FLYMPH FORUM

I've been fishing soft hackled flies on the swing for a while now and have experienced some of my best days during a full hatch, mainly sulfurs where I live. Most of my friends that I fish with don't understand why I do this but I simply enjoy this type of fishing. I am curious to know if anyone else has had similar experiences of swinging a soft hackled fly during a hatch. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Oh yeah!

Very often, it is one of the most productive ways to fish a hatch. There was a time I tied and fished everything it seemed like. I think I spent half my time on the water changing flies and a large portion of my tying experimenting with every material fly design I could find. One year I just realized I was overwhelmed. After a lot of thought, it was the softhackled flies that I enjoyed fishing and tying the most. Since then that has been my focus. I still fish and tie other styles of course but not near to the extent I once did and will often find myself fishing a soft hackle just because that is what I enjoy without fretting so much. All in all I think it has made me a better fisherman.

Part of fishing is doing what you enjoy doing. If you like swinging flies (even during a hatch), I wouldn't give any thought to what others may think.

Rod

I found I fell into the trap of doing what everyone around me was doing. In a rise situation- you had to cast a dry fly, simple as that. If they were not visibly feeding on the surface you had to fish a nymph, preferably a bead head nymph with a pattern style that evoked no underwater motion or action from hackle or body material. True, that worked..... some of the time and is still the same rule most Kiwi fisherpersons live by..... but soft hackles work a hell of a lot better in all situations.
As such, soft hackles now take most of my time at the vice and are fished more often than not. I still tie and fish other methods, but soft hackles are fast becoming my "go to" fly for most any situation, including the World famous mad Mataura rises that have to be seen to be believed, rises where the water just boils with fish rings as they gorge, doesn't happen often, but when it does many get flustered and skunked trying to match the surface fly....... I just carry on presenting simple soft hackles sub surface and I do alright.

Forgot to mention using a feather weight 10' switch rod with 191 grain 25 foot Scandit line makes it even more interesting. I am attaching a picture of my rod.

Awesome looking rod--I've been really intrigued by the whole "trout spey" scene lately, though have yet to take the plunge. (I would love to have an Anderson, but a cheap build on one of the 2/3 Angler's Roost blanks is probably more realistic. )

I'd definitely be interested in reading some fishing reports/rod reviews if you're interested in spreading the good news...

Thanks! I really enjoy fishing that rod. It is a 10' 3wt CTS rod that I added a lower handle to in order to make it a double handed rod. It is a very light rod, which some call a feather weight two handed rod. I have a shoulder problem, which makes casting a single handed rod difficult at times. I use it mainly on a tailwater stream that I fish.

Love it, especially with a 3 fly cast during a multiple insect hatch.

Thanks for the info on the rod--definitely a sweet looking outfit. I was wondering if you could clue me in on the "Scandit" philosophy--I'm guessing more of a touch-and-go cast with an aggressive taper rather than a sustained anchor as in a traditional Skagit approach?

At any rate, I'll look forward to reading some fishing reports, especially since I'm starting to accumulate some middle-aged nicks that are causing me look for different ways to skin the proverbial cat.