Hi - I'm new to the board, but I've read a lot of threads on here for the last year or so. I'm not an UL fly fisherman in the sense that is probably meant on this board, but I do use a 3 weight fairly often for sunfish/bass around here -- and also for brook trout as well.

One of the most effective ways of catching sunfish I've found around here is by using soft hackles. I can often catch fish when nothing else is working, including poppers (which are another fly I enjoy using). Often, I used them on stillwater by simply using a series of very short strips (like 1/2-1") made rapidly, and then followed by pauses. I tend to use the rod hand to do this, not the line hand. I came into fly fishing from spin fishing and can't get used to not using my rod hand . Oh well.

Anyway - just wanted to share! Some of you guys might do this as well. I tied my softies like David Hughes suggests, and the little rapid strips appear to rapidly open and close the hackles. I assume this appears to be an emerging insect to the bluegill, but honestly I don't know. It just works well. Most of the ones I tie are "pheasant and yellow" and "pheasant and herl, orange, or green". Usually tie on barbless size 10-16 wet fly hooks. I prefer hen pheasant feathers for this, some of the cape/saddle works great as well as the shoulder feathers. Other birds work well, but we hunt pheasant every winter and I end up with plenty

As a bonus, I use the same flies for trout when I make my way to the trout streams .

Ditto-

I've been preaching the effectiveness of soft hackle flies on panfish for
Many moons... The pulsating action of the hackle under water is very
Enticing to panfish ... My favorite is the McGinty soft hackle in size 12 ..
Most if the time the Gills won't even give it a chance to sink b4 they crash
It ... But when and if it does sink it's a very effective pattern ... They can't
Seem to leave it alone ....

Paul

Gp .....the McGintys you tied for me are super panfish flies ... Treat em like
Gold ... I can't remember ever seriously using a soft hackle pattern for panfish that I didn't catch something ....they are a deadly fly on panfish the McGinty pattern ...
Dont leave home without em .....
Paul

A larger bead will definitely give it a jigging action.

I think more colorful flies work better for Panfish, like the McGinty. Actually I just think they are more fun to use.

When I first started fly fishing, and tying, I bought one of Sylvester Nemes, books.
After reading the book I was bitten by the softhackle bug, and used them almost exclusively for a couple of years on panfish. I had one whole fly box dedicated to most of the patterns in Nemes' book The Soft Hackled Fly.

The only soft hackled fly in my box these days is my own Deer Creek Swimming nymph, a proven killer here locally. I'm sure it would be a killer nation wide too.

I posted about it in the fly forum today.

My Scruff Jack flies using soft hackle hen feathers. These are on #8 2x long shank Mustad hooks with a 60 deg bend and bead.

As with any fly if you need to fish deep or fast water add more weight via lead wire wrapped around the hook shank I guess. Or tungston bead. I have not tried either yet.