Setting the Hook with Soft Hackles

[snagged in outlet 3]

OK

[Eric82]

For me a lot of the time they hook themselves or when I feel the take I set the hook very subtle. An easy short set or easy strip set.

[Flysmallie]

When I feel the take I like to throw a little slack at them with a roll cast. This gives me time to get both hands on the rod and set the hook as hard as I can. Works every time sometimes 

[fishinwrench]

Regardless of what you do you are going to get more bumps than solid hookups.  Your technique is fine as long as you're getting bites and not getting broke off alot.  

[motroutbum]

If you are tying your own soft hackles, try using hooks with a wider gap.  Hooks with larger gaps will increase your hook ups.  Try the TMC 113BLH (they go down to size 20), TMC 226BL, TMC 3769. etc. Try to keep all excess line on the reel.  If i am swinging them down and across, I will hold about a 5 or 6 in loop of fly line between my fingers and the reel.  Keep the tip of the rod pointed directly at your fly.  (too much excess slack in the system decreases your reaction time and you will often end up missing strikes.)  When you feel a strike, let go of the loop and lift the rod.  You will be surprised at the increase in solid hook ups you will get.  Also, when swinging any flies, use the heaviest tippet you can get away with.  Usually strikes are pretty violent and you will break off too many fish if you are trying to swing with 6 or 7x.  I would recommend going with at least 5.   I hope this info helps.

[Gavin]

Set low and away from the bend. The hitch mend keeps it broadside. Learned that from Uncle Syl. Miss that guy, lived out west put paid a visit to STL to visit family often. Wrote a few books on soft hackles and they are worth reading.

[Eric82]

Just to add, others may swing it differently, the biggest thing i try to take into account is speed of the current. I try to get as natural of a drift swing as possible. Of course you want some tension/bulge in the line but for example if the current is not very fast i cast at more of a 45 degree angle.  If the current is fast i cast at a sharper angle.  i throw up stream mends in as well. Basically i want the fly to swing at about the speed of the current or just a little faster. The more you fish soft hackles the easier it will be to read the current  As others have mentioned i follow the fly with my rod tip. It's only with streamers when i let that big bow in the line happen and let it swing as crazy as it can.  Just my 2 cents...

[Al Agnew]

When you fish in Montana, you get plenty of practice setting the hook on the swing because whitefish are notorious for taking all kinds of flies on the swing.  The one thing you DON'T want is to set the hook so that the fly could come straight out of the fish's mouth...but trout hit a swinging fly from more than one direction, and I suspect a lot of missed hook sets happen because, no matter how you set the hook, the trout has taken the fly from the wrong direction.  But you're LESS likely to miss the fish with a low, sideways hook set than a high, upstream set.  But...if you miss two or three in a row, try the upstream set on the next one...they may be taking it from downstream but turning sharply just as they take it.