Riverstone Purple Soft Hackle
by @dekasso
Soft Hackle · Wet fly
A purple flicker over river stones
A purple and silver soft hackle wet fly, size 14, for swinging through riffles and runs to trout and grayling during an emergence.
A purple soft hackle wet fly with a bright, banded body and a long sweep of grey hackle. The body is purple floss ribbed with silver tinsel, set between a dun tail and a grey dubbed thorax.
- Pattern
- Soft Hackle
- Imitates
- Caddis and mayfly emergence, typically spring and summer afternoons into evening
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Purple floss body with silver tinsel rib
- Long dun hen hackle that moves
- Grey dubbed thorax under the collar
- Size 14 wet-fly hook
- Made for the swing
On the water
Deep purple floss, cut into neat bands by bright silver tinsel. A wisp of grey thorax sits behind the eye, and long dun hen fibers flare back over the body like smoke. Pale tail fibers trail out past the bend.
Swing it across and down through a riffle when insects start lifting off the stones. Let it hang at the end of the drift, then twitch it once or twice. The soft hackle breathes in the current and the tinsel throws small flashes of light.
Hen hackle wants only two turns. Tie it in by the tip, wrap it close, and stroke the fibers back before you tie off so they stay soft and mobile.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Use 5X or 6X tippet so the hackle can move freely.
- Cast across and down, mend once, and let it swing to the hang below you.
- Add a small split shot a foot above it to swing deeper in fast runs.
Where and when
- Water
- Henry's Fork of the Snake, Eastern Idaho
- Hatch
- Caddis and mayfly emergence, typically spring and summer afternoons into evening
- Target
- Trout, Grayling
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and the tailouts of pools
- Also fishes
- Fishes well on a slow stillwater retrieve near weed beds, or as a dropper below a dry fly on smooth glides.
Also on this water
- Green DrakeJun
- Pale Morning DunJun–Jul
- Brown DrakeJun
- TricoAug–Sep
Fished out of Last Chance, Island Park and Ashton.
Make it yourself
Beginner6 materials · 9 steps
- Pattern
- Soft Hackle
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- Wet-fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Tan 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailDun hackle fibers
- RibSmall silver tinsel
- BodyPurple floss
- ThoraxGrey rabbit dubbing
- HackleDun hen hackle
- HeadTan 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Emerging caddis and mayfly
- Colors
- Purple, Silver, Dun grey, Tan
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (9)
- Mount the hook and start the tan thread behind the eye, then wrap a thin base back to the bend.
- Tie in six to eight dun hackle fibers at the bend for a tail about one shank long.
- Tie in the silver tinsel at the bend on the near side.
- Tie in purple floss near the front and wrap it back to the bend and forward again in smooth, flat layers, stopping about a third of the shank from the eye.
- Rib the body with five evenly spaced turns of tinsel, tie it off and trim.
- Dub a thin, slightly shaggy thorax of grey rabbit over the next short section, leaving room behind the eye.
- Strip the fluff from a dun hen hackle and tie it in by the tip just ahead of the thorax.
- Wrap the hackle two turns, stroking the fibers back toward the bend as you go, then tie off and trim.
- Build a small, neat tan thread head, whip finish and add a drop of cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one hook shank long, sparse and fine.
- Body: the rear two thirds of the shank, slim and even.
- Thorax: short, roughly a fifth of the shank, just thicker than the body.
- Hackle: fibers long enough to reach the hook point or a touch past.
Tips (3)
- Keep the floss flat by untwisting it as you wrap; it lies smoother and the purple glows more.
- Space the tinsel turns evenly so the bands read clearly.
- Pick out a few thorax fibers with a dubbing needle so the hackle sits a little flared.
Common mistakes (4)
- Too many hackle turns make a stiff collar; two turns of hen is enough.
- A fat floss body hides the rib; build it in thin layers.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the head; stop the thorax and hackle with space to spare.
- Wrapping tinsel loosely lets it slip; keep firm tension and tie off tight.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$51.55
$4.30 a fly
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Small silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Purple floss$4.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Dun hen hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$89.21
$1.86 a fly
Bought separately $93.90 · you save $4.69
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$5.90
- Small silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Purple floss$9
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Dun hen hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$222.02
$1.54 a fly
Bought separately $252.30 · you save $30.28
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$17.70
- Small silver tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Purple floss$22.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Dun hen hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$201.55
$16.80 a fly
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Small silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Purple floss$4.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Dun hen hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$231.71
$4.83 a fly
Bought separately $243.90 · you save $12.19
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$5.90
- Small silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Purple floss$9
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Dun hen hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$354.02
$2.46 a fly
Bought separately $402.30 · you save $48.28
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$17.70
- Small silver tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Purple floss$22.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Dun hen hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
2 steps back
- Riverstone Olive Mayfly Dun@dekasso · the original
- Riverstone Purple Soft Hackleyou are here
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make the body purple with silver tinsel rib”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- soft hackle
- wet fly
- purple
- silver tinsel
- floss body
- hen hackle
- trout
- grayling
- swing
- emerger
- caddis
- riffles