woodcock & Hares Lug

[Otter]

Woodcock and Hares Lug

Supposedly a good pattern when trout are bulging at Caddis.



Softwing Version - well velcroed.

[willowhead]

Cool tyes........i'm intrigued by these so-called "soft wings".......it's a new one on me.........but they really look like they'll "work." damn close to what a real emerger might look like commin' up in the water column. might try a couple of those with poly trailing shucks.........
we had a tyer and his wife over last night...........tonights our turn at their crib........... later......

[letumgo]

Otter - They are both exceptional. Great color combination and lovely proportions. What hook are these tyed on?

[Soft-hackle]

Love'em both!

Mark

[Old Hat]

I love both as well. Just classy looking ties. You can't go wrong with those. Thanks for sharing Otter. The softwings are attractive. I had a buddy that would tie a small mayfly pattern that everyone would kind of turn their nose up at. It had a dubbed black body and very small flattened laterally wing of the butts (not tips) of deer hair. It was fished small in # 16 and 18's and would just fall over in the water's film. From first hand knowledge the fly was a real go getter and brought in fish all day. These soft wings remind me of the profile of those. Simple and suggestive.

Carl

[willowhead]

Otter, what's with these "Soft Wings".....? Are they an entire school of tying i've simply never heard of or what????? Who's responsible for the orginal designs or innovation(s).....? Do the bodies always seem to end so far forward.....is that an original design characteristic(sp?)? Is there any writing (a book) on this subject????? Tkx.,

[Otter]

A very fine question willowhead.

The design of these , the tying of 2 patterns were given to me by Mike Connors. The Greenwell's version and a march brown version. Designed primarily for upstream dead drift work.

They have a lot of similarity to the Clyde and Tummel styles, the significant difference being the use of a bunch of soft covert fibres for a sparse wing as against the use of primaries.

Whether or not Mike was the first to seriously use the idea of soft fibres or not I do not know. He rates this style very highly for upwings, and rates waterhen coverts and undercoverts very highly in this regard.

There is no book, manuscript , in fact apart from a few photos I put up on the net I doubt you will see them anywhere else.

I cannot rate them highly yet as my abilities in fishing upstream spiders and wets is in its infancy. However the day I tied the first one, I thought WOW - to my eyes they simply scream out as being of excellent design. I have taken some nice trout on the greenwells version and on a claret version of my own. I can only say that Mike rates them very highly and as mike don't do bulls.it I would be surprised if they didn't live up to the high rating he gives them.

If any one you guys give them a serious go, please let us know how you get on.

God willing , I hope to fish them a lot over the coming seasons.

[daringduffer]

Woodcock and Hares Lug

Supposedly a good pattern when trout are bulging at Caddis.



Softwing Version - well velcroed.

These are two of the most beautiful flies I've ever seen. If only one winged fly was to be allowed on this forum this should be it. Your Greenwells were very tempting and these are a must for next season. I'd rather be without fish on these than catching on a Klinkhamer...

dd

[kanutripr]

OK it's been bugging me. How do you tie the wing on these? Is it just a little clump tied in or is there a "proper" way? I've been tying one that has a regular palmered feather but pulled up to the top of the hook and secured. It sits a bit flatter to the hook though and doesn't have that little jaunty come eat me look.


Vicki

[Otter]

Lay a few wraps of thread on at the eye. Take a small bunch of the soft fibres and lay on the shank pointing over the eye, wing height should approximate body length. I tend to cut the excess as close to the wraps of thread.

Wind thread towards the bend , trapping in wire if you are going to rib, then back to base of wing. rib and then take a pinch of dubbing, well mixed hares ear and body guards in the case of the greenwells, dub base of wing , fore and aft , forcing wing into up-right position. Using velcro or other device brush the dubbing fibres from side and underside downwards. Form a small head and finish. A really simple tie compared to most other flies.

Allthough called softwings, they could be also be considered as lop sided spiders