The Murray Hackle Fly

David Hutton, APRIL 2021,2023

Palmetto Fly n Fish

How would you like an elemental fly that nearly always get a bite?
What if it's not exotic, or complicated?
Suppose it also has a warm, fuzzy appeal?
Well, such a fly exists in South Carolina... The Murray Hackle Fly

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Origin     This fly came into being after a Hobby Lobby birthday trip for my wife. She got treated to a little shopping spree, and I ended up with a bag of mixed furnace hackle. This hackle is about 2-4" long, in an assortment of shapes, and is actually pretty solid stuff. I call it well figured hackle 😁

    The feathers in the bag presented me with a challenge, however. They are not uniform, so the first thing I had to do was learn how to put them to use.

    I actually have a soft spot for these feathers, because they were the first I used when I started tying flies. They were available, and at the time I didn't know much about feathers or their dedicated uses. Basically, I unwittingly stepped outside the box to use them! I still go my own way today, in fact. Hey, if it works, it works!     But I needed pattern that could use these feathers as they came out of the package. So after some trial and error, and fishing, I hit on a pattern that made the cut.... one which uses these well-figured feathers. Giving It A Name     The fly was inspired by two things.     The first was an old, almost unknown pattern called, "The Water Cricket." It is similar in construction and it set the tone. Nearly all flies today are a derivative or variation of other patterns, after all.     Second, with the Water Cricket in mind, I tied a single hackle on a hook, palmer style, and it caught tons of fish. Just the hackle on a hook - literally nothing else.

    A little stunned by that, and with these two ideas knocking around in my head, I brought together the following:

(1) A short tail, usually of hackle feather barbs

(2) An underbody of sparkly Mylar

(3) A "body" of palmered hackle

(4) A hackle shoulder collar

    The name of the fly is a marriage of the crafty hackle used, and it bears the name of the nearby lake where I first blooded it, Lake Murray, South Carolina.     Combined into a catchy name, I started calling it the "Murray Hackle Fly," or, "M.H.F" for short.

M.H.F.'s and the feathers

                     
Inside The M.H.F

• Hook: if you’re obsessed with hooks, this fly will be a departure for you. A streamer hook, 3XL or so, is best, and I use quality Aberdeens for this pattern. *
  
  
• Tail: hackle fibers from the bottom end of the feather, or the marabou-like fluff from the base. 
  Or both.

• Underbody: Mylar tinsel 
  The hook shank is wrapped with iridescent Mylar tinsel, which shows through the body hackle, and adds a little flash. I generally use use pearl, or yellow. Gold is another good option, and I really like copper.
  
  
• Palmered hackle body: well tapered hackle, tied in at the tail by the tip, then folded backward as it is wound so the fibers face rearward.
  I use it all, too; I put on all the feather has to offer.

• Hackle shoulder collar: This mounts just behind the head, and gives the fly a lifelike profile
  
  * should you have doubts about the strength of Aberdeen hooks, check out my torture test of them, here:
  
  The Great Aberdeen Hook Test  

    That material list sounds simple enough, but it hides some carefully arranged features. It is the subtle combination of hackle, movement, and inner sparkle that seems to do the trick.

Details
    The main goal of the tying is to get an increasing taper from tail to head, with a big shoulder of hackle fibers out front. The entire fly is constructed with that in mind. If needed, I'll add another hackle at the front to bush it up.

    I don't go smaller than a size 10, with sizes 4 and 6 being what I shoot for. This is not a teensy little fly, but is about right for the larger bluegill and average-to-large bass that might take this fly. For trout, I think it would be excellent for big rainbow or browns.

    The head is finished in black, because I have come to believe it gives the fly a more lifelike look that appeals to fish.

The all white one, below, is an example of that. Notice how it resembles a bait fish...

MHF Variation, white

    I have tied M.H.F's with weight, too, using either fine copper wire, or lead strip wrapped around the hook shank before the Mylar goes on..

Colors
    I can tie the M.H.F. in most any color that is wanted, and I have used them in olive, orange, yellow, red, and black. Basically, whatever color hackle I can get, I can build 'em!
My personal choices are white, brown, or black.

    As these flies probably best represent nymphs, crayfish, or small baitfish, these colors just feel right, you know?                       

MHF Bunny Copper 
Special version - tail of rabbit fur, underbody is copper pot scrubber

Fishing The M.H.F.

1. Cast and countdown to depth.
By itself, the fly has a sink rate I describe as 'lazy': 2-3 seconds per foot.

2. Once down where you want it, give a few easy strips, then a pause.

3. Crawl it along with a figure-8 retrieve, adding an occasional quick twitch... then pause again.

    By itself, the MHF is not a deep, gravel-grubbing fly.
All that hackle on there prevents that. The leisurely sink rate will demands a little patience from you.

    But its the hang-pause that seems to trigger interest in the fly and I get as many strikes on the pause as I do during the retrieve.

    If you are on a floating line and want to get down a little faster, put some weight on the leader about 18" in front of the fly. You can use split shot, Twist On weights, or tungsten putty. This way, you don't disturb the free movement of the fly.
    Adding a sink tip, or going with a full sinking line is still another way to get the MHF down deeper.

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NOTE: If tungsten putty is unfamiliar to you, I give you all you may ever want to know about it, here: 

Tungsten or Bust - Get The Lead Out! 

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    The Murray Hackle Fly doesn't do well around thick weeds, with that bare hook point, but Lake Murray is like most Southern impoundments in that it isn't overly weedy.
    That means, the Murray Hackle Fly is at home around more open environments: rocky embankments, rock outcroppings, boat ramps, docks, downed wood, edges of cover, and so on. 

Conclusion
    Polly Rosborough used to say, "The goal is to create flies that look like something a fish wants to eat." 
I have caught shellcracker, bluegill and bass on the M.H.F...so, it must do that much at least!
    The Murray Hackle Fly doesn't look like much, but its looks are deceiving. Taken together, that is a win all around, my friends!

Gaggle of M.H.F.'s

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As always, Tight Lines! 

If you liked this, please share it with your friends, and thanks so much for reading.

If the Murray Hackle Fly interests you, contact me about getting some for yourself ... dahutist@gmail.com

David
Palmetto Fly N Fish

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