Starling Softie
The Starling Softie — popularized as Wade's Starling Softie in the Orvis guide — distills the soft hackle concept to its purest form: just a thread body, a few turns of starling feather, and a hook. Starling feathers are extraordinarily fine and soft, producing a hackle that quivers with any current movement even in the slowest pools. Fish small sizes in sizes 16–20 during midge hatches and larger sizes during caddis emergences. This is one of the easiest and most productive flies you can tie.
- Type
- wet fly (Midge)
- Hook sizes
- #14–20
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Fine wire wet fly hook #14–20
- thread: Olive, gray, or black 8/0
- body: Thread or sparse dubbing — olive, gray, or brown
- hackle: Starling body feather, 2 turns
Tying steps
- Mount a fine wire hook and start thread; build a smooth tapered body of thread alone from bend to 3/4 point, tapering slightly thicker at the thorax.
- Add a thin layer of dubbing if desired for a body color — olive, gray, or brown all work — keeping it slim.
- Select a small starling feather with fine fibers no longer than the hook gap.
- Tie in the starling feather by the tip at the 3/4 point; wind 2 turns around the shank.
- Stroke all fibers rearward and secure with thread wraps; trim the feather stem.
- Build the tiniest possible thread head, whip finish, and apply a drop of head cement.