#soft hackles

I probably catch more panfish on wet flies than all other types of fly patterns combined. Although not as fun to fish as a topwater bug or popper, they catch far more fish. Since fish do the majority of there feeding under the surface of the water, it stands to reason that flies fished below the surface will catch more than flies fished on it. Wet flies are my go-to pattern for early and late season fishing when the water gets chilly. In fact, the only time I don’t fish them is in the height of summer when weed growth on some waters make fishing subsurface flies difficult.

The Wet Fly Box

My warm water wet fly boxes contain a few different types of wet flies and soft hackles. I prefer a soft hackle style fly in warm water, but there are a few winged wets in there as well. Some of the more traditional soft hackles that I rely on can be found in my Soft Hackle Selection. These flies have bodies constructed of conventional materials like feathers, fur, and floss. While highly effective, they can be somewhat fragile. One of the great things about fly fishing for bluegills and other panfish is that you often have the opportunity to catch a lot of fish. Catching a dozen or more fish on a single flies has a tendency to wear them out pretty quick. It is an excellent problem to have if you are a fly tier because now you have a reason to tie more flies! That being said, I am always looking for a way to make flies more durable.

A More Durable Wet Fly

Several years ago, I started experimenting with 5-minute epoxy to protect the bodies of my wet flies and make them more durable. An epoxy bodied fly is nearly indestructible and is perfect for flies fished beneath the surface as it helps them sink a little better. Working with epoxy had its downsides, though. Flies had to be tied in stages and treated with the epoxy all at the same time. Those same flies had to be put on drying wheels to ensure the epoxy would not sag. The 5-minute expo was also a little thick for this use and tended to create too much bulk, so it had to be applied very sparingly. Although the end result was a beautiful, durable fly, it was a lot of work for a panfish fly! The second problem I had with most epoxies is they tended to yellow with age. After a couple of seasons, the bodies on my epoxy wet flies would begin to cloud up or turn yellow. Since the flies were so durable, they tended to stick around, so this was a real problem for me.

A Solution To The Epoxy Problem

The use of UV Resins in fly tying has been widespread for a few years now. The use of UV resins was a game-changer for the fly tier. UV resins cured/hardened like epoxy in seconds when exposed to the proper light source. This was far superior to having to wait for the epoxy to dry, making it far more versatile than epoxy. New UV products showed a lot of promise, but they all shared a few common problems. The biggest challenge was the tacky surface left behind once the resin had cured. A few new UV Resins claim to have solved this problem. One brand, Solarez, has created a line of UV resins that are indeed tack-free. Disclosure: I am a Pro Team member for Solarez, so I use their products exclusively, but other brands claim they are tack-free as well. Feel free to do your own research.

The Solarez line of resins has virtually replaced epoxy in my fly tying. From coating, a soft, flexible body on a foam popper to finishing the thread wraps on the head of a salmon fly, they have a UV resin for every fly tying needs. Solarez and other companies are now offering colored UV resins as well, which will really expand their use in fly tying. This is starting to sound like a sponsored advertisement for Solarez, which it is not, so let us move on to the fly!

The Epoxy/Resin Bodied Wet Fly

As I mentioned earlier, I have replaced epoxy with UV resin in most of my fly tying so this pattern seemed a natural for a resin-coated body. Epoxy was used initially to create a durable body that would hold up to dozens of fish. It was also used to create a fly that was denser and would easily break the surface tension of the water and begin to sink without have to add beads or lead wraps under the thread body. The use of UV resins allows me to create the same effects without all the downsides of epoxy. I prefer to use a thin resin to cover the thread bodies of these flies. In this case, I am using Solarez Bone Dry. You brush on a thin layer and hit it with the light for a few seconds, and you are done. The end result is a clear, glossy, durable epoxy-like body with a smooth tack-free finish.

Thread Bodies - Simple and Versatile

Creating a fly could not be easier. The body of the fly is thread and UV resin, nothing else. For my panfish sized flies, which are tied on hooks that range from size 8 down to 18, I vary the size of the thread I use based on the fly. I use as heavy a thread as possible (based on the size of the hook), so I can quickly build a smooth body with a minimal number of thread wraps. I prefer a flat thread like Danville or UTC, which I can untwist and lay down smoothly. I coat the body with UV resin and cure it before tying in any hackle, so I eliminate the risk of getting UV resin on the hackle fibers. Threads are available in a wide range of colors, so you create flies in every color of the rainbow from subtle natural hues to bright, gaudy attractors.

Although thread makes an excellent body material you have other options as well. I often create a body with stranded flash products like Crystal Flash. This produces a very interesting effect, which can be quite effective at times. When the mood strikes me I also dress these flies up a bit by adding a thorax of a contrasting color of dubbing or chenille.

This weeks submission comes from Jack Harford. Jack is a past contributor to this blog and his Green Tail Caddis has been one of the more productive wet flies I have fished this year for both warm and cold water species.

Jack writes…

A lot of anglers are familiar with the use of caddis patterns for trout. However, over the last couple of years I have found that caddis patterns, especially the Green Tail Caddis, are quite effective for bluegills and other warm water fish.

Let me tell you a secret . . . bluegills love soft hackle flies and especially this Green Tail Caddis. Even though my signature fly is the foam “House Fly,” I have to admit that more and bigger gills have been landed on soft hackles recently.

This is a simple fly to tie and is effective for bluegills on hooks size 8-12 or even 14. The trouble with size 14’s is that bluegills and other panfish tend to swallow the hook and it can be a pain in the “you know what” to get the hook out.

I like to fish two flies with my 10-foot 5wt or with the tenkara rod and have landed several doubles with this fly the past couple of years. I prefer an unweighted version that sinks slowly and seductively in the water column. If you feel you need to get deeper faster just add a bead.

Good Luck with this warm water application of the Green Tail Caddis.

Tight Lines,

Jack Harford  

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Size 8-12, I really like 10’s a lot and have used Mustads to barbless Firehole Sticks and several in between.    

Thread: Green/chartreuse UTC 140 is my go-to thread, but olive or other greens can be used too. The key with the thread is to create a very noticeable green tail or egg sack at the rear of the fly.

Rib: Gold tinsel or flash

Body: Hares ear dubbing like Spirit River Mottled Nymph Blend Dubbing. If the caddis in your region have unique coloring, try different colors to see what the fish like.

Hackle: Hungarian Partridge.

A Year Round Favorite

As I have mentioned many times in the past, I am a wet fly fanatic when it comes to panfish. In late winter/early spring I seldom fish anything else. An old favorite of mine is the Pennell Wet Fly. If you are a long time reader of this blog, the name may sound familiar. I have mentioned this pattern in the past. If you are interested in trying it for yourself, the pattern recipe can be found in the wet fly section of the Pattern Page.

This season like many in the past it is the fly I am apt to select a Pennell Wet Fly from my box more than any other wet fly or soft hackle. Granted I have a lot of confidence in the pattern because I have been fishing it so long, but it is mostly because it catches fish.

One Fly, Two Versions

I tie two basic versions of this fly: a traditional Pennell Wet Fly and a one feather version. The conventional version is more or less a standard Black Pennell Wet Fly. It is a tried and true favorite, and I tie it as I was shown many years ago.

The second version, the Single Feather Pennell Wet Fly, is the one I take a few liberties with. I vary the colors of the body and the hackle on this fly and tie it in a range of colors. The Single Feather Pennell Wet Fly is created by using one feather for the tail and the hackle. The tip of the feather is tied down as the tail; then the feather is lashed to the shank of the hook and covered with a thin layer of dubbing. At the eye of the hook, the remaining feather is wrapped several times around the hook to make a hackle collar. Tie the feather off, cut it loose, form a small head of thread and your done. I use many different hackles for this fly, but my favorite is grizzly both natural and dyed.

A Versatile Pattern

One of the things I love about this pattern is its versatility. Later in the year when the fish are looking up for their next meal, I often fish this pattern as a dry. A few quick false casts will dry the fly off, and it will float like a traditional dry fly. If nothing grabs it off the surface, a little tug will submerge it, and I then retrieve it back like a wet fly. I love a fly that pulls double duty!

Top Choice For Winter Fishing

The past week I managed to get out on the water a few times during some mild weather. On the first day, there was a bit of wind, and the fish were found in deeper water just within reach of a long cast. Using an intermediate line, wet flies, brought in with a slow, hand twist retrieve, took a fish every few casts. Hits were tough to detect at times, but the action was pretty steady. The Black Pennell was the clear winner that day.

The next day the conditions had changed a bit. The daytime high was a few degrees warmer, and there was no wind. As I approached the pond, I spooked fish that were lying in just inches of water soaking up all that warmth the sun was giving them. On this day the fish were much more active. I noticed a relatively large light colored chironomid (midge) on the surface of the water. A quick look around revealed a few more out and about. While I never saw a fish rise, I decided to try a light colored Single Feather Pennell Wet Fly. While nothing rose to take the fly off the surface, I received some violent, slashing hits just as the fly was pulled under the surface. Unlike the day before when the fly had to be dragged through the depths to catch a fish, these fish were up near the surface. It was not precisely dry fly fishing, but it was close enough. You were able to see the takes as the fish rolled on the fly just under the surface. There was no mistaking the grab!

Pick your days

In many parts of the United States pursuing panfish with a fly rod is an impossibility. In many parts of the country, your favorite panfish hole may be under several inches (or feet!) of ice. Here in the northeast where I call home I usually see some open water during most winters. However, I can’t expect success unless certain conditions exist. What I look for, is a few days in a row of consistent weather. Sunny days are a plus and calm sunny days are even better. Even with air temperatures hovering around freezing bright sunshine will begin to warm shallow water especially over dark bottomed flats. Fish will take advantage of this warming water and start to move into the area. The increase in water temperature will also ramp up their metabolism a little more resulting in the fish feeding a little more than usual. Although bluegills and other panfish feed all winter long as many an ice fisherman will tell you. Cold water slows them down a bit reducing their need for food.

Fish later in the day to take full advantage of the sun’s warming effect on the water. The warmest time of the day will usually be between noon and 3 or 4pm. That is the time you should plan to be on the water. There is no need to hit the water at first light when planning a winter fishing trip!

Focus on deeper water than you usually fish in the spring

During the winter months, bluegills and other panfish tend to gather in dense schools and seek the refuge that deeper water provides.  To increase your chances of catching cold weather panfish focus on smaller bodies of water.  In addition to warming quicker than larger bodies of water, smaller lakes and ponds offer you the ability to reach the deeper areas with ease.  In many cases, the deepwater area may be reachable with a long cast from shore.  In many small watersheds, the deepest part of the lake may be right next to a dam.  If there is suitable structure present, these areas may be locations were panfish are gathering during the colder months.

Don’t entirely ignore the shallows

In addition to deep water holding areas, bluegills and other panfish will begin to enter shallow water when conditions are right. Dark-bottomed flats warm up first, and fish move into these areas temporarily. On a calm sunny day, fish will move on to these dark bottomed shallow areas to feed, retreating to the depths when conditions warrant it. Cloud cover or an advancing cold front will send these fish scurrying back to the stable conditions deep water offers.

Often drop off areas adjacent to these flats are good areas to target, as fish will often stage there before entering the shallows. Once in the shallows, the fish will see out the warmest water. In many cases, it may be water only inches deep. A little stealth will be needed to avoid spooking the fish on your approach.

Fish deep, fish small flies and fish S…L…O…W

In most winter conditions I tend to target deep water holding areas. I focus my efforts on smaller bodies of water like farm ponds. These small ponds warm up quicker than larger lakes and the deep water holding areas may only be 6 to 8 feet deep, depths that are very fishable with a fly rod.

I always carry intermediate, sink tip or full sinking lines with me when fishing during the winter months. It is essential to keep your rod tip low (my rod tip is often in the water) when using sinking lines. This will allow you to have the most direct connection to your flies and it will assist in strike detection. I have found that a slow, steady hand twist retrieve the best way to present my flies when fishing with sinking lines. I want to offer the flies deep to put them in front of the fish and keep them there by using painfully slow retrieves. In cold water conditions, panfish will often follow a fly considerable distances before taking it. In cold water, they will not chase a fast moving fly, but a fly that is just moving slowly just off the bottom is another matter altogether.

During winter months I tend to fish soft hackles and wet flies more than any other fly patterns. These flies are usually on the small size ranging from size 12 down to 18. I prefer darker flies for my winter fishing, but I will experiment with brighter colors if my usual patterns are not working. My fishing method is very straight forward. After my cast I let the fly/flies settle to the depth I wish to fish at and with the rod top low to the surface of the water retrieve them with a slow, steady hand twist retrieve. I like to keep the flies moving slowly and steadily along the or near the bottom. If the steady retrieve is not producing results, I will introduce some pauses into the same hand twist retrieve. I seldom strip flies in cold water conditions as I feel it is moving the flies too quickly.

Don’t expect rock solid hits while fly fishing for panfish during winter months. Takes are often subtle and hard to detect. I always observe my line as these takes are often seen and not felt. Sometimes the line will just feel heavy without the usual bump or tug. When this happens, I always set the hook, and I am often rewarded with fish.

Strike indicators are your friend

Nymphs are also r ma great option for cold water fly fishing. You can fish them just like the wet flies and soft hackles I described above, or you can suspend them under an indicator. Suspending your flies near the bottom is a very effective way to catch sluggish cold water panfish. Casting a rig with a fly or two suspended 6 to 8 feet under an indicator can be a little cumbersome. If I need to fish deeper than four feet, I will often rig up the strike indicator for work as a slip float to allow me to cast easier. Nothing special is needed a hares ear, or pheasant tail nymph will work as well as anything else. Again your nymphs should be on the small side. No larger than a size 12 and going down to a size 22 when fishing midge larva and pupae patterns.

When fish are feeding on Chironomids (midges) they will often suspend or even feed on the surface. These insects are available 12 months out of the year and are an important food source. If I suspect that these insects are present and the fish are feeding on them, I will start out fishing on the bottom and gradually adjust the depth of the indicator until I find the exact depth where the fish are feeding.

Strike detection using an indicator can be difficult when targeting panfish in cold water. Some indicators do a better job than others. I prefer the lightest possible strike indicator that will properly suspend my flies. Watch the indicator closely and set the hook at the slightest movement. My favorite strike indicators for cold water fishing are the Dave Whitlock Telstrike Indicators which have a center post that reacts to the slightest disturbance.

Bonus tip

The Fly Of The Month for March is more of a style of fly than a particular pattern. March is usually the month when I start fly fishing for panfish in earnest. While the water is still cold and fish can be difficult to locate, some quality fish are caught early in the season. To catch fish right after ice-out, you need to pick your days and fishing locations carefully. You can read more about cold-weather fishing here or click the button below. I will generally fish smaller bodies of water that tend to warm up quicker. Subsurface flies are the norm this time of year, and wet flies, particularly soft hackles, are my go-to patterns.

I fish various soft-hackle wet flies in early spring in sizes ranging from 8 - 14. Some of these flies will have drab natural colors, and others will have a bit of flash and fluorescence. I experiment with size and color until I discover what the fish prefer on that particular day. In general, darker patterns do better on cloudy days, and the brighter flies seem to do better when the sun is shining, although it is not a hard and fast rule.

You can tie soft hackle wet flies with various feathers and body materials. When selecting feathers for soft hackle wet flies, I look for feathers with soft fibers that will move enticingly in the water. I avoid stiff rooster hackles, leaning instead towards feathers from hen chickens and game birds like partridge, grouse, and pheasant. You can tie your soft hackles with very sparse collars or tie them thick and webby.

One challenge novice fly tiers often face when tying soft hackles is selecting the proper-sized feathers. Generally speaking, the tips of the swept-back hackle should extend even with or just past the bend of the hook. Unfortunately, these smaller feathers often get used up quickly on most bird skins. Fear not, as you can use the entire skin for tying soft hackles. However, you need to use different methods to tie in the larger feathers. A friend and fellow fly tier, Nicole March, has done a better job explaining the techniques used when using larger feathers than I can ever hope to do. Her blog The Quilted Tyer has several articles on soft hackle tying techniques that explain the process perfectly, along with exquisite step-by-step photographs. I have included a few links to her work below. I encourage you to check them out.

You have a wide range of body materials to choose from for constructing your panfish wet flies. You can use peacock herl, pheasant tail, yarns, floss, and dubbing to create bodies on soft hackle patterns. You can even use your tying thread alone to build a tapered body. A thread body works exceptionally well if you coat it with UV resin.

If desired, you can rib the bodies on your soft hackles with tinsel or wire. The body can be hairy and buggy or trim and neat. Tails on your soft hackle flies are optional. Build your soft hackle wet flies with tails or leave them off. Each style can be effective at times, so it pays to have a variety of flies on hand - some buggy, some neat, some with tails, and some without.

I have included a few recipes for some of my favorite panfish soft hackles but feel free to experiment with materials you have on hand.

The Golden Grouse

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Firehole 633 or 609 Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 red

Tail: Yellow dyed sharptailed grouse feather fibers

Body: Semperfli Semperseal Subs Dubbing golden olive

Thorax: Semperfli Semperseal Subs Dubbing red

Collar: Sharptailed grouse body feather dyed yellow

Head Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

Soft Hackle & Flash

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Firehole 633 or 609 Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 black

Body: Holographic Tinsel

Thorax: Variegated chenille chartreuse/black

Collar: Grizzly hen feather in color of choice (chartreuse shown in image)

Head & Body Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

Thread Body Soft Hackle

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Wet fly hook Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 6/0 in the color of choice (yellow shown in image)

Rib: Semperfli Classic Waxed 3/0 in a contrasting color to body

Body: Tapered body of tying thread in the color of choice (yellow shown in image)

Collar: Grizzly hen feather in the color of choice (chartreuse shown in image)

Head & Body Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

Hot Spot Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Firehole 633 or 609 Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 rust

Rib: Fine gold or copper wire

Body: Pheasant tail fibers

Thorax: Brightly colored dubbing in your color of choice

Collar: Partridge body feather

Head Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

Jack Harford’s Green Tail Caddis

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Firehole 633 or 609 Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 fluoro green

Hot Spot : Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread 6/0 fluoro green, coated with Solarez Bone Dry

Body: Hare’s Ear dubbing

Rib: Gold tinsel

Collar: Partridge body feather

Head Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

Hot Butt Olive

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Firehole 633 or 609 Size 14-8

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 olive

Hot Spot : Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread 6/0 fluoro green, coated with Solarez Bone Dry

Body: Rabbit dubbing olive

Collar: Hen body feather dyed olive

Head Treatment: Solarez Bone Dry Plus

The Partridge and Hare

Pattern Recipe:

Hook: Mustad 3906 Size 8-14

Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed 8/0 black

Body: Dark Hare’s Ear Dubbing

Collar: Partridge body feather

Rib: Semperfli 3/0 Classic Waxed Thread - yellow or yellow wire

Many warm-water anglers stop spending time on the water when cooler weather arrives. For some, it is time to transition to the field, and time is spent hunting instead of on the water. Others prefer to fish when the weather is warmer. If you are still craving some quality fishing, don't put away that fly rod just yet. Bluegills and other panfish are always up for a game of tug of war, but you may need to change your tactics a bit to get them to play.

Once the air and the water temperature cool down, the fish take up new residences and may no longer respond to the flies and tactics that worked so well during the spring and summer. To catch a fish, you have to find it first. As the water cools, bluegills and other sunfish will begin retreating to deeper water where they can find more stable conditions. They will still make forays into the shallows on those warm, calm fall days, but generally, you will have to seek them out in deeper water. I like to focus my fall fishing on smaller bodies of water like farm ponds. On these types of water, the deepest part of the pond is not all that deep (6-8 feet), and it can usually be accessed with a long cast from shore or fished easily from a boat or kayak.

Fly selection is usually limited to subsurface patterns like wet flies, nymphs, and streamers. However, you may find the odd fish willing to come up to the surface on warmer days. Hands down, my favorite way to fish under these conditions is with wet flies and soft hackles. I may catch more panfish on wet flies in a given year than all other types of flies combined! They can be deadly if fished properly.

There are a few challenges to fishing a wet fly or soft hackle properly. First off, we have to get the fly to the fish. This usually means getting the fly lower in the water column than you are used to fishing as the fish move deep. There are a few ways you can do this. My first option is to fish your flies on a weighted leader. You can find poly leaders in a variety of densities from slow to fast sinking. I tend to avoid putting split shot on the leader to sink my flies. Split shot always has a way of snagging on weeds, and it puts a hinge point in your leader with will adversely affect strike detection. If a sinking leader is not getting the flies deep enough, it is time to go to a sink tip, intermediate, or full sinking lines. Casting sinking lines may feel a little awkward at first. You will have to make some changes to your tackle. While you may be able to handle sinking leaders on your light three and four weight fly rods, a full sinking line will be too heavy. Fall is one of the times of year that I break out that five weight fly rod. Most sink tip and full sinking lines are not available in lighter weights, and a five weight is usually the lightest sinking line I can find.

Once you get your flies to the fish, the next challenges will be presenting them properly and detecting the strike. As the water cools down, so does the fish's metabolism, so you will need to slow down your presentation as well; the colder the water, the slower the retrieve. I find the hand twist retrieve the best method for inching your flies through the water. It isn't easy to describe in words, but a quick google search will turn up a few videos that demonstrate the hand movements better than I can explain them. To better detect takes from the fish, it is vital to remove as much slack from your line as possible and directly connect to your flies. The easiest way to do this is to keep the rod tip low and close to the water. A take from a sluggish fish is often seen before it is felt (if it is felt at all!) Watch your leader/line where it enters the water. If you observe anything unusual such as twitches, pauses, or unnatural movement, set the hook with a flick of the wrist. A light hook set will keep the flies in the zone instead of pulling them up out of the depths.

Although I fish both winged wet flies and soft hackles, my preference leans towards soft hackles. The flowing feather fibers of a properly tied soft hackle provide a lot of movement in the water, especially during slow retrieves. Many traditional soft hackles will work on panfish. Some of my favorites are the Partridge & Green, Partridge& Yellow, Partridge & Rust, Partridge & Pheasant, Partridge & Peacock, and Partridge & Hares Ear. All of which are available in our Soft Hackle Assortment. Yes, I like partridge feathers on my soft hackles! If you don't have access to partridge, most other game birds and hen chickens have great feathers for soft hackle flies. In addition to traditional soft hackles I have been experimenting with UV resin bodied flies and the results have been encouraging. The UV resin bodied flies sink quicker and are perfect for deep water presentations.

So don't hang up that fly rod just yet. There is still some good fishing to be had. Fishing with wet flies will extend your fishing season often right up to the point the water gets hard on us. For those that live in warmer climates, these methods will allow you to fish all year long!

I received numerous requests for additional information about the Resin Bodied Wet Flies I wrote about in my last blog post. I thought I would do a follow-up post explaining how I tie these patterns and share some of my favorite tying recipes. I have been fishing this style of fly for many years, but before UV resins came on the scene, they were created using 5-minute epoxy. Using 5-minute epoxy is still an option, but I have abandoned it in favor of UV resin.

There are many UV resins on the market available to the fly tier. While I have not tried them all, I have tried quite a few of them. I have settled on Solarez Products as my UV resin of choice. Solarez makes a UV resin for every application, and I use it exclusively in my fly tying. The resin used in the creation of these wet flies is Solarez Bone Dry. Bone Dry has some unique characteristics that make it ideal for these patterns. Solarez Bone Dry is an ultra-thin UV resin. It goes on like a thin head cement, and I often use it for that purpose on my flies as it leaves a durable, smooth, high gloss finish on the thread wraps at the head of the fly. The most important feature of this product is the fact that it dries in seconds when exposed to UV light, and it dries with a 100 percent tack-free, high gloss finish. I have been using this product fo a few years now, and I have observed no yellowing, fading, or cracking of the finish on flies that have been around since I first started using it.

Tying The Resin Bodied Wet Fly

Tying the resin Bodied wet fly is pretty straight forward. The use of UV resin has made the process even easier. When I used epoxy in the past, I would tie up a bunch of partially completed flies (bodies only), treat them with the epoxy, and set them on a wheel to dry. Using UV resin allows me to complete the fly in the vise, which saves a lot of time and eliminates a few steps in the tying procedure.

The Hook

I am always asked about the specific hook I use on all of the patterns that I tie. For the Resin Bodied Wet Fly, I like a standard wet fly hook. There are a lot of good options to choose from, but I have fallen in love with the Firehole Stick #633 by Firehole Outdoors. This nymph/wet hook is a 1x long 2x heavy hook that is perfect for wet flies and nymphs tied without a bead (I prefer a longer hook when using beads on nymph patterns). The 2x heavy hook breaks through the surface film quickly and helps get the fly down to the fish. The heavier hook also holds up well when a good bass inevitably grabs the fly as they often do. I am always amazed at the size of some of the largemouth bass I catch on tiny wet flies! One thing to note is that the Fire Stick #633 and all Firehole Outdoors hooks for that matter are barbless. I prefer barbless hooks on all of the flies I tie for myself, but I have customers that want flies tied on barbed hooks. I highly recommend this hook, and those anglers who only fish barbed hooks should consider giving it a try.

Creating the Resin Body

The most important thing to remember about this pattern is to create the body and apply the UV resin before adding the hackle and thorax. This step will eliminate the possibility of the resin getting on the fibers of the thorax and hackle. I usually use two different threads when tying these patterns. I prefer a more substantial thread to quickly build a tapered body and a finer thread for finishing the head. If you are careful with your thread wraps, you can get away with using a 140 denier thread as a compromise. Using a few more wraps to form the body and a few less to create the head of the fly, you can turn out a fantastic looking fly without changing threads.

You have a few options when building the body. You can use thread alone with or without a contrasting rib to create a great looking body. You can also wrap a single layer of crystal flash or smoother flash material if you want to create a body with a little bling. Remember that you will be adding a layer of UV resin to the fly, so keep the shape of the fly on the thin side, so you don’t create a bulky looking fly unless, of course, that is what you are looking for.

Another tip is not to crowd the hook eye. Give yourself adequate room to finish the fly after you apply the resin. It is also essential to keep the resin away from the area of the hook that you will be tying in the hackle. You will always get better-looking results tying in your hackle on a bare hook shank or one covered with only a single layer of thread.

As stated earlier, I use Solarez Bone Dry to coat the body of the fly. Solarez comes in a glass bottle with a brush applicator. Usually, the first thing I do when opening a new bottle of Bone Dry is to take a pair of scissors to the brush to thin it out a bit. Trimming the brush is an excellent idea if you tie a lot of small flies. Leave the brush as it is if you primarily tie big stuff. At the moment, I am using a prototype plastic bottle with a fine metal needle tip applicator. This bottle is my new favorite method of applying UV resin of this nature. I hope Solarez offers this bottle option to everyone in the future. Are you listening Solarez?

Solarez Bone Dry has a peculiar characteristic that I have to mention. When Solarez Bone Dry is exposed to colder temperatures (below 55 degrees, I believe), it begins to crystallize, making it unusable. Fortunately, this is remedied by warming it up. I usually stick the opened bottle in the microwave for a few minutes, and it is restored to its proper state. Another method, which I use when tying on the road at various fly fishing shows during the winter, is to stick the sealed bottle in a glass of hot water. It takes a little longer, but once the resin warms, it will be entirely restored. Just make sure the container is correctly sealed or only submerge it to the level of the cap.

Once you have created a body of thread or flash material, give it a light coating of Bone Dry resin. Go sparingly at first until you get a feel for how much resin is needed. A rotary vice is real handy here as you can rotate the fly to keep the resin from sagging before hitting it with UV light and setting the resin. After applying a drop or two of resin, I spread it around with a dubbing needle or the metal stem on the new bottle to evenly distribute it before curing it. The resin sets in seconds when exposed to the UV light.

Finishing The Fly

Now that your body is done, its time to finish the fly. I tie a lot of soft hackles with this style body, but nothing says you can’t use it for winged wets as well. You can get as simple or elaborate as you want. You can finish the fly with a few turns of hackle and call it finished. Tie them sparse or heavily hackled; the choice is yours, both styles have their uses. For hackle, I like hen hackle and feathers from game birds like partridge, grouse, and pheasant. I also use rooster hackle, specifically the hackle found on Ewing Feather Bird Deceiver Patches. This versatile hackle has a lot of uses outside of deceiver style streamers. I use it for hackle on poppers and bass bugs as well as larger wet flies. It has the perfect combination of stiffness and flexibility, and I like the way it looks on larger wet flies.

You can add a little more detail, a change in profile, and perhaps a little bit of contrast by adding a thorax before winding on the feather. I use a variety of dubbing and chenilles to create thoraxes on wet flies. A thorax will help keep the feather more upright when being retrieved through the water. It also presents an opportunity to add a hot spot to your fly by adding a thorax of brightly colored dubbing or chenille. You can also add a hot spot by finishing the head of the fly with brightly colored thread. You can use that same Bone Dry Resin to finish the head instead of head cement to get a smooth, durable, high gloss head on your fly.

Recycling At Its Best

Flies tied in this fashion are incredibly durable and will stand up to a lot of fish. Eventually, the hackle and thorax will get beat up, possibly being stripped off entirely if your not careful with those forceps when removing the flies from the fish’s mouth. Don’t discard that fly! Chances are the body is in perfect condition! Bring it back to your fly tying bench and add a fresh turn of hackle. I usually use a sharp knife to trim away the old head, then add new dubbing and hackle, and it is off to the races again!

Recipes for Killer Soft Hackles

When it comes to panfish, there is no limit to the color combinations that can be used to catch fish. Wet flies have a long tradition of being tied to match specific hatches as well as being tied as gaudy, colorful attractors. I consider both approaches when adding a fresh batch of wet flies/soft hackles to my fly boxes. I encourage you to experiment with your designs and color combinations. Please be sure to share your successes with me!

Here are a few of my favorites:

The Basic Yellow

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread Body: Danville 210 denier Yellow

Hackle: Chartreuse Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Yellow w/Black Rib

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread Body: Danville 210 denier Yellow with a black thread rib. Use heavier Black embroidery floss if you want a more “bee-like” appearance

Hackle: Chartreuse Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Chartreuse Flash

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread: UTC 140 denier Red

Body: Chartreuse or Pearl Crystal Flash

Hackle: Chartreuse Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Thorax: One turn of Chartreuse/Back variegated chenille

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Red Flash

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread: UTC 140 denier Red

Body: Silver Crystal Flash

Hackle: Chartreuse Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Thorax: Bright Red Dubbing

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Basic Brown

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread Body: UTC 140 denier Brown

Hackle: Grizzly or Brown Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Thorax: Brown Dubbing

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Basic Olive

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread Body: UTC 140 denier Olive

Hackle: Grizzly or Olive Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Thorax: Dark Olive Dubbing

Resin: Solarez Bone Dry

Hot Spot Brown or Olive

Hook: Firehole Stick #633 (size 8-14)

Thread Body: UTC 140 denier Brown or Olive

Hackle: Grizzly, Brown or Olive Grizzly Ewing Deceiver Patch

Thorax: Hot Orange Dubbing Resin:

Solarez Bone Dry

Head: Hot Orange 70 denier UTC

There is no limit to the varieties of Resin Bodied Wet Flies you can tie. Experiment and have a little fun at the vice. I think you would be hard pressed to tie one that won’t work!