March Brown - Wire Body - Soft Hackle

Wire body soft hackles

If you haven't yet discovered the magic of fishing soft hackle patterns, this is the year to start!  These flies are easy to tie, durable, incredibly effective, and really really fun to fish.  Think big streamer-style hits crossed with the delicacy and technicality of dry fly fishing.  Furthermore, they work for almost every mayfly and caddis hatch when tied in the appropriate size and color.

Do you consider yourself a classic fly fisherperson?  It doesn't get any more classic than soft hackles. Do consider yourself a new-school, techy, fish anything as long as it catches fish type fisher?  Then, you'll love what new materials like wire bodies and cool dubbing materials have brought to the world of soft hackles.

There are many ways to fish a soft hackle.  The traditional way is to gently drift the fly down stream and then let the current bring it to the surface at the end of the drift, hopefully in the feeding window of that huge trout you see porpoising.  You can grease smaller SH's and fish them as emergers.  You can fish them dead drift under an indicator like a regular nymph.  You can also fish them as a dropper off the back of a dry fly.

This specific soft hackle is great for the march brown hatch which is upon us here in Western Montana. As nymphs, march browns are great swimmers.  This makes the soft hackle the perfect fly for this hatch.

Hook: Size 10-14 nymph hook
Thread: 6/0 dark brown
Body: Small diameter fl. orange and black Ultra Wire (tie these in any color combo you like)
Thorax: Ice Dub golden brown
Wing/legs: 1 partridge feather

Step 1:

Wrap your hook shank nice and evenly with thread.

Step 2:

Advance your thread back to the front of the hook and then, tie in two 6 in. (15 cm.) lengths of wire, one for each color along one side of the hook.  Make sure they are tied in nicely and evenly along the shank.

Step 3:

Wrap the wires forward at the same time, making sure that they lay flat and are wrapped tightly together. You can do a better job than me, I had a light and camera in my way.


Step 4:

 Cut off the wire tags and apply the Ice Dub to your thread.

Step 5:

Dub a nice thorax ball.

Step 6:

Prepare a partridge feather like you would do for any soft hackle.  Pull off the fuzzy fibers near the base, pull back the fibers which will become the wing/legs, and then tie in the tip.  Tie in the feather curved down (as shown) so that when wrapped, the feather fibers will curve backwards.  Then, cut off the tips.

Step 7:

Wrap your hackle! Sparse is good.

Step 8:

Tie off the hackle, build a small thread head, and whip finish.  Your done!


Next month I promise a dry fly.  I know I've been a little wet so far.  I just love the soft hackles and wanted to spread the word.  Turns out, I'm not the only one.  Anyone see the article "North Country Spiders - Classic Soft Hackles" by Dave Whitlock which was in the latest issue of TU's Trout Magazine (spring 2015)?  It's a must read!

Missoula rainbow trout eats the Wire Body Soft Hackle

Missoula area fishing report

Downtown March browns getting pelted with raindrops

Gorging swallows

Brown water fishing report:

The rivers are all huge!  There was a drop yesterday but the upcoming warm weather is going to make everything crazy.  This spring has been tough for fishing with all the low elevation snow.  Every time it rains or gets warm, there is a huge push of water on top of the already elevated flows.

Clark Fork (around Missoula)
Big and brown with the occasional tree.  Two days ago, I witnessed a very heavy March brown spinnerfall during a light rain/snowstorm.  There was a massive showing of shore swallows.  Some dinks noticed them as well.  The large trout are eating other things subsurface.  If you just need to fish and you don't have a plan B, you can make it happen here.

Fishing the Clark Fork during high water is possible and can actually be really good sometimes.  You just have to safely locate the various places in the river where the fish go when the water is high.  When the river is high and crazy, the amount of places that trout can hold is reduced.  Find these places and you'll find happiness. Don't be afraid to fish irrigation canals, side channels, and slow winter-type water (if you can find it).  The mouths of the tribs are the safest bet.  Throw your junk into the mud and let it drift into the clean.

The Clark Fork trout are generally less put off by colored water, relative to the other streams in the area. Sometimes, they will even eat on top.  Generally though, using bright worms, large rubber legs, bead head nymphs, and eggs is the most effective.

Bitterroot River (around Missoula)
See Clark Fork Report.  The upper river is fishing great but I have not been up there to give an accurate report.

Lower Rock Creek
The creek is also huge.  It will be a struggle to access fishable water on the lower stream but if you find it, there will be a lot of fish.  Going around the P-burg way and fishing the upper reaches is the way to go.  The problem with that is, you drive right past Flint Creek.  Flint Creek fishes great during high water.  Those brown trout love it.  Anyway.

Area Lakes/Ponds
This is a great time to diversify your fly fishing world.  All of the area lakes and ponds are fishing great.  The lake hatches should start with the warm weather and I'll report on that when it happens.