Orange Hackle Dry
Will one dry fly do it all?

by Joe Reynolds

You don't need a Ph.D. in entomology or Latin to take trout on a dry fly. Nor does fooling trout with floaters require a vest packed with so many patterns a computer is required to keep track of them. My dry fly selection has nearly been reduced to a single pattern, but you won't find it in any fly shop or catalog. I call it the Orange Hackle Dry.

Sure, I take along a number of traditional patterns - it's difficult to part with old friends - but the Orange Hackle has produced for me on waters as varied as Pennsylvania's limestoners, Oregon's Deschutes River and Gods River in Manitoba. Using an Orange Hackle doesn't guarantee success but if you develop confidence in the pattern you'll spend more time floating a fly over trout and less time changing flies and worrying about matching the hatch.

...as flies go, it would probably
be classified as ugly.

There is really nothing wondrous about the Orange Hackle; in fact, as flies go, it would probably be classified as ugly. It is tied by winding a blaze orange saddle hackle about a dry fly hook and then trimming to proper size for the hook.

While patterns have ceased to be a primary concern, size and presentation are still all important ingredients for success. It was a discussion some years ago about the relative merits of exact imitation, size and presentation that led to development of the Orange Hackle Dry. Tom Cooney, a fishing buddy from Baltimore, took the position that more trout would be taken by matching the hatch; I insisted that size and presentation were more important than colors and patterns.

We decided to conduct a little experiment. On the following Saturday we would both fish Big Hunting Creek in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. Tom would fish normal patterns for this stream while I was to concoct a pattern that made no attempt to match a particular natural. I chose blaze orange saddle hackle for my experimental flies, simply because it is a color rarely used in match-the-hatch patterns and for its high visibility.

An acid test on the Letort.

No, the Orange Hackle did not outfish the regular patterns we use on Hunting Creek but the results were far from discouraging. At the end of the afternoon Cooney had hooked and released 11 trout. My total was 10. The experiment was far from scientific but we were both convinced that the Orange Hackle Dry was effective and decided to give it an acid test as soon as possible on Pennsylvania's legendary Letort.

Two weeks later we had the opportunity. It was with some trepidation, however, that we tied on Orange Hackles to float on the hallowed waters of the Letort. Fishermen along the stream threw curious looks in our direction. "What the heck," I said to Cooney, "if Vince and Charlie could chum trout into a feeding mood with live grasshoppers, we shouldn't feel bad about these orange uglies."

The Letort's super sophisticated browns didn't turn up their royal noses at the Orange Hackle Dry either. Fishing on the Letort is never fast and furious but, with five fish between us, we managed to do as well as any of the other fishermen we met that day.

...the color of the fly
is not important.

Since then I've used the Orange Hackle with a great measure of success on many waters in North and South America. After experimenting with yellow, white, brown and black, I've concluded that the color of the fly is not important. Orange remains my favorite because I find it easy to see on the water.

There have been days when trout refused the Orange Hackle Dry and I was forced to resort to traditional patterns. In most instances, however, those were not productive either. Overall, I'd say the Orange Hackle Dry comes through in 80% of the dry fly fishing I've encountered over the last five years.

One small box holds my Orange Hackles in sizes from 22 through 10. Cooney has been successful with 28's on Pennsylvania's Yellow Breeches when other anglers were drawing blanks. The high visibility becomes even more important when you get down to the tiny sizes.

The Orange Hackles are fished in the same manner as any other dry fly. Mind numbing decisions about pattern are eliminated and the angler concentrates only on size and presentation. This can be especially helpful when traveling to new waters.

Out on Oregon's Deschutes River the rainbows can be rather picky during the summer months. A caddis imitation is normally the ticket to success but a size 18 Orange Hackle drew regular strikes for me on two different trips.

Down on Chile's Golgol River the local experts recommended a cream colored mayfly imitation. When I instead tied on a #12 Orange Hackle there were smiles and polite chuckles - until the Chilean rainbows jumped all over the ugly duckling. Suddenly my hosts were asking to borrow the orange flies - not because the Orange Hackle was drawing more strikes, but because they were fascinated with the concept.

Not only does the Orange Hackle normally draw as many strikes as a fly tied to match a natural, but it is simple and inexpensive to tie. All you need is an assortment of dry fly hooks, thread, scissors and a batch of blaze orange saddle hackles.

Quality hackles aren't important.

It is not important to have dry-fly-quality hackles, as the hackle will be trimmed to size after winding on the hook. One size hackle is suitable for all hook sizes.

Tie on the hackle near the rear of the hook (you may want to use two hackles for large flies), wind it forward to the eye, tie off and trim. That's it. The process is somewhat like making miniature deer hair bugs, except hackle is used instead of deer hair. I trim the hackles to a length that is a little longer than the distance between the hook point and the shank. Sometimes I add a tail, for appearance, but it really isn't necessary. The trimmed hackle is super stiff and floats very well.

Trout fishermen shouldn't be in a rush to clean out their vests and relegate their boxes of dry flies to the storage shelf. I am suggesting that they tie up a number of the Orange Hackles and give they a serious try over the course of a season or two. Once you begin taking a few trout and develop confidence in the fly you'll be free of the "match-the-hatch" complex and stop wondering if you should take a night course in Latin.

I don't pretend my Orange Hackle is the ultimate dry fly. It does take trout, however, and the single-fly approach makes for interesting experimentation and stream side conversation.