Green Drake Soft Hackle
Cheech - May 2024
We fish Green Drake dry flies the most (as it should be,) Then come the nymphs that are tied on to our line begrudgingly as we realize the hatch isn't quite ready yet... But why don't we fish Green Drake soft hackles. There may be a really good explanation for all this, but since Mickey Anderson shared with me some of his research during green drake hatches, I always make sure I have some of these soft hackles in my box. He told me that he was finding fully formed adults, emergers, and cripples (we will call these "non-nymphs") in the mid column of the river. This means one thing to me: I need to fish more soft hackles to mimic all the appendages that the non-nymphs have.
Anyway, this is one version of a green drake soft hackle, but because they vary so much in color you may want to tweak these to match your local bugs.
- Hook: Fulling Mill 5027 Grab Gape Heavy - Black Nickel - Barbless - 12
- Hook (Alternate): Fulling Mill 35005 Heavyweight Champ, Barbless - 12
- Thread : Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread - 8/0 - Black
- Thread (Alternate): Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread - 8/0 - Brown Olive
- Tail: Ringneck Pheasant Tail - Black
- Tail (Alternate): Nature's Spirit Ringneck Pheasant Center Tails - Black
- Body: Turkey Biot Quills - Light Olive
- Body (Alternate): Turkey Biot Quills - Olive
- Rib: Semperfli Tying Wire - 0.2 - March Brown
- Rib (Alternate): Semperfli Tying Wire - 0.2 - Black
- Hackle: Dyed Hungarian Partridge - Full Pelt - Grade #1 - Olive
- Hackle (Alternate): Premium Partridge Feathers - Olive
- Hackle 2: Fulling Mill CDC Feathers - 1G - Pale Olive
- Hackle 2 (Alternate): Fulling Mill CDC Feathers - 1G - Olive
