19February 2021

Blue Dun Soft Hackle – classic wet fly tying tutorial

Soft hackle wet flies are some of the most versatile flies on the planet. This is my take on the classic Blue Dun. The combination of the bluish grey mole fur and the yellow tying thread gives an olive hue to this fly when wet. The soft hen hackle ads to the illusion of life. You might add a rib of silver or gold. The tails are optional, but adds to the illusion of a emerging insect struggling right under the surface, trailing a shuck.

Fish this fly on the swing down-and-across, dead drifted or upstream like a north country spider. It will imitate several different species of mayflies and even stoneflies and midges, by adjusting the size to the insects in your local streams and lakes.

Thanks for watching :0)

Michael

Two Blue Dun Soft Hackles on a splitcane rod
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Blue Dun Soft Hackle 

  • Hook: Ahrex FW540 Curved Nymph # 10
  • Thread: Yellow – I use Pearsall’s Silk
  • Tail: Few fibres from a Blue Dun hen saddle – https://amzn.to/3q847KP
  • Body: Rear third – just the tying thread, front part – mole dub
  • Hackle: Blue Dun hen saddle or neck
The Blue Dun Soft Hackle tied by Michael Jensen

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Two Blue Dun Wet Flies in a Soft Hackle version - tied by Michael Jensen

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Comments

    Joseph Duca

    (March 12, 2021 - 3:57 pm)

    This was a very cool video too. Funny thing is one channel I sub’d, Savage Flies, did a book review, The History Of Fly-Fishing In Fifty Flies. I’ve had the book for a few years now and it’s very good. Anyway a discussion on the Tups Indispensable developed, as you can guess ;o) I reread that chapter, and the soft hackle Nemes patterned after the Tups dry. Then another channel had a guide from their shop, a fan of Nemes, tied his versions. This Blue Dun soft hackle reminds of the Tups dry and the Casual Dress you tied reminds me of the Nemes Tups soft hackle. It’s like seeing the essence of fly tying thru the generations. Thanks Michael!

    Michael Jensen

    (March 13, 2021 - 12:59 pm)

    Hi Joe. I agree . Most tying technique and ideas goes back a long way, and often it’s fun to trace the history back as far as you can go. Funny things though. I’m planning a video/blog on the Tup’s Indispensable, and just asked my friend Soeren Glerup for a package of the original Tup’s dubbing (featuring the urine stained wool from the balls of a tup or ram). The dubbing is made by the late great Preben Torp Jacobsen, grand old man in Scandinavian fly tying, a veterinarian and a stickler for details, so it should be 100 % authentic.
    Just goes to prove, that fly tiers are as crazy like rabid raccoon ;0)
    Cheers, Michael :0)

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