Fly fishing with soft hackles (or "spiders", in the UK) is exceptionally easy to do, and the most forgiving of all river fly fishing techniques. Despite that there are some nuances and complexities that are essential to know in order to be consistently successful on the water.

Whether you're a first-time soft hackle angler, have been struggling to get eats when swinging soft hackles, or just need a few more tips to catch more, and bigger trout, this episode is for you.

In this episode we talk about what a soft hackle is, look at when and why you would fish a soft hackle, discuss the right equipment you will need for fishing a soft hackle, look at some great soft hackle rigs, discuss how to read the water and determine exactly where best to fish, look at the easy skill of swinging a soft hackle, and dive into the most technical and difficult of river trout fly fishing techniques, the upstream soft hackle.

At the end of this episode you will have learned all you need to become a highly successful soft hackle angler, gained an understanding of exactly when and where to fish soft hackles, how to set up your gear to maximize your time on the water, and the most effective approach for catching trout soft hackling.

#flyfishing #learntoflyfish #howtoflyfish

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:51 CH1 - What is a soft hackle
02:49 CH2 - When to fish a soft hackle
06:13 CH3 - What gear do you need
12:14 CH4 - Great soft hackle rigs
15:11 CH5 - Reading the water - where to fish a soft hackle
17:02 CH6 - Swinging a soft hackle
22:51 CH7 - Fishing a soft hackle upstream