Flylines

Soft Hackle Swing - it sounds like some sort of country western dance.

Actually it is one of the oldest methods of fly fishing known. It originated with the birth of fly fishing on the chalk streams of southern England and was popular well before either the current dry fly or nymph fishing tactics were ever invented.

Today the technique has fallen into relative obscurity. The only writers who talk about it very much are the Califonia angler Sylvester Nemes, guru of the Soft Hackle technique and his disciple David Hughes. It's too bad the method is not more popular because, even though it is an older style of fishing, under certain conditions it can be extremely effective, especially when there are swimming insects in the water.

To do the Soft Hackle Swing you cast your line and fly across stream or slightly across and down. Let the fly swing through the water. It is pulled across the current below you on a tight line. Occasional mends are added as conditions dictate to ensure a relatively straight line and a slow steady swing. It's a lot like steelhead fishing.

Because of the motion of the line and fly across the current these tactics effectively imitate the appearance of swimming insects coming to the surface during a hatch. The swing is an excellent way to mimic the strong swimming behavior of emerging caddie pupa.

The flies used for the Soft Hackle technique vary with the hatch. You always try to imitate roughly the right size, shape and color of the insects you are seeing on the water. It is also good to choose a fly tied with soft and flowing material to create a better illusion of life.

True Soft Hackle flies (the flies which give the technique its name) are nothing more than a few turns of partridge, grouse or pheasant rump hackle tied at the head of the fly with a splash of colored floss for a body.

These flies, which have almost nothing to them except the soft hackle material, move and flow with the current. They give the appearance of a swimming insect struggling in the current as they move across the river.

As an alternatives to the traditional Soft Hackle fly you can also fish effectively with various kind of caddie pupa such as the LaFontaine sparkle pupa or the Z-wing caddie pupa. Simply make sure there is plenty of movement built into the fly.

Though the soft hackle method can be fished in a wide variety of water, you will generally be most successful using it in shallow riffle areas. These riffle-area rearing grounds provide for the majority of caddie species. The pupa will come directly out of these areas. The trout lie in wait in the dips and depressions in the rocks and gravel and dart out to ambush the fast moving flies on their way to the surface.

Be careful when you are fishing Soft Hackle not to set the hooks too sharply. You are fishing a tight line, the trout tend to set the hook themselves. Additional effort on your part will only break larger ones off.

Next time you are out in the evening on the Deschutes or the Crooked River and the caddie are hatching, break the mold. Get out of the more traditional dry fly style. Fish on the swing. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.