Weighted Soft Hackle
by Elaine Cook
Weighted Soft Hackle
by Elaine Cook
Soft hackle flies have been around for about 500 years. They imitate emerging caddis pupae, mayfly nymphs and emergers. They can be fished in a variety of ways: retrieved slowly, dead drift, or on the swing, as an insect rising to the surface. When fishing as a dropper, dead drift behind a dry fly, it helps if it is weighted, because false casting to dry off the dry fly will also soft hackle fly and make it float. Many, many patterns exist that follow the basic tie. The fly tying class will feature two, and here is one that works well as a dropper behind a dry.
| Hook: | TMC 100 or 3769, sizes 10-16 |
| Thread: | Color to match body, 8/0 |
| Body: | Fine wire, olive, bright green, red, brown, yellow, orange, black |
| Thorax: | Hare's mask |
| Hackle: | Partridge |
| Head: | Thread |
1. Crimp barb.
2. Attach thread 1/3 hook shank back.
3. Lay wire on top of shank, starting at tie in spot. Wrap thread backward in touching wraps to above spot halfway between hook point and hook barb.
Note: It's very important to keep wire on top of shank so that a smooth uniform body can be formed.
4. Wrap thread forward in close wraps to tie-in spot.
5. Wrap wire forward in touching wraps to tie-in spot. Twist wire to cut.
6. Apply dubbing wax to about 1 1/2 inches of thread (less for smaller flies). Pull off a small amount of dark hairs from mask. Apply to prepared thread, twist onto thread. Dub thorax covering about 1/5 of shank. Leave one hook eye length of shank behind eye clear.
7. Select a soft hackle feathers with barbs longer than the body but shorter than rear of hook. Hold tips of feather, stroke barbs away from tip. Lay on top of shank, tip to rear and colorful side upward. Tie in where barbs separate direction and immediately in front of thorax. Tie off, cut tip.
8. Hold feather up by stem, stroke barbs back, make one wrap of feather around shank. Repeat procedure one or two times more (keep hackle sparse). Tie off, cut excess (be sure to cut only stem, not barbs).
9. Stroke barbs backward, wrap thread head, which will help barbs to lay backward.
10. Whip finish, apply head cement, cut thread.