Tiny Soft Hackle Flies
. . . And an end to the hassles of hackling smaller flies
By A.K. BEST

We have known for quite some time that soft-hackle wet flies are very effective almost any time we go fly-fishing. Most of the soft-hackle wet flies I have seen in fly shops and even in some of my friend’s fly boxes are no smaller than size 14. I think the reason for this is that in nearly every case the fly recipe calls for one or two turns of partridge hackle. Size 16 and smaller partridge hackle is very difficult to come by, and so tiers limit themselves to the size of the fly they can tie by the size of the hackle that is available.

But there is no federal law that says you must use partridge hackle. If you’ll look around in your local fly shop you should be able to find some barred hen necks and backs that contain feathers down to size 16 and 18 that are nicely webbed right out to the hackle fiber tips. These feathers make wonderful soft-hackle collars and they are available in the right colors. Another alternative is to purchase a light-grizzly hen neck and dye it to a light shade of brown.

If you can’t find a skin with feathers whose fibers are short enough to hackle a size 16 or smaller wet fly, look for a hen back that is heavily webbed out to the very tips of each of the feather fibers. Use a 1/4" or 3/8" segment of one of these feathers and spin it, much like you would spin a small clump of deer hair. Align the tips of the segment with the end of the body and place the flat segment on top of the hook immediately in front of the shoulder of the body. Take one loose turn of thread around the segment and the hook and slowly tighten the tying thread, allowing thread torque to spin the fibers completely around the hook. If a small void appears in your collar, you can usually press the denser portion with your thumbnail to evenly distribute these fibers. If that doesn’t work to your satisfaction, clip a smaller segment of feather fibers and carefully place it over the void. Align the tips and tie it down, being certain that this segment does not spin.

I have some soft-hackle flies tied down to size 20 and 22 using this method. When treated with a good dryfly flotant, they make wonderful BWO emergers. One of my favorite patterns is:

Hook: Your favorite dryfly hook, size 18 to 22
Thread: Olive 6/0
Tail: Four or five fibers of mottled brown hen back
Body: Light gray rabbit
Hackle: Segment of mottled brown hen back feather spun in wetfly style

That’s it.—A.K.