Itch Scratcher Soft Hackles

[Ruard]

Tasty indeed especially the wet ones.

Greeting

[Jerry G]

What a nifty idea getting these eye candy works of art saturated and to a more realistic fish appealing form. Nicely done Ray. Really everyone's efforts here is greatly appreciated.

Regards, Jerry

[tie2fish]

IMHO, this is the finest group of photos I have ever seen showing flies in various stages of "wetness". The ones on Page 2 with the flies hooked over the lips of little cups and submerged in the water are especially good; this view is as realistic as can be created without having any movement involved. Kudos!

[letumgo]

Thank you for your very kind words. I am glad you enjoyed my photos.

TRY THIS FUN LITTLE EXPERIMENT:
I encourage everyone to give this little experiment a try. Take a small paper cup and fill it with water. Take a soft hackle fly and soak it with water. Then lift it in and out of the cup of water (I used a pair of magnetized tweezers). This little experiment illustrated something else I had not noticed before. When I was taking the series of fly photos, I noticed that the flies "spring to life" the instant they penetrate the surface of the water. As I took the wet flies in and out of the water, the surface tension naturally draws the hackle fibers (legs/wings/etc) against the body of the fly. What caught my attention was the how the legs would immediately spring outwards and relax, as soon as the flies dropped below the surface layer. I had the distinct impression that the flies were coming to life (or at least had movement all on their own). I am convinced that, if a fish observes this movement just as a fly hits the surface of the water, it would have the impression the fly is alive and struggling. I think the movement would act as a feeding trigger, and may explain a little about why these flies have proven so successful over the years. Give it a try. I'd love to hear your impressions.

[hankaye]

Man, ... you guys sure set the bar high (upper stratosphere), from the newbie point of view. Reckon I'm gonna have ta get busy when I get some stuff to start tying with. Gonna wait till I get back to Utah and get my life back on track. Shouldn't be to long now.

[letumgo]

Thanks hankaye. I think you will find that soft hackle flies are quite easy to tye. There aren't a lot of steps involved, so it is easy to crank out a handful in a fairly short time. The scruffy ones catch fish as well as, or perhaps even better than, the pretty ones. This makes them a perfect fly to hone your tying skills. Don't be afraid to post your efforts and ask for constructive feedback. I look forward to seeing your flies.

[Soft-hackle]

Yes. deceptively simple!

Mark

[hankaye]

Howdy, I'm lookin forward to starting myself. Wrench got thrown into works (by ex), in the matter I'm temp. in Ohio for... I won't be able to head back to Utah as soon as I thought I might. Might be a week or two longer. Once back in Utah I'll be able to acquire some material and start trying to figure out what goes where and how much of which to put there. I ain't expectin to throw perfect pitches from the get-go, and I'll sure try some if not all out on the local streams ( if i can figure out which ones I'll be allowed to fish on now).
Like the Bartles Bros. used to say; "We(I), appreciate your support."

[DOUGSDEN]

Ray,
I've been looking over the 4 pages of excellent photo's and compliments thereof. Everyone of them is soo well deserved....the compliments that is! You have opened up an entirely new world to us when you put these patterns in to soak. I was especially fond of the flies that were hanging from the edge of the small plastic medicine cups. Every marking on the partridge haclkles seems to be magnified or maybe a better term electrified. If you can catch this feature on film, imagine what the fish can see of it!
Sylvester Nemes mentions in one of his three books in his trilogy that soft-hackles appear in the surface film or under it as soft lumps rather than flies with defined edges (dry flies). Your photos bear this fact out. The play of different dubbings against the multitude of different hackles is amazing! I am in agreement with you that your favorite is the best of the bunch. Of course, keep us amazed with ..... more bunches in the future!
You are opening doors for all of us to peek into and learn. Thanks Ray from all of us!
Dougsden

P.S. The simplest and lightest dressed patterns are the best!

[Stendalen]

I for sure won't be grinding espresso anytime soon!

Great posts, comments, discussion and photos.

Martin