Soft Hackle Flies

Larry L wrote:

the goal became to find a pattern/ floatant that worked very well, ala M&P,
but didn't require much maintanence Using more time maintaining than
fishing was obviously a problem at last light, surrounded by rising fish,
getting dark quick .... the elegant solution would fish with less hassle
than the M&P but be just as tasty looking to the prey


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?

Willi

Larry L wrote:

the goal became to find a pattern/ floatant that worked very well, ala M&P,
but didn't require much maintanence Using more time maintaining than
fishing was obviously a problem at last light, surrounded by rising fish,
getting dark quick .... the elegant solution would fish with less hassle
than the M&P but be just as tasty looking to the prey


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?

Willi

"Willi & Sue" wrote


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?

it didn't seem so ... but ... there may have been takes I didn't see, last
light, old eyes, etc. ... kinda surprised me too ... I tried swinging the
pattern but got very few takes, and real dinks, that way

In all honesty, when the pattern sank, I tried to re-float it more than I
tried to test it sunk .... I was more interested in tackling the problem of
half floating than in catching fish ....

"Willi & Sue" wrote


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?

it didn't seem so ... but ... there may have been takes I didn't see, last
light, old eyes, etc. ... kinda surprised me too ... I tried swinging the
pattern but got very few takes, and real dinks, that way

In all honesty, when the pattern sank, I tried to re-float it more than I
tried to test it sunk .... I was more interested in tackling the problem of
half floating than in catching fish ....

Larry L wrote:
"Willi & Sue" wrote


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?


it didn't seem so ... but ... there may have been takes I didn't see, last
light, old eyes, etc. ... kinda surprised me too ... I tried swinging the
pattern but got very few takes, and real dinks, that way

In all honesty, when the pattern sank, I tried to re-float it more than I
tried to test it sunk .... I was more interested in tackling the problem of
half floating than in catching fish ....



IMO, a soft hackle isn't very well suited to either floating or half
floating unless you tie it
with a body that will provide flotation. That would result in a fairly
fat body. When fishing to rising fish I usually fish them on a greased
tippet so they float just under the surface.

You could try using a CDC hackle tied soft hackle style. Not quite the
same as partridge but would give you much better flotation. It makes an
effective BWO imitation but I haven't tried it on any other hatches.

Willi

Larry L wrote:
"Willi & Sue" wrote


Wouldn't they take the fly just under the surface?


it didn't seem so ... but ... there may have been takes I didn't see, last
light, old eyes, etc. ... kinda surprised me too ... I tried swinging the
pattern but got very few takes, and real dinks, that way

In all honesty, when the pattern sank, I tried to re-float it more than I
tried to test it sunk .... I was more interested in tackling the problem of
half floating than in catching fish ....



IMO, a soft hackle isn't very well suited to either floating or half
floating unless you tie it
with a body that will provide flotation. That would result in a fairly
fat body. When fishing to rising fish I usually fish them on a greased
tippet so they float just under the surface.

You could try using a CDC hackle tied soft hackle style. Not quite the
same as partridge but would give you much better flotation. It makes an
effective BWO imitation but I haven't tried it on any other hatches.

Willi

The Art of Tying the Wet Fly & Fishing the Flymph
by James E. Leisenring


"Stuart DeWolfe" wrote in message
. ..
I am looking for a good Pattern book for Soft-Hackled Flies. I already have
the book Two Centuries of Soft-Hackled Flies by Sylvester Nemes but would
like yet another. If you know of any better I would appreciate your
suggestions. Thanks in advance.

--
Tight Lines & Great Memories
Stuart DeWolfe

The Art of Tying the Wet Fly & Fishing the Flymph
by James E. Leisenring


"Stuart DeWolfe" wrote in message
. ..
I am looking for a good Pattern book for Soft-Hackled Flies. I already have
the book Two Centuries of Soft-Hackled Flies by Sylvester Nemes but would
like yet another. If you know of any better I would appreciate your
suggestions. Thanks in advance.

--
Tight Lines & Great Memories
Stuart DeWolfe

"Willi & Sue" wrote


IMO, a soft hackle isn't very well suited to either floating or half
floating unless you tie it


You are correct, and as I look back on the situation I see I allowed myself
to get suckered into very bad design tactics. I stumbled onto the M&P,
fished floated, as a real fish taker and then make a key error of defining
the design goal as "float a M&P" All design efforts follow from the
defined goal, and thus that definition is the most important step. Had I
looked a little deeper and defined the problem as "find out why these fish
love a M&P and then design a floating fly that will have similar qualities
to please them" I'm sure I would have had more success. I "think" they
were taking it for a little dark caddis that was around, but I didn't take
the time to seine and study, ..... there were also a WIDE variety of other
bugs on the water ( I love the HFork :-) and the fish may have been eating
something else ... the rises, for one thing, were sips, not at all splashy
.... I was too busy casting to look much .... fishing SO often gets in the
way of learning more about fishing G

"Willi & Sue" wrote


IMO, a soft hackle isn't very well suited to either floating or half
floating unless you tie it


You are correct, and as I look back on the situation I see I allowed myself
to get suckered into very bad design tactics. I stumbled onto the M&P,
fished floated, as a real fish taker and then make a key error of defining
the design goal as "float a M&P" All design efforts follow from the
defined goal, and thus that definition is the most important step. Had I
looked a little deeper and defined the problem as "find out why these fish
love a M&P and then design a floating fly that will have similar qualities
to please them" I'm sure I would have had more success. I "think" they
were taking it for a little dark caddis that was around, but I didn't take
the time to seine and study, ..... there were also a WIDE variety of other
bugs on the water ( I love the HFork :-) and the fish may have been eating
something else ... the rises, for one thing, were sips, not at all splashy
.... I was too busy casting to look much .... fishing SO often gets in the
way of learning more about fishing G