Susquehanna Soft-Hackle Nymph Jig

Take a close look at a walleye's mouth and its teeth tell the story - they have evolved to feed on fish. Yet, walleye don't survive on fish alone. Ever the opportunists, these marble-eyed predators will snatch up meals whenever they get the chance, and there are few underwater appetizers as easy for them to eat as mayfly nymphs. 

Mayfly nymphs are more than simple snacks for walleye. They're a main component in walleye diets at certain times of the year. In the spring, gluttonous post-spawn walleye will cruise soft-bottom areas feeding on Callibaetis nymphs and in the summer walleye will target larger emerging nymphs during a hatch.  As with any migration in nature, increased activity and concentrated numbers of organisms will attract predators. The mayfly-walleye relationship is no different.

If the artist Monet would have been a fisherman, he would have loved lure patterns with soft-hackle. Why? First off, patterns that contain soft-hackle tend to present the fish with an impressionistic imitation. Anytime you present a fish (regardless of species) with a lure that could be one of several types of prey, you have upped your chances of cracking that particular fishes feeding code/pattern at that particular moment. If we look at smallmouth bass and other river-dwelling species that feed on aquatic insects, an impressionistic pattern (in this situation) is again an advantage. By using an impressionistic soft-hackle pattern, you have a chance to present the fish with a lure that can simultaneously match the nymph, pupa, emerger, and adult portions of the insect’s life cycle.

A common example of this effect comes from one of my warhorse, go-to patterns for a variety of species, my Booger Series of jigs. Why is a 'booger so effective? Because it is impressionistic and acts as several different imitations at once. Is it a Leech? Yes. A Stonefly? Yes. A Crayfish? Yes. A wounded baitfish? Yes. This is the power of impressionistic patterns. This is why all my Booger patterns are tied with a nice, soft hen hackle around the thorax and collar, the pattern's fish-catching ability increases even more because of the soft-hackle “X” factor.

The “X” Factor

What is this soft-hackle “X” factor? The ability of soft hackle to "come alive” when submerged, an ability stiff rooster hackle simply lacks. G.E.M Skues, one of the founding fathers of modern fishing methods referred to the soft-hackles seductive movement as “kick”.

“Kick. This is the quality which every hackled lure: for use in rough water, should invariably have. Without it, it is a dead thing; with it, it is alive and struggling: and the lure which is alive and struggling has a fascination for the fish which no dead thing has.” - G.E.M Skues

Personally, I have also found that soft-hackle patterns can work wonders on smallmouth bass. After noticing the total lack of anything with soft-hackles in my tackle box or in Bait & Tackle stores, I came up with this jig. I simply call it the “Susquehanna Soft-Hackle”.  I had a hunch that bass may also be drawn in by the “X” factor. I was correct, and the Susquehanna Soft-Hackle continues to be a go-to jig for quality Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass.  



                                   Fishing the Susquehanna Soft-Hackle

Probably the most common way to fish a soft-hackle jig is to cast it across and slightly downstream, letting it sink and then swing in the current, rising with the tightening line much as a natural rises to the surface before hatching. It's on this rise (called a Leisenring Lift) that fish usually strike. Try to make jigs mimic a nymph's erratic movements during the retrieve. If casting, slowly crawl or subtly hop it along bottom. If vertical jigging, thump the jig in place to kick up debris. This tactic appeals to a walleye's curiosity and can trigger hits.  

Another productive method is to cast the jig upstream on a short cast and then let it dead-drift back to you. On lakes and ponds a soft hackle jig cast in front of a cruising bass or pickrel and then twitched slightly can be absolutely deadly. Many jig anglers, especially in Europe, favor fishing two or three jigs (of different colors and sizes) at a time using a larger jig as an anchor and lighter jigs as droppers.