SOFT HACKLE SUCCESS

As insects begin to move, trout are willing to travel several feet to consume a meal. While you want your fly to mimic the profile of the natural insect, anglers can have problems keeping the trout’s attention. In addition to the movement of the fly, drag-free drifts can be difficult for anglers who are looking for a feeding-frenzy. Soft-hackle flies with materials that give an undulating movement will drive fish crazy during heavy hatches of active insects.

The best example of this is egglaying caddis. When the adult caddis dive to the river bottom to lay their eggs, they not only leave a bubble trail below the water’s surface, but the diving movement becomes the visual cue many trout are looking for. Flies that pulsate while they drift will mimic the natural insect behavior while the line is drifting drag-free. These flies should be used with swinging or tension drifts that pass through a trout’s viewing lane at a 45-degree angle and then disappear to the side. This will often cause the fish to commit. The trout does not want to miss the meal that caught their eye.

I have begun tying many classic imitations with a partridge collar, tail, or legs. You can take a simplified pattern and add materials that breathe and move to send trout into a feeding frenzy. Soft hackle can complement both dry flies and flies that ride just below the surface. Adding a soft-hackle dropper to common emergers will transform them into a real-looking insect emerging out of its nymphal shuck. This is a great way to make a cripple imitation move and get a selective trout to take.

The most common question I am asked in late May or early June as we all wait for the flowers to bloom is, “What are your top three soft hackle flies?” My rule is the “old school, becoming the new school,” with traditional patterns like the Barr’s Graphic Caddis, tan/ green #14-18, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail with a tungsten bead hidden behind the partridge collar, and the Guide’s Choice Hares Ear with a gold bead in front of the partridge collar.

The Graphic Caddis and Soft Hackle PT are my goto nymph, or single flies swung with or without an indicator. I will tie on the PT with the tungsten bead as the lead fly and trail the unweighted Graphic Caddis below so I can nymph deep in the first half of the drift, allowing the flies to rise in the water column on the swing or twitch.

The GC Hares Ear is a must have for a dry dropper combo. Drifting the attracting nymph with a shiny bead is a perfect match to a Hopper, drifting and skating near the banks of the river. When the trout see both meals near the surface it is hard to say no. Another way to maximize movement of the trailing or dropping fly is to attach it with a non-slip loop knot. This will increase movement in the swaying motion of the hackle.

Count to Three

In the guide world, this can be referred to as the “no look” take from a trout before making another cast, or while your flies are skating near the surface of the water as you move up to the top of the run to try another bucket. I have learned over the years that the best way to swing flies during the start of summer when caddis are coming to life, is to count to three at the end of a drift while your flies are swinging back towards the bank you are standing on. This will allow the soft hackle to lift in the water column, causing a strike. I will also add a twitch into the mix in case a fish is following but not yet ready to commit. The darting motion of the fly can trigger a fish to take, even when they are not heavy on the feed.

With so much aggression as the trout takes the fly,

2nd Edition! Order Your Copy Today! NEW VIDEO! Order Your Copy Today!

you need to think about line control and how to set without breaking the fish off. In fact, I encourage anglers to not set the hook when fish are running fast and furious. Simply hold the cork handle of the fly rod and wait for the fish to set itself. Then let the reel

do its job, and release line when the target runs. After the fish stops, bring the rod back to a vertical position to gain line. This will prevent reaching the breaking point or pulling the hook out of the trout’s mouth before it has a chance to consume its meal.

The beauty of swinging flies is that it is a forgiving technique. You are presenting to a large swath of water, and you don’t always have to be delivering the flies on a direct line. If you are positioned above the water you want to swing through, and remain out of view, they will never see you coming. It is a great way to complete many summer adventures by fishing “Soft Hackle Success.”

I wish you all encounters with happy trout and warm days.

About The Author

Landon Mayer is a veteran Colorado guide and author of several books. His newest books, The Hunt for Giant Trout, and Sight Fishing for Trout (Second Edition) can be purchased on his website, at www.landonmayerflyfishing.com. His newest video, Master the Short Game, by Headwater Media, can be purchased at www.mastertheshortgame.com. You can follow Landon on Instagram at @ landonmayerflyfishing.