Soft Hackle Fishing Question

[Fontinalis]

Hell everyone:

I am a classic winged wet fly fisherman and fish my wet flys one at a time or in a two or three wet fly rig. I fish them at times up stream and strip them at the speed of the current. I also use the traditional wet fly swing at a 45 dregree angle and let them drift down below and straighten out and perform a slow Liesenring Lift. and lastly cast them straight in front of me and let the current take them down stream along with a Liesenring lift. For calm deep still pools I use a sinking line and count to thirty and give my wet fly's very slow twitches. This takes practice to do but really produces Trout for me well like at Junction Pool in the Catskills. My question here do the ways I fish apply to soft hackles? Lastly, are there any other methods of fishing soft hackles I should be thinking of.

Thanks in advance
Andy Brasko

[Klaas]

Hello Andy

Something i use to do recently when i see fish rise and they wont take my flies after several casts is to let the first (or 2 flies) skate on the surface for a few seconds( when i have 3 flies on my rig).
I realy lift up my rod high so my rig is comming out of the water with the dropperlines then the fly(s) are dancing on the surface,fish can take it then realy agressive.
Specialy at places where a fast current ends in a deep slower pool or in shallow parts with more current at the surface(at the bottom the current is slower as you know).
Seems like that sometimes fish need more time to take a fly or need to get more stimulans to get lose from the bottom.
A skating fly in the surface works for me at times.

Klaas

[Soft-hackle]

Hi Andy,
Well, I believe you have a great start based in your winged wet fly experience. The methods you mention will work well with wingless wets as well. There are other methods which are a bit more demanding. One thing I've tried with some success when fishing in a run is to select a fly tied on a light wire hook and cast to your chosen spot from slightly up and across stream of your selected "hot" spot. Let the fly touch the water. briefly, once, maybe twice taking it away. This is done very quickly, but delicately. Then false cast to dry it out and recast, letting the fly float in or slightly below the surface film. You must put some slack in the line, just like fishing a dry down river. This often brings a good strike from tempted fish.

Mark

[Old Hat]

I agree with Mark, this "modified dry fly presentation" is a deadly method, and I think underutilized. I mentioned this in your other post earlier as well. The partridge and thread series of flies and especially the Stewart's Spiders series are great flies for this technique.

[willowhead]

Andy, when you get a chance and can find a copy.....pick up Davy Wotten's wet fly fishing DVD.....it has allllllll kinds of techniques in it you'll love. The cat is a Master wet fly fisher. i'll introduce you if you ever get down here. He lives bout 15 miles from us. Round here, that's like the diff between mid town and up town. Anytime you wanna tye at the Sowbug, just lemme know.