soft hackle attempt

[Crippled Caddis]

[quote name='WebFreeman' I've a couple soft hackles that turned out ok using what looks like an Indian Saddle Patch (see pic)>

Looks good! You should be able to tie some nice S-H with that if it has the sizes you need, I like hackle length of @ 2 hook gaps on S-Hs.

<One think I noticed was hook size had a lot to do w/ my quality. I put just a random big hook in the vice to practice a few hackles on and they turned out nice, but once I put the 12s and 16s back in the vice, not so good.

Whenever I'm out of practice on a pattern or trying to develop a new one I will often practice on oversized hooks until I get myself co-ordinated. Try it----tie a size you're comfortable with until you get it perfected to your satisfaction. Then step down a size or two and repeat. It may take a while to get comfortable with the smallest sizes but in the meantime you'll be building up a stock of larger S-Hs that the Smallies and brim will just love!

Immediately before sitting down to check mail I finished a Magnum WB for Smallies. Tied on a #2, 2XL model perfect hook it's @ 4" OAL. I used a grizzly hackle from the extreme rear of a saddle patch that is all web that is 2-2 1/2 hook gapes in flue length and then wound in between the grizzly a super-soft, olive schlappen hackle that's over 3 hook gapes in flue length. It's a messy looking thing until it's in the water, then the soft, over-long hackle combined with the marabou, ostrich and Krystal flash tailing comes to life. The fish like it much better than I do.It's hardly the sort of fly you'd present to another fisherman or tyer for admiration but the fish are really the only judges worthy of consideration.

[WebFreeman]

CC, I'd like to see this behemoth. It sounds pretty cool. You wouldn't thinking some of these soft plastic "creature baits" like a hula grub would catch a fish, but they do. I'd wondered about how to go about tying something that big. I would think something like that would be really good at night, too, when the really big fish come out.

Leonard, thanks for that link. I'm on that site a lot and I don't think it's ever dawned on me. I tie the hackle in last ::doh!!:: instead of first. Plus, especially in those smaller sizes, I'm not leaving enough room for hackle and the finish. I think tying in the hackle first would help that. BTW, I'm still waiting on the pine squirrel instructions....

[Crippled Caddis]

CC, I'd like to see this behemoth. It sounds pretty cool.>

Can't help you on a pic---my camera is in the process of dieing. It quit taking close-ups a few months ago and now it sez the batteries are low as soon as I insert fresh ones.;o(

<I'd wondered about how to go about tying something that big. I would think something like that would be really good at night, too, when the really big fish come out.

Since I'm not a night fisher I'll have to leave that in Leonard's capable hands but I do suspect it would work great.