Tying soft hackles can be tough. The feathers are short, it can be hard to find the right sized feather, and the stems can break. Cutting off the tips of feathers, adding dubbing and sculpin wool, and spinning them all together in a dubbing loop solves all of these problems and creates a unique look, even on flies size 14 and smaller. In this video Ben Paull from OPST ties a composite caddis, one of the flies that has us really excited about trout season this year. The materials are:
Hook: Size 14 nymph
Thread: Veevus, Olive 6/0
Rib: 10/0 mono thread
Abdomen: Shrimp Pink Ice Dub
Composite Hackle: Tan sculpin wool, natural Lady Amherst and UV Light Gray Ice Dub