Yellow Tail Jig - Soft Hackle

Yellow Tag

It's no secret that jig hooks and slotted beads are rapidly increasing in popularity in the United States. I first was intrigued by the jig style hooks several years back when I started talking with the competitive fishing guys like Lance Egan, Glade Gunther, and Devin Olsen, and the proof is in the pudding - they flat out catch fish. Not only are they very productive flies, but they tend not to snag so bad as you drag them close to the bottom. I have been tying and fishing lots of jigs this year, and they all tend to end up having both a soft hackle and a hot spot. I usually tie the hot spot on the front or back of the fly (or both sides like this one), and I like to add soft hackle like CDC or partridge to them. There is a wide variety of sizes and colors of slotted beads you can use, and the body of these jig flies can be anything from bare thread, quill, or buggy squirrel dubbing. Chances are that you can grab a handful of random materials and make them look awesome on one of these simple jig flies!

~ Cheech

P.S. - This fly is just a representation of a color combo that I like. You should mix and match various different colors to match the bugs in your rivers.