Wet FlybeginnerPacific Northwest
Soft Hackle
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Regional source directory
Pacific Fly Fishers
Matched on Pacific Northwest, wet flies, trout. Pacific Northwest shop with a large online catalog and steelhead/trout regional relevance.
Big Y Fly Co.
Matched on wet flies, trout, wet. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.
AZ Fly Shop
Matched on wet flies, trout, trout. Arizona and Southwest shop lead for desert trout, bass, canal carp, and warmwater patterns.
Davidson River Outfitters
Matched on wet flies, trout, trout. Southern Appalachian trout shop lead tied to the Davidson River and regional freestones.
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The Soft Hackle is the oldest trick in fly fishing, dating to the north of England centuries before anyone thought to call it 'fly fishing.' A sparse body, a single turn of soft partridge or hen hackle, and the current does the rest. The hackle fibers pulse and breathe with each micro-variation in flow, creating the impression of legs, wings, or movement that suggests life without specifying exactly what kind. It is a pattern that relies on impressionism rather than realism, and the trout have been approving of this artistic choice for five hundred years. In PNW rivers, swung through riffles and pocket water, it catches everything from cutthroat to steelhead.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Yakima River
WA · Freestone River
Deschutes River
OR · Freestone River
Klickitat River
WA · Freestone River
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