Soft Hackle Streamers

[Old Hat]

Here is a spider with Mallard (plus CDL) for hackle that I use on steelhead. It is my version of a fly called the Shedlock Spider.

Steelhead Spider.jpg (198.38 KiB) Viewed 4930 times

[hankaye]

Old hat, Howdy;

Very precisely tyed. I like it!
Is there a thorax in there somewhere???

hank

[Old Hat]

There is some black seal dubbing for a thorax.

[DUBBN]

I use (many moons ago) to use a Church Window feather from a cock pheasant on my Woolly Buggers. I tyed them in just like a soft hackle. I had forgotten about that.

[tie2fish]

That's a beauty, Carl.

[jaydawg]

Old Hat, that looks great! Very elegant.

What size hook is that?

[Old Hat]

Usually I tie that on a #8.

[letumgo]

I like size 8, too for fishing. I wish I could find size 10's locally.

[tjd]

Jaydawg,

Good luck on the Rapid River! I fished it in September two years ago, and had to fish early and late (pre-dawn and at night) to find the brookies because of the high air/water temps. Heavy releases from the dam, also caused me to fish big flies. The few brook trout I caught were on big (6" long +) streamers.
The salmon took a #10 olive zonker tied with a body of Olive Sea Blaze Gartside Secret Stuff and Olive Pine Squirrel strips. I wish I'd had some tied on a hook with a wider gape, as I missed lots of takes. Beautiful place-enjoy your trip!

Best,

Tim

[Johnno]

Nice.

Begs the question though: At what size does a wet fly become a streamer?