Gatorbyte
09-12-07, 08:33 PM
The Magic Bean Soft Hackle BWO emerger
Here's a little Soft Hackle I've been tying and fish it with confidence. It was inspired by Buck Henry and his Starling and Purple and Cucarachafly's keen observation of recent hatches on the Toccoa. I have fished variations of this all spring and summer as a dropper, but this is the one that has been producing of late. It has done very well on the Toccoa tailwater, Chattooga DH, Amicalola DH, Tuck DH, Hooch Tailwater.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t14/gatorbyte/IMGP0452.jpg
Recipe:
Hook: size 18 scud (I also have used nymph hooks, but I happened to have a bunch of scud hooks)
Bead: Gold 5/64
Thread: 8/0 olive
Rib: Gold Ultrawire
Body/Thorax: BWO Beaver Dubbing
Hackle: 1.5 turns Starling
1. Place bead on hook. I have to use tweezers for this. There are at least a 1/2 dozen beads under the couch due to guitar calluses on my fingertips.
2. Tie in a base of thread and bring to bend of hook. As you can see, I start the body pretty far down the bend of the hook.
3. Tie in wire and bring thread back to bend.
4. Dub the body up to the bead.
5. Wrap wire 5-6 times and tie in below bead.
6. Add more dubbing and wrap a few times below bead to create a thorax. (this helps the soft hackle stand out)
7. Tie in 1 Starling feather by the stem. I look for the proper size and am not worried about webbing. It's a soft hackle so the action is the most important thing.
8. Make 1.5 turns and tie in place behind the bead.
9. Whip finish with dubbing wax on the thread. Head cement tends to get on the soft hackle, which is a bad thing. I've not had any issues with them coming apart at the whip finish with just dubbing wax.
10. Fish as a dropper under a Big attractor dry or your favorite nymph. Just don't forget to let it work it's magic by giving it a lift on the swing. When they hit it, it will be with authority.
I've tied it without beads (size 20) and they work well too. On DH's I add a little flash to the dubbing and it seems to produce better or I'll use Silver french tinsel instead of gold wire. Today I fished Jones Bridge and brought 4 bows and a 12" brown to hand. All but one bow took the dropper 18" off an olive Wooly Bugger. Bow's were between 10" and 13"
Here's a little Soft Hackle I've been tying and fish it with confidence. It was inspired by Buck Henry and his Starling and Purple and Cucarachafly's keen observation of recent hatches on the Toccoa. I have fished variations of this all spring and summer as a dropper, but this is the one that has been producing of late. It has done very well on the Toccoa tailwater, Chattooga DH, Amicalola DH, Tuck DH, Hooch Tailwater.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t14/gatorbyte/IMGP0452.jpg
Recipe:
Hook: size 18 scud (I also have used nymph hooks, but I happened to have a bunch of scud hooks)
Bead: Gold 5/64
Thread: 8/0 olive
Rib: Gold Ultrawire
Body/Thorax: BWO Beaver Dubbing
Hackle: 1.5 turns Starling
1. Place bead on hook. I have to use tweezers for this. There are at least a 1/2 dozen beads under the couch due to guitar calluses on my fingertips.
2. Tie in a base of thread and bring to bend of hook. As you can see, I start the body pretty far down the bend of the hook.
3. Tie in wire and bring thread back to bend.
4. Dub the body up to the bead.
5. Wrap wire 5-6 times and tie in below bead.
6. Add more dubbing and wrap a few times below bead to create a thorax. (this helps the soft hackle stand out)
7. Tie in 1 Starling feather by the stem. I look for the proper size and am not worried about webbing. It's a soft hackle so the action is the most important thing.
8. Make 1.5 turns and tie in place behind the bead.
9. Whip finish with dubbing wax on the thread. Head cement tends to get on the soft hackle, which is a bad thing. I've not had any issues with them coming apart at the whip finish with just dubbing wax.
10. Fish as a dropper under a Big attractor dry or your favorite nymph. Just don't forget to let it work it's magic by giving it a lift on the swing. When they hit it, it will be with authority.
I've tied it without beads (size 20) and they work well too. On DH's I add a little flash to the dubbing and it seems to produce better or I'll use Silver french tinsel instead of gold wire. Today I fished Jones Bridge and brought 4 bows and a 12" brown to hand. All but one bow took the dropper 18" off an olive Wooly Bugger. Bow's were between 10" and 13"