Why soft hackle wet flies?

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a big fan of Soft Hackles and to a lesser degree, regular winged wets. They're so easy to fish and are very productive at any time of day, in any weather, and at all depths from just under the surface to down deep.

If you read around the net, these flies can be called any number of things. Spiders, flymphs, soft hackles, and more. I'm not sure I always know the distinction, although some literature say that spiders are tied more sparsely. Whatever the case, they are all soft hackles to me.

For those of you new to SHs, you can just cast these out across the stream and let them "swing" in the current. You don't have to be perfect with a dead drift (although dead drifting a soft hackle upstream is a killer) and you'll still catch a ton of trout. Not to mention, when swinging, there is no mistaking when a fish is on!

Main Tuolumne - August 14th, 2007

Another trick I like to use is that in tight situations, I'll let the fly "swim" below me, directly downstream. I'll use the rod to put it beside boulders, under trees, along seams. Wherever you know fish are hanging out. Alternate lifts with short drifts. I've even caught fish while my fly was just dangling downstream as I was doing something else (digging out a camera, getting a drink of water, etc), not even trying to catch anything. In a small creek, this is a great way to go since trees make it hard to get a good cast in.

Soft hackles can be fished directly upstream, up and across, across, down and across, downstream, or all of the above. Dead drift, swing, or even pulled through the water, I don't think there is a wrong way to fish them. I've caught plenty of trout during the hottest part of the day deep down, or just below the surface when you may be tempted to put a dry on.

Lastly, I'd just like to say that I often rig together 3 flies at once. This gives you a great way to see what is working for that particular day. The heaviest fly goes on the tail, a medium sized soft hackle in the middle, and the front gets either a winged wet or another soft. If you don't know what fish are interested in, this gives you an excellent way to find out - quick!

I really think that the hackle, no matter how sparse it may be, gives extra life to any fly. I occasionally still fish nymphs or even tie one here or there, but I really think that putting the hackle on just makes it more interesting to the fish. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. As soon as someone interviews a trout to find out for sure, let me know!

Here are some great links to some sites with soft hackle/wet fly/spider/flymph info:

http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/flymphs/
http://www.jackgartside.com/step_soft_hackle_flies.htm
http://tinyurl.com/35jqrp
http://flyfisherman.com/softhackles/

Summer / Fall Wrap Up

This has been a great summer of fly fishing. I became a little lazy and skipped the reports on quite a few outings. I tried to go at least three times a month, sometimes I'd go to the same place two or three times and it didn't warrant a new report, or I just plain skipped it entirely.

In a nutshell, my favorite spot has to be Tulloch Dam Rd and Two-Mile Bar of the lower Stan. You just can't beat the huge numbers of wild trout and limited crowds. Next Spring, I'd like to try Beaver Creek through Big Trees Park (enjoyed Beaver Creek but access was difficult where I went) and possibly the North Fork of the Stan while I'm there. The Merced river had good fishing spots and would be a nice place to visit again. Or perhaps Cherry Creek just for the fact that it was a 20+ fish day and there was plenty of river I didn't explore. Can't forget the main fork of the Tuolumne. Although I was skunked there, I want to try again.

However, I have a feeling that I'd like to try some new spots altogether next Spring. Not to say my fishing is done for the year. This winter, I'll try to shove in a few days at Putah Creek to see what it is like.

Fly of the Week #4

In honor of Halloween, I tied this orange themed soft hackle.. Unfortunately, the picture quality doesn't really reflect the coloring of the fly.

"Trick or Treat Soft Hackle" - Size 12

This guy is tied on a size 12 long hook. The three orange beads were bought at a craft store (bead making supplies). They are pretty light and won't add much weight. Orange thread keeps it all together.

Fly of the Week #3

I really like this one. It definitely has a buggy look. This guy actually has two sections of soft hackle making it look really messy. The first is in front of the thorax, the second behind.

"Rats Nest Soft Hackle"- Size 14

I'm using brown thread with golden stone dubbing at the thorax. If you haven't figured it out by now, soft hackles are my favorite flies to fish (and tie).

Trip Report: Lower Stanislaus #3 and #4

This has been a great place to fish. The proximity from where I live, combined with a large population of wild trout is hard to pass up. During these two trips, I've explored more at both Tulloch and Two-Mile bar while investigating new spots along the road.

After studying the Google satellite maps, I tried some different access points to the river along Tulloch Dam Rd. The problem is, there is a canal that runs the length of the river between the road and the river. Although there is a foot bridge at Tulloch access, I'm unaware of any others. If you live on the edge, I guess you could scale some cliffs where the canal goes underground, but otherwise it is not possible to pass. I'm still trying to find an access point that doesn't cross private property. I really want to get to the river between Tulloch and Two-Mile.

Since I cannot cross the canal, except at the footbridge. I walked along side the river side of the canal - both directions as far as you can go. The upstream side dead ends at the dam, the downstream side dead ends when the canal goes underground. Between those stretches, I've pretty much been there except at the steepest sections that would require a rope to get down.

The last time I went, the water level was much higher. So high in fact, that I could no longer cross the river safely at Tulloch access. I was looking at the sat maps, and there is a possibility if I can cross the river and follow the canal on that side, I may be able to access further downstream. I'm still not sure and won't be sure until next spring when the water level lowers again.

Speaking of high water, the river looked completely different the last time I went. All the good spots that worked so well last time were either unaccessible or there just weren't fish in there because the river was moving so fast. They all moved to slower spots. I found one area off Tulloch that had 25+ inch rainbows, but I was only able to catch the 15-17 inchers that were in there with them.

Trip #3 was my best chance to explore (#4 had the high water level) and I found some really good ones that I somehow missed the other times. One of them at Two-Mile was very productive and perfect holding water. I was looking forward to fishing it again on trip #4, but it was impossible to access during the high water. Funny thing was, I missed this area on trip #1 and #2. There are so many hidden little sections as the river splits and goes around several islands.

Two-Mile Bar is also filled with Salmon now (both #3 and #4 trips). These huge fish are amazing to watch. They rocket through the water so fast. It is quite a sight to behold. Below the spawning areas, I tried some egg patterns with no luck. Soft hackles, particularly hare's ears, march browns, or pheasant tails were very productive in sizes 12-16.

Fish count: More than 20
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Fly of the Week #2

This one is a little messy looking with the stray fibers on the head. You'll probably see that a lot in my flies. I actually think these strands help give them a more buggy look and probably more attractive to fish. Of course, we'll never really know.

"Yellow Canary Soft Hackle" - Size 14

The thread is yellow with yellow embroidery floss making up the body. Hungarian partridge makes the soft hackle.

Fly of the Week #1

I'm going to start a weekly post called "Fly of the Week". Simply put, a photo of a fly I tied and maybe something about it.

I just recently started tying flies. I played around with a few here and there over the years, but never took it seriously. There are a couple of reasons why I wanted to buy the proper equipment and start. First, I was tired of losing my flies after a snag and going through the trouble of buying online or paying three plus dollars at the shop. Second reason was that as I fished longer here in California, I started seeing what was working and wanted to mix and match some of those flies with my own ideas. And I guess thirdly, it is pretty cool to fish the flies that you make.

I'm still learning, but I'm getting better with each one. Hopefully you'll see an improvement as time goes on.

"Dry Hackled Soft Hackle (Bead Head)" - Size 14

It is weighted with a bead head to get it deeper and tied on a size 14 hook. If you look carefully, you can see dry fly hackle tied right behind the bead, and soft hackle partridge feathers (died brown) in front. Creme thread for the body and black for the head.