shot on his line (whereas I didn’t), and apparently that little bit of extra depth on the swing made all the difference on that particular day. Try fishing them various ways - like others have said, there’s almost no wrong way.
I fish them as an emerger in the film, dead drift like a dry fly. I also use a “greased leader” because the fly rides very low in the film and sometimes even sinks, the greased leader will keep the fly at or near the surface the fly is also difficult to see so you can focus on the leader…now for the magic secret…Frogs Fanny!! Apply Frog’s Fanny after every 3rd or 4th drift.
Ray’s technique is killer.
I call mine “damp” flies, I think I got the idea originally from Gary Borger.
I tie mine on dry fly hooks, but with sparse soft hackle.
They make an impression on the water surface skin that is very realistic
They are super great in the back eddies, of any river you care to name…
And like all the rest say there is just about no wrong way to fish these great flys
Thanks everyone! Sounds like it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up, I’m excited to go give it a try tomorrow!
Thanks again…
Great answers from everyone! Here’s an article that might also apply. While it’s on wet fly fishing, it surely applies to soft-hackles.
Mark
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part402.html