I was sitting down and tying some soft hackles because they are some of the best looking flies to me and i dont have barely any in my boxes. Well i see how the collar on most of the flies i have seen stands up and the barbs curve back slightly. But for the life of me i cannot get my hackle to do that. It either sweeps back or stands up but curves the opposite way. I try to keep the feather from twisting backwards but it happens a whole lot more than it doesnt. What are some things to help with these problems.
CD
Try lashing the hackle down (prior to winding) by its tip rather than by the stem butt.
Soft hackle flies often include a “bump” of something to wrap the hackle against. Such as a bead, a thread lump, chenille, etc.
Both of the above recommendations together! I like a chunky little dubbed thorax on my trout-size soft hackles. I’ve noticed since I started tying feathers in by the tip, they look MUCH better! Make sure as you’re wrapping, you sweep the fibers back as well. That will keep them from flipping forward.
When wrapping the hackle on , be sure that you keep the outside (convex) side of the feather facing forward.
Maybe this will help. It is from the “Intermediate Fly Tying” section on the main page here on FAOL that Al Campbell created. It is in the tying instructions for “Wet Flies” and is the second pattern he shows how to tie which is the Caddis Pupa. Hopefully, I have copied it correctly and it shows up here:
4. Select a grouse feather and strip the fuzz from the bottom of the feather. Next, fold the fibers of the feather back against the grain of the feather as shown. Tie in at the tip of the feather as shown. Trim the excess feather at the eye of the hook.
5. As you wrap the hackle, use your fingers to fold and pull the feather’s fibers toward the bend of the hook so that only the shaft of the feather is near the hook eye.
6. When you finish wrapping the hackle, tie it off and wrap the thread over the front of the hackle to give it that swept look. 
Thanks for the help, i will try these suggestions and post some pictures of the before and after flies.
CD
Here is a link to Davie MacPhail’s Channel, have a look at this on Stewart’s Spider.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DavieMcPhail#p/u/30/uV7k3epJfJY
You will find a lot of patterns, if you troll through them you should find a lot of advice on hackling.
His painting is something else as well! Very nice, is that his “day job”? As always, thanks for giving us access to such neat stuff.
Hugs,
LF
I’d highly recommend watching Davie whether you need help with hackling or not. He is an incredible tyer!
I tie in by the tip also, but I strip one side of the feather. People have a tendency to put too much hackle into the collar. Keep it sparse.
Hi cdpaul;
I find soft hackles to be one of the most challenging patterns to tie, so simple a pattern but as you have found hackling can be very challenging.
There are several different ways of tieing the hackle, tip first, but first, folding the barbs etc. find which works best for you with that particular feather, sometimes different bird feathers require different techniques. Also, indidvidual feather selection can make a big difference, for example partridge feathers can have varying thickness to the stem from bird to bird and also on a single pelt. try to find feathers with the thinest most flexible stem on the pelt and see if that makes a difference. This is why many people suggest inspecting hackle prior to purchasing.
Wayneb
I fish a lot of soft hackled flies, with hackles from many different game birds, poultry hens, and juvenile roosters. The one thing I try to avoid when tying, is the swept back look on the hackles. They look nice on the bench, but how do they look when wet?
If I’m fishing slow water, the fly usually consists of a tying thread body and hackle only, a spider fly. This keeps the hackle moving in the water, imitating life. Live bugs are more nourishing than dead bugs.
For water that’s in moderate flow (a judgement call on the fisherman’s part), I’ll use the same flies only with a small bump of dubbing tight up behind the hackle. This keeps the hackle from collapsing around the hook shank completely (giving movement) or, if I’ve misjudged the water speed, it will make the fly appear tapered, much like a nymph ascending the water column.
If I’m fishing faster water (again, a judgement call) I abandon the game bird and hen feathers and use Juvenile rooster. The barbs on these feathers aren’t as stiff as on mature dry fly feathers, but are stiffer than game bird and hen. They will stay somewhat erect in the faster water, again, giving the impression of life.
Tie them and fish them as you wish. Just offering some food for thought.
REE
I am confused with this. You want it to look like an Umbrella don’t you? I mean unless you are Tenkara flies, that is what a WET FLY or softhackle looks like, isn’t it?
I understand using stiffer feathers to achieve different effects however.
I use the larger Gartside version probably more than any other fly and the idea behind it as well as the smaller version is not only how it cuts through the water, but it looks to be breathing, undulating.
On that note, for me the best feathers for the Nymph size is CDL, Partridge, hen chest, but again, I strip one side…less is more.
If I am using Hen Hackle I tie in by the stem. Just about any other feather and I tye in by the tips. With Whitings Hen Hackle I can get up to 3 flys with one feather. I am a Soft hackle fanatic.
Thanks for the help everyone, they are finally starting to turn out how i want. If i can ever get my camera to work i will post some pictures.
CD
I kinda like my partridge tied about like this. Idea is to have a robust thorax to help the “legs” undulate under water in the currents.
I tie a lot of soft hackle and use silk as a body, a SMALL amount of dubbing at thorax and strip one side of the starling or partridge feather so the fly is tied SParce. fished on a down and across is a go to searching fly . pearsall silk in green, orange or yellow tied with same color thread .a small ribbing unless < 16 then I use a contrasting thread for ribbing instead of wire. tie hackle by the tip is usually the most effective.
Joni,
Nope, no umbrella look. Only curve to the hackle is the natural curve of the barbs, no swept back look.
Here’s a Pritt’s Water Cricket in size 14.
Hook is Daiichi 1640
Silk is Pearsall’s Gossamer Primrose lightly waxed with Keene wax
Hackle is Starling tied in by the butt
Rib is Pearsall’s Gossamer Black, also lightly waxed
Ron, yours still curves to the back and I am betting more so when wet. A stiffer feather is not going to flex as easy as a soft feather and therefore create a different reaction in the water.
I figured the traditional softhackle is more the soft Partridge type feather thus the name “soft Hackle”. A wet fly. I have been able to use the olive on waters with scuds and have great success.
I like them for their multi tasking feature.
Like A.P.Emerger:
Here is one I tied using silk that has the straight out effect:
Again, this is the type of feather. Sparser barbles and a little stiffer than the fluff feathers.
Flymanbill, as far as silk, I started experimenting with it. As rod builders know, silk will go translucent if you don’t use a sealer no matter what color
you start with, soooooo
I started playing with it. Laying down a base or thread, but it has to be Danville as it is one of the only threads that does not change color when wet and it lays
nice and flat. Sheer does as well.
I lay down a base of red thread, then covered with single layer of white silk:
One on the left is wet, one on right dry.
You say, so why bother, because these are specialty colors not like any others. Lay dawn a blue thread base and cover with yellow silk…Awesome Olive
Lay doen a red base and cover with yellow silk…FANTASTIC orange. One thing though, I don’t coat these with any thing.
Not saying I don’t use stiffer feathers. I particularly like them on my #22 and smaller but then again they make killer dry flies with the hackle more like a lions mane.