Soft hackles have been around since before the year 1496, when The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle was published. When browsing the web for fly patterns, I came upon soft hackles and was mesmerized.  They quickly became my favorite type of pattern.  I always have some in my box and one at the end of my tippet.  Even if I'm not directly targeting a specific hatch, I use them as point flies.  The hackles have a way of pulsating in the water which I believe causes fish to notice and strike --at the trailing fly (any subsurface midge or nymph pattern) if not at the soft hackle itself.  I believe soft hackles make great attractor patterns because they produce so much movement. 

My favorite birds to use for soft hackles are partridge and starling.  I recommend buying whole skins rather than a bag full of loose feathers.  A partridge skin costs around 25 dollars, while starling skins cost around 5 dollars.  Of course you can also shoot the birds yourself, though preparing them is difficult.  You can buy partridge skins in various dyed colors, but I prefer natural necks that have more of a brown tint.  Starling skins are mainly black, but I've seen them in many colors, ranging from gray/black to solid black.  You can use hen hackle as well, but they just don't behave the way softer hackles do in the water.

There are various types of soft hackle patterns, and if I tried to cover all of them this would be an entire book!  Therefore, I'll cover the patterns I like the most.  All can be fished in a variety of ways.  They can be fished in the film, almost as dry flies, they can be fished just under the surface, and they can be bounced on the bottom or fished right above it.  This can be controlled by how much weight is applied to the fly itself, as well as the use of split shot and leader length.  There is plenty of room to experiment.

Weighted Soft Hackles

When I want to use weighted patterns, I fish beadhead flymphs, which are basically standard nymph patterns with a bead and soft hackle.  See the Pheasant Tail below, for example.  It's simply a beadhead flashback pheasant tail with a partridge soft hackle.  The Silver-ribbed Black soft hackle with the bead behind the soft hackle is similar.  Both are fished bounced on the bottom.  ).  Another way to weight flymphs is to add a lead-free wire underbody.  I also like to tie wire soft hackles, which I mainly use as attractor patterns.  I often use two strands of wire to create a segmented look.  My favorite wired soft hackle is a two-tone green and gold pattern with a matching sparkle dubbing thorax (see below).  These flies can be fished on any river, I've used them very effectively on various rivers such as the Roaring Fork and the South Platte at Deckers, and even on stillwaters, where I dangle the fly under an indicator and give it an occasional twitch.

Pattern 5A (hi-res image)

Pattern 5B (hi-res image)

5 A –Left

SHBHFBPT (Soft Hackle Beadhead Flashback Pheasant Tail)

Hook: any 2X-long stonefly hook, size to match

Bead: gold, sized to match hook

Thread: black 8/0

Tail: pheasant Tail fibers

Rib: fine gold wire

Body: pheasant tail fibers

Wingcase: large pearl tinsel

Thorax: peacock herl

Hackle: partridge

5 B – Right

Silver-Wired Black Soft hackle

Hook: straight shank, size to match

Bead: silver, sized to match hook

Thread: black 8/0

Tail: black pheasant tail fibers

Rib: fine silver wire

Body: black 8/0

Hackle: starling

Pattern 6A (hi-res image)

Pattern 6B (hi-res image)

6 A – Left

Ginger/Brown Wire Soft Hackle

Hook: curved (I prefer the TMC206 BL)

Thread: black 8/0

Body: two strands of small ginger wire and one strand of small brown wire

Thorax: rusty brown Ice Dub

Hackle: starling

6 B – Right

Black/Red Wire Soft Hackle

Hook: curved (I specifically like the TMC206 BL)

Thread: black 8/0

Body: two strands of small black wire and one strand of small red wire

Thorax: mahogany Superfine dubbing

Hackle: starling

Spider Patterns

Spider patterns are what I consider the more traditional type of soft hackles.  It is believed they were called spiders simply because they looked like spiders.  This is the only similarity.  I like to fish spiders in the surface film, since they can either imitate emerging insects that failed to completely emerge or spent insects that are still struggling.  The soft hackle's action makes it look like the insect is fighting for survival; fish see this action and take.  I have resorted to floating soft hackles on the surface when I had no dries, and was successful.  I've caught fish at Cheesman Canyon and Deckers this way, and it's a blast to see them take soft hackles fished this way.  A variety of spider patterns follow.

Pattern 2A (hi-res image)

Pattern 2B (hi-res image)

2 A – Left

Waterhen Bloa variant

Hook: any straight short-shank wide-gape hook or curved hook

Thread: Light Cahill 8/0

Body: light olive Uni-Stretch with sparse mole dubbing

Hackle: starling

2 B – Right

Purple and Snipe variant

Hook: any straight short shank wide gape hook or curved hook

Thread: dark purple 8/0

Body: dark purple Uni-Stretch

Hackle: starling

Caddis Soft Hackles

Caddis are another insect that soft hackles can effectively imitate.  They can represent both diving caddis and emerging caddis, so these patterns can be fished anywhere in the stream.  Just find out where in the water column the fish are feeding and make the proper adjustments.  I've caught some nice fish on soft hackle caddis patterns, including a cutt-bow topping twenty inches.  I'd tell you where, but my friends would take me out back and beat me.  What I have yet to try but I'm sure will work is using one of the following soft hackle patterns as a dropper under a dry caddis. I plan to try it this year.  Besides the pictures posted below, I also like to tie them smaller (of course) and to use use tan dry fly dubbing with gold or copper wire.             Don't add any weight to the fly itself.  Instead add split shot about a foot above the fly.

Pattern 3A (hi-res image)

Pattern 3B (hi-res image)

3 A – Left

Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear

Hook: any straight or curved hook

Thread: brown 8/0

Body: hare’s ear dubbing

Rib: small copper wire

Hackle: partridge

3 B – Right

Green Butt Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear

Hook: any straight or curved hook

Thread: black 8/0

Butt: green Sparkle Dub

Body: hare’s ear

Rib: small gold wire

Hackle: partridge

Mayfly Soft Hackles

Pale Morning Duns and various olive mayflies (such as Blue Wing Olives) can be imitated with soft hackles.  Both of the following patterns can be fished in the film.  Apply some floatant to the dubbing or run a brush of Frog's Fanny over the back of the fly, it will cause it to sit flush in the film --fish love this presentation.  You can also fish these patterns subsurface. 

Pattern 1A (hi-res image)

Pattern 1B  (hi-res image)

1 A– Left

Starling PMD

Hook: any straight hook, sized to match the hatch

Thread: Light Cahill 8/0

Tail: olive-dyed mallard flank fibers

Body: olive-brown Super Fine dry fly dubbing

Thorax: Pale Morning Dun Super Fine dry Fly dubbing

Hackle: starling (a light color feather)

1 B– Right

Partridge PMD

Hook: any straight hook, sized to match the hatch

Thread: Light Cahill 8/0

Body: tan turkey biot

Thorax: Pale Morning Dun Super Fine dry fly dubbing

Hackle: partridge

Pattern 4A (hi-res image)

Pattern 4B (hi-res image)

4 A– Left

Partridge and Biot BWO

Hook: any straight hook, sized to match the hatch

Thread: olive 8/0

Body: Olive turkey biot (tied with notch facing toward hook bend)

Thorax: olive-brown Super Fine Dry Fly dubbing

Hackle: partridge

4 B– Right

Ribbed Partridge and Biot BWO

Hook: any straight hook, sized to match the hatch

Thread: olive 8/0

Body: olive turkey biot (tied with notch facing hook eye)

Thorax: olive-brown Super Fine dry fly dubbing

Hackle: partridge