November 18, 2021 Brent Auger

Ice Fire Bead Head Soft Hackle

We love fishing Bead Head Soft Hackles all year round. These types of patterns are easily our most productive, go to, and confidence patterns to fish. We love to fish them on a dead drift upstream presentation, on a swing, and a slight pulse of the rod tip to activate the fly. What we love about soft hackles though is the ability the fly has to come alive even on a dead drift due to the flowing hackle in the current. Catching a fish on this dead drift can be so subtle until you set the hook and watch the fish EXPLODE!!!

With colder winter months it is extremely important to get you fly down in the water column to where the fish are at. When the water gets cold the fish will conserve their energy because it takes so much more out of them in the colder water. To go along with that there is generally less abundant food source higher in the water column, or the top to make it worth their time and effort. To get to these fish who are more opportunistic than normal we love to swing in a weighted bead head soft hackle right by them.