Wet Flies/Softhackles

Wet flies and soft hackle patterns are the oldest tradition in fly fishing — and more effective than most modern anglers give them credit for. Fished on a swing through likely holding water or drifted slightly below the surface, these patterns imitate emerging insects, drowned adults, and small baitfish in a way that triggers an instinctive strike.

On freestone rivers during caddis hatches, a soft hackle Partridge and Orange swung through the tail of a run will move fish that ignore every dry fly and nymph presentation. The takes are often violent and unmistakable — one of the more satisfying experiences in fly fishing.

We carry classic soft hackle and wet fly patterns: Partridge and Orange, Soft Hackle Grouse, Biot Soft Hackle BWO, and Prince Sparkle (Soft Hackle) — tied traditionally on wet fly hooks. These are patterns worth learning to fish.