Our Beginner Fly Tying session this month will continue our theme for 2025: learning to tie a diversity of flies based on one pattern simply by substituting one or two of the materials. On March 18th we will be tying two soft hackle wet flies: the soft-hackle pheasant tail and the partridge and orange. Instructions for both flies are posted below for reference.
A ‘soft hackle’ fly is a type of wet fly characterized by a sparse body and a collar of long, soft hackle feathers. The feathers, typically from birds like partridge or grouse, create a lifelike movement to the fly in the water, when retrieved, often imitating emerging or struggling insects.
Soft hackles are among my favorite flies to fish, particularly for trout in springtime and into early summer. In contrast to the stoic appearance and behavior of classic wet flies; soft hackles are delicate-looking, which can elicit incredible strikes from fish. Depending on how they are tied, soft hackles can represent a variety of insects and life-cycle stages, which can be fished throughout the water column.
Join us at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 18th, at Trinity United Methodist Church, Room 207. As always, we welcome club members who have never tied an artificial fly to join our class. Materials provided to all who attend. Vises and tying equipment can be loaned to those who need them. Kindly let us also know (dfine1443@gmail.com) if you will require a vise and tools for the tying session.
Tying a Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle
Brief history: The Partridge and Orange wet fly, originated in the North of England, is a historically significant fly pattern in that it has been used for trout fishing for centuries. The Partridge and Orange is also considered a soft-hackled wet fly by use of a partridge feather sparsely-tied around the collar of the fly, which animates the fly, as is retrieved either in still water, or against the current of moving water.
Components: Caddis pupa hook (sizes 14-18); Orange tying thread – e.g. Danville’s flat wax nylon 240 denier; and small partridge neck feather
Tying Steps:
- Place hook in vise and begin wrapping the tying thread, starting slightly behind the hook eye and proceeding to the rear of the hook, stopping short of the hook bend.
- Spin the thread bobbin counter-clockwise to open up the thread. Then continue to wrap the shank of the hook towards the hook eye and return again towards the hook bend. Repeat this several times to build up an extended “football-shaped” abdomen. (to augment the appearance of finished abdomen, consider spinning the thread clockwise which tightens the fibers as the thread wraps are made forward.
- Preparing the partridge feather for the steps which follow. First remove the fluffy portions at the base of the feather. Grasp the feather by the tip and stroke all of the fibers toward the butt of the feather, exposing a small ‘triangle’ at the tip of the feather
- With the tying thread in place ~1/8” behind the hook eye, tie in one partridge neck feather by the tip of the feather, which has already been prepared (as described above). This is best accomplished by holding the feather on the nearside of the hook with the butt of the feather facing to the rear of the hook, and the feather tip forward and lying ~1/8” behind the hook eye.
- Make 2 wraps of thread around the hook capturing the feather at its tip. Clip off any remaining portion of the tip which is close to the hook eye. (I suggest using 1 half/hitch knot to secure the tip in place).
- Using hackle pliers catch the butt of the feather stem and make 1 ½ – 2 turns of the feather around the hook shank, while stroking the fibers to the rear with each turn of the feather around the hook.
- While holding the unused portion of the feather toward the front of the hook, secure the feather with several thread wraps. Trim off the excess feather, and finish off the head of the fly with multiple thread wraps and whip finish or half-hitch knots.
- Coat the small head of the fly with head cement.
Tying a Pheasant Tail
Components- Black Thread (6/0); wet fly hook (sizes 12-16), peacock herl, partridge neck feather, pheasant tail (PT) fibers, copper wire (fine).
Tying Steps:
- Place hook in vise (after pinching down the hook barb) and begin wrapping thread to the rear of the hook stopping short of the hook bend.
- Select about 6 PT fibers of equal length and tie them on top of hook shank with several thread wraps (the tips of the PT fibers should be approximately the length of the straight section of the hook shank).
- Wrap the entire shank of the hook in covering the butts of the PT fibers and clip off any excess.
- Hold a length of copper wire along the side of the hook and make thread wraps to cover the copper wire to the rear, stopping at the start of the bend of the hook. Hold the copper wire (which now extends beyond the hook) off to the side.
- Select another bundle of PT fibers of equal length and tie them in by the tips at the rear of the hook (same location where the wire now extends). Advance the tying thread forward stopping ~1/4” behind the hook eye.
- Counter wrap the PT fibers (which were tied in (just above) around the hook shank and secure with the thread at the location where the tying thread is hanging.
- Next spiral-wrap the copper wire forward, securing it at the location where the PT fibers were tied off.
- Tie in 1 piece of peacock herl with ~ two thread wraps and then make several wraps with the peacock herl forward toward the hook eye, without crowding the hook eye (i.e. there should remain enough bare hook to tie in the partridge feather).
- Select one partridge feather and strip off the ‘fuzzy’ part at the butt. Down stroke the fibers exposing the tip of the feather.
- Tilt the hook in the vise before proceeding. (This step makes it easier to secure the remaining material and finish the fly.)
- Tie the partridge feather immediately in front of the peacock herl. Again, stroke back the fibers (behind the thread wraps). Make several thread wraps around the feather stem. Then lift the small feather tip up and make 1-2 wraps in front of the very tip. Trim off any tip which remains.
- Use hackle pliers to make 1 ½ – 2 wraps of the partridge feather around the hook shank, while stroking the feather fibers to the rear.
- Make several wraps over the remaining hackle feather, secure with several half-hitches (or whip-finish) and clip off the remainder of the feather. Build up the head with thread wraps and cut thread.
By Don Fine
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