Sparkle Soft Hackle
The Sparkle Soft Hackle is the go-to searching pattern for soft hackle novices and veterans alike. A body of Caddis Green, amber, or brown sparkle dubbing provides flash and translucency that suggests the gas bubbles trapped by a caddis pupa as it rises through the water column, and the soft hackle collar gives it the breathing, pulsing motion that provokes strikes even when no caddis is hatching. Fish it on the Leisenring Lift: cast upstream, let it sink, then lift the rod as it drifts below you to imitate a rising pupa.
- Type
- wet fly (Caddis)
- Hook sizes
- #14–18
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Wet fly hook #14–18
- thread: Olive or brown 8/0
- body: Sparkle dubbing or Antron — caddis green, amber, or brown
- ribbing: Fine gold or silver wire
- hackle: Hen back or partridge, 2 turns
Tying steps
- Start thread on a wet fly hook; wrap a base to the bend.
- Dub a tapered body of Caddis Green, amber, or brown sparkle dubbing or Antron from the bend to the 2/3 point — pick the color of the local caddis pupae.
- Rib the body with fine gold or silver wire, 5 turns, to add flash and durability.
- Prepare a hen back or partridge feather with fiber length matching the hook gap.
- Tie in by the tip and wind 2 turns as a wet hackle collar; sweep fibers rearward.
- Build a small thread head, whip finish, and apply head cement.