Soft Hackles

Here’s one that has been very effective on bluegill for me this summer. It’s grouse for the hackle and pheasant tail wrapped around the hook for a body.

I long ago lost count of the number of bluegill that have been brought to hand on this fly.

It’s really easy to tie which is a good thing. After 15-20 fish, it’s pretty well battered and bruised and it’s time to tie on a new one.

Jeff

Hey Jeff!

Good looking soft hackle. I’m not surprised you were cleaning up on the gills with it.

Got your message by the way. Didn’t go to BV on Sunday. The honey do list got too big. See you on the river sometime soon!

Hi Jeffnles1,

That’s a very nice tie! The grouse hackle really suits the pt body. I’ve fished a similar one (no tail) and it does well on the trout here.

  • Jeff

Very good looking fly and I am a fan of soft hackles when fishing for Bluegill.

Great looking fly.I’ll have to tie a couple of those for my box.Thanks for sharing.

-Steve

Hi Jeffnless1;

Great tie!

Looks very simple and effective.

Any sizes and or colors you find better for gills?

Thanks in advance;

Wayneb

Jeff -

I tie a very similar fly - little less tail, some peacock herl for the thorax, and a sparser soft hackle ( partridge or hen hackle ) - that is a great fly for trout in sizes 16 and 18. Especially in the early stages of a blue wing olive hatch, as an emerger.

John

What you see here is what seems to work best around these parts (Northern Kentucky).

Sizes 10 to 14. Most I tie are size 12.

Grouse hackle. Pheasant tail wrapped around the hook for the body. Thin gold wire to hold all together.

They seem to be crack for bluegills. Once they taste one, they keep coming back for more.

This is especially deadly hanging about 12-18" below a gurgle pop.

Jeff

Nicwe looking wee wet, Jeff. I’ve been fishing the soft hackles for some time, mostly for trout and am very pleased with the simple ties and effectiveness of the flies. I tie a similar fly with a shorter tail and golden plover hackle. It’s just deadly.

Jeff,

Can’t make out the body clearly. Is their a ribbing of wire? Really like that fly and I want to tie some up for a small lake near my house they stock with trout.

This is a lovely soft hackle Jeff, I like the clean lines of this fly, the colour isn’t bad either. Is that a body or wing covet feather for the hackle Jeff?

Easy you say… Hmmmmmm…think I’ll definatley try tying this one then.

Jeanne

Nice looking fly. I have no doubts it will catch fish. I use more soft hackle flys to catch trout than any others. They work!

Gosling is it not?

TyroneFly,
Yes, it has a very thin gold wire ribbing.

I’ve been out of town on business. Sorry I didn’t get back with you earlier.

I use the gold wire ribbing to hold everything together.

Jeff

Jeanne,
This one happens to be a body feather. I’ve used wing too (not the primary flight feathers but the upper wing feathers). I haven’t really noticed any real difference.

I usually go more by the size of the feather (wrap it around the hook and see if it “looks” right.

It’s no "hard fast rule) but it seems that the hackles about 2X the hook gap seems about right. Again, I’m not “scientific” about this, I just tie what looks right.

Thanks everyone for the compliments on the tie. It’s a very effective fly on the bluegill around these parts.

Jeff

Jeff,

Thanks for the reply. I am going to tie some of those flies up.

Thanks Jeff, I’ll let you know how they go when I make them.

Jeanne

Real nice tie, Jeff. It would work well on my waters, that’s for sure. Soft hackles are really staging a comeback. They can be deadly for sure.

English grouse is a great hackle, but finding it in smaller sizes can be difficult and expensive. Golden Pheasant, on the shoulder of the wings, has feathers that are identical in texture and color, but much much smaller. I use that feather when tying #16 and #18 “Grouse and Green”, which is a dynamite caddis emerger pattern for the Green Rockworm hatches we get here in Oregon.

Hello Mike, let me be the first to welcome you to the board…I’m south of you an hour or so and you made a mid and two tips for my Granger Favorite. Thanks again for the unstanding work.

Good seeing you here Mike !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose