Wood Duck Soft Hackle
The duck feathers from early season hunting have been begging me to tie a few flies, so when they came out of the freezer a few nights ago I had to sit down and stock the boxes. Wood duck feathers are some of my absolute favorites to tie with. The chocolate brown feathers on a hen wood duck are awesome for Baetis-style flies, and since Baetis are hatching right now on the streams, I decided to go with a BWO theme. I’ve been wanting to tie a soft hackle with the tiny feathers on the shoulder of a duck’s wing, so I tied up this little soft hackle emerger that ended up faintly resembling a BWO… Hook: Nymph or wet fly hook of your preference Bead: Gold brass Thread: Brown 8/0 UNI (I used black on this one) Tail: Chocolate brown hen wood duck breast/neck feather fibers Body: Brown thread…