Slate Ledge Grizzly Soft Hackle
by @dekasso
Soft Hackle · Wet fly
Barred fibers breathing in a grey run
A grey and grizzly soft hackle wet fly on a size 14 hook, with a tail and dubbed body, for trout during caddis emergence.
A grizzly soft hackle wet fly resting on dark slate, its barred collar flared around a small black head. The body is fuzzy grey rabbit dubbing behind a tail of grizzly fibers on a bronze hook.
- Pattern
- Soft Hackle
- Imitates
- Caddis emergence
- When
- typically spring and early-summer afternoons into evening
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Size 14 wet-fly hook
- Grizzly hen collar, two sparse turns
- Fuzzy grey rabbit dubbed body
- Barred grizzly fiber tail
- Swings well through caddis riffles
On the water
Grey fuzz, barred fibers, a neat black head. The grizzly collar fans out like a small storm cloud over the body, and the tail picks up the same black and white bars.
Fish it in riffles and runs when caddis start coming off. Cast across and slightly down, let it swing, and lift the rod tip at the end of the drift so the soft collar pulses as it rises.
Grizzly hen hackle is the part to get right. Pick a feather with fibers just longer than the hook gap and take only two turns, so the collar stays sparse and moves with the slightest current.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Tie it on 5X tippet and let a floating line carry it just under the surface film.
- Mend once after the cast, then let the swing build so the fly rises at the end of the drift.
- Pair it as a dropper 18 inches behind a dry when fish are taking emergers.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Caddis emergencetypically spring and early-summer afternoons into evening
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and the soft seams below them
- Also fishes
- Also swings well in slow pool tails at dusk and works as a dropper below a dry in pocket water.
Make it yourself
Beginner4 materials · 8 steps
- Pattern
- Soft Hackle
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- Wet-fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Black 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailGrizzly hackle fibers
- BodyGrey rabbit dubbing
- HackleGrizzly hen hackle
- HeadBlack thread
Details
- Imitates
- Emerging caddis
- Colors
- Grey, Grizzly black and white, Black, Bronze
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (8)
- Mount the size 14 wet-fly hook in the vise and start the black 8/0 thread behind the eye, wrapping back to the bend.
- Strip a small bunch of grizzly hackle fibers and tie them in at the bend as a tail about two-thirds of the hook shank long.
- Twist a thin noodle of grey rabbit dubbing onto the thread, tapering it thin at the tail end.
- Wrap the dubbing forward in a slim, slightly fuzzy body, stopping about two eye-lengths behind the hook eye.
- Prepare a grizzly hen hackle by stripping the fluff from the base and tie it in by the stem just ahead of the body, shiny side facing forward.
- Take two turns of the hen hackle, sweeping the fibers back with your fingers as you wrap.
- Tie off the hackle tip and trim it close.
- Build a small, neat black thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about two-thirds of the hook shank length.
- Body: covers the rear three-quarters of the shank, slim and tapered.
- Hackle fibers: reach to the hook point or slightly past.
- Head: small, no more than two eye-lengths.
Tips (3)
- Pick out a few dubbing fibers with a dubbing needle for a buggy outline.
- Fold the hen hackle fibers rearward before wrapping so they all sweep back evenly.
- Keep the dubbing noodle thin; adding a little at a time gives a cleaner taper.
Common mistakes (3)
- Too many hackle turns make a stiff, dense collar; two turns are enough.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the head; stop the body two eye-lengths back.
- A fat body hides the grey tones and floats the fly; use less dubbing than seems needed.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$43.80
$3.65 a fly
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$11.95
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Grizzly hen hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$77.57
$1.62 a fly
Bought separately $81.65 · you save $4.08
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$23.90
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Grizzly hen hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$193.64
$1.34 a fly
Bought separately $220.05 · you save $26.41
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$71.70
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Grizzly 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
$193.80
$16.15 a fly
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$11.95
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Grizzly 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
$220.07
$4.58 a fly
Bought separately $231.65 · you save $11.58
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$23.90
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Grizzly 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
$325.64
$2.26 a fly
Bought separately $370.05 · you save $44.41
Includes Wet-fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Grizzly hackle fibers$71.70
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Grizzly 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
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- soft hackle
- wet fly
- grizzly
- grey
- caddis
- emerger
- trout
- swing
- rabbit dubbing
- hen hackle