Monday, November 19, 2012

The Softy stone tutorial

 This is a simple soft hackle pattern that I put together some time ago to fish during the winter months. It is fair imitation for stone flies, thus why i call it the softy stone.  Now I know it looks nothing like a stone fly to you and I, but the trout gobble them up and that is the important part.
   The body is dyed moose mane. I dont know where you can buy dyed moose mane, but i dyed it myself. Just need some rit dark brown for the job.  Also if you dye some black, you get some great body material as well.  The thorax area is marabou from the shaft of any black feather.   The feather i use is a mallard flank feather, they have a very light and thin marabou at the base, which is great for smaller flies.  I hackle this tie with a black hen hackle, but i also tie some up with a light furnace hackle, a greenwell shade of furnace is perfect.
  I like to tie these in #16 down to 20, Any smaller if you dare, makes a great midge fly as well. I mainly fish this fly on the bottom with a dead drift, casting up and or up and across. Drift this fly close to shore lines as trout do stage there waiting for stone fly nymphs to attempt there escape from the stream to hatch. 




Lets twist one up


Materials
Hook- Daiichi 1560
Thread- Uni 8/0 black
Body- Dyed brown moose mane
Thorax- Black marabou from the base of a feather
Hackle- Black hen neck/greenwell furnace neck hackle



Start the thread at the eye, and run it back to about the barb


Tie in 2 moose mane hairs on top by the butts of the hairs.


Wind the thread back up the shank to about the 3/4 point tying down the butts of the hairs

Wind the moose around the shank touching turns until you reach the thread and tie it off, snip the butts


Select a black feather, preferably a mallard flank feather, but something with nice wispy soft marabou. Pinch the stem in between your finger and thumb and pinch off some of the marabou


You dont need a lot, and dont get any of the stem skin, you just want the marabou.


Dub the thread the marabou, It dubs rather easily.


Wind the dubbing on to form a small ball, be sure to leave room for the hackle and head.


Tie in the hackle. Here i tied the hen feather in by the butt.


Wind the hackle on, stroking it back as you wind. Only take a a turn to at urn and half. Less is way more with this fly. Tie off the hackle and form the head.


Whip finish and varnish if you wish, and you got yourself a great little soft hackle.



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