Guest Blogger: A Step-by-Step Guide by Tim Flagler. Follow Tim on Instagram.
If you're searching for an effective Isonychia fly pattern that combines the tradition of soft hackle flies with modern materials, the Isonychia Soft Hackle is a must-tie.
This pattern imitates the active nymph or emerging stages of the Isonychia bicolor β a large, fast-swimming mayfly found in many Eastern and Midwestern trout streams. In this step-by-step tutorial, weβll show you how to tie the Isonychia Soft Hackle using proven materials like peacock herl, hen hackle, and UV2 dubbing to create a durable, fish-catching fly. Whether you're swinging it through riffles or drifting it beneath an indicator, this pattern is a deadly addition to your Isonychia arsenal.
Fish this pattern by swinging it across current seams during a hatch or as a searching pattern. Its movement and profile trigger aggressive takes from trout keying in on Iso nymphs and emergers.
Isonychia Soft Hackle Recipe
Hook: FML 5085 Nymph Hook, Size 12 (Size 10 also works)
Thread: UTC 70 in Brown (Black or Maroon also work)
Rib: Ultra Wire, Small, Gold
Tail:Β 6-8 Pheasant Tail fibers, dyed Chocolate Brown
Dorsal Stripe:Β UTC 140 in White
Abdomen Dubbing:Β Spirit River UV2 Isonychia Fine & Dry
Thorax:Β 3-4 strands, Peacock Herl
Collar: Mottled Brown Hen Saddle
Head Cement:Β Sally Hansen Hard as Nails or similar.
Step 1: Prepare the Hook
Secure a Size 12 FML 5085 nymph hook in your vise. Start your thread (UTC 70 Brown) a few eye-widths behind the hook eye, and wrap rearward about a dozen turns. Trim the tag end.
Step 2: Tie in the Ribbing
Attach a 8" length of small gold Ultra Wire on top of the hook shank. Bind it down with touching thread wraps back to the start of the hook bend. Let the wire hang off the back and optionally secure with a materials clip.
Step 3: Add the Tail
Select 6 pheasant tail fibers (dyed chocolate brown) and strip them clean from the stem. Cut off the fuzzy butts. Measure a tail slightly longer than the hook gap, then secure it on top of the hook shank. Use upward and toward-you thread tension to keep the fibers centered. Bind the fibers all the way to the start of the bend. Trim excess.
Step 4: Add the Back Stripe
Start a short length of white UTC 140 thread at the midpoint of the hook shank. Secure it on top of the shank, wrapping back to the tail base. Then bring your main tying thread back to the midpoint.
Step 5: Dub the Abdomen
Use Isonychia UV2 Fine & Dry dubbing to form a slim dubbing noodle about 4 inches long. Apply a little at a time, leaving the base untwisted so you can blend in additional fibers for cohesion. Start wrapping at the base of the tail and cover the abdomen up to your thread tie-in point.
Step 6: Secure the Back Stripe
Pull the white thread over the top of the abdomen and secure it with tight wraps. Pull the tag back and lock it down with a few rearward wraps. Trim excess.
Step 7: Wrap the Rib
Spiral-wrap the gold wire forward in open turns to segment the body and secure the back stripe. Tie off at the front of the abdomen and break off the wire with a helicopter twist.
Step 8: Add the Thorax
Select 3β4 strands of peacock herl, trimming the brittle tips. Tie in the herl just in front of the abdomen and wrap it forward in tight, touching turns to form a thorax. Tie off and trim excess, leaving a small space behind the eye.
Step 9: Prepare and Wrap the Soft Hackle
Select a mottled brown hen saddle feather, stripping off the fuzzy fibers. Stroke down about ΒΌ" of the lower barbs to expose the tip and snip it off. Give your bobbin a counterclockwise spin so the thread will jump rearward and catch the stem and a few fibers on either side. Tie in the hackle at the back edge of the hook eye.
Make 2 turns of hackle, stroking the fibers rearward as you go. Secure and trim the excess stem. Sweep any forward-facing barbs back and lock in place with a couple of thread wraps.
Step 10: Finish the Fly
Whip finish with 5β6 turns, keeping the head small and neat. Apply a drop of head cement to seal the wraps. Use a bodkin to clear the hook eye of any adhesive.