Alen Baker Soft Hackle Renegade
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Renegade
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Want a dry fly that really attracts fish, is quick and very easy to tie, floats well and is also easy to see on the water under almost any conditions. Sounds like a radical fly pattern design - yet the perfect fly. So, this fly is an attractor fly, which means it does not imitate anything. Although it is suggestive of any bug-like critter that may be floating down the stream. It is easy to tie as it does not have wings, just a body and hackle. It floats well because it is a fore-and-aft fly pattern design, with a front and a back hackle. It is easy to see as the front hackle is white. Maybe not a radical fly pattern design, but a renegade fly pattern design!
Renegade
The Renegade is an excellent choice for both rivers and lakes in larger sizes 8 to 12, is highly effective on our wild headwater streams in sizes 14 to 18, and is very productive as a midge cluster in the smaller sizes 20 to 24.
This fore-and-aft fly pattern was first tied and used by Taylor “Beartracks” Williams, a guide on the Malad River, Idaho, who created his simple, masterpiece fly in 1928. It was very effective fly pattern for cutthroat trout for Taylor. The Renegade is now one of the most popular fore-and-aft fly patterns developed in modern times. Fly patterns based on the fore-and-aft design have been popular in Europe for centuries.
Taylor was the first guide at the Sun Valley Lodge in 1937 where he became a friend to Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway utilized the Renegade on wary rainbows on Silver Creek in 1940, making the fly pattern famous and well known at that time. Ernest Hemingway and Taylor Williams remained close friends until Taylor’s death in 1952.
The Renegade is highly visible due to the white, oversized front hackle. The rear brown hackle provides stability and additional floatation. The peacock herl is a natural, universal material which is used in many other fly pattern designs. The tag give the fly pattern a touch of flash, giving a fish a glimmer that cannot be resisted.
The Renegade may be fished as a dry fly or a wet fly. As a dry fly, fish the renegade upstream to feeding trout using a dead drift or if needed with a slight twitch. Once the fly passes below you on the down drift, tail the fly out and retrieve as a wet fly.
Variations of the Renegade include: the Reversed Renegade, Double Renegade, Royal Renegade, Soft Hackle Renegade and the Renegade Nymph, originated by Terry Hellekson in 1974.
The Soft Hackle Renegade is an excellent trailer fly behind a streamer. Tied in sizes 16 or 18 with both front and rear hackles tied collar style with hen’s hackle, the fly appears much like a rising caddis pupa. The origin of the Soft Hackle Renegade is yours truly, Alen Baker and Tom Adams.
Renegade
The Renegade is an excellent choice for both rivers and lakes in larger sizes 8 to 12, is highly effective on our wild headwater streams in sizes 14 to 18, and is very productive as a midge cluster in the smaller sizes 20 to 24.
This fore-and-aft fly pattern was first tied and used by Taylor “Beartracks” Williams, a guide on the Malad River, Idaho, who created his simple, masterpiece fly in 1928. It was very effective fly pattern for cutthroat trout for Taylor. The Renegade is now one of the most popular fore-and-aft fly patterns developed in modern times. Fly patterns based on the fore-and-aft design have been popular in Europe for centuries.
Taylor was the first guide at the Sun Valley Lodge in 1937 where he became a friend to Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway utilized the Renegade on wary rainbows on Silver Creek in 1940, making the fly pattern famous and well known at that time. Ernest Hemingway and Taylor Williams remained close friends until Taylor’s death in 1952.
The Renegade is highly visible due to the white, oversized front hackle. The rear brown hackle provides stability and additional floatation. The peacock herl is a natural, universal material which is used in many other fly pattern designs. The tag give the fly pattern a touch of flash, giving a fish a glimmer that cannot be resisted.
The Renegade may be fished as a dry fly or a wet fly. As a dry fly, fish the renegade upstream to feeding trout using a dead drift or if needed with a slight twitch. Once the fly passes below you on the down drift, tail the fly out and retrieve as a wet fly.
Variations of the Renegade include: the Reversed Renegade, Double Renegade, Royal Renegade, Soft Hackle Renegade and the Renegade Nymph, originated by Terry Hellekson in 1974.
The Soft Hackle Renegade is an excellent trailer fly behind a streamer. Tied in sizes 16 or 18 with both front and rear hackles tied collar style with hen’s hackle, the fly appears much like a rising caddis pupa. The origin of the Soft Hackle Renegade is yours truly, Alen Baker and Tom Adams.
Hook : Tiemco 5212 or equivalent size : 12,14,16,18
Thread : Uni 8/0 black
Tag: Gold mylar
Abdomen : Peacock herl with Brown rooster hackle
Thorax hackle : Cream rooster
Directions :
Thread : Uni 8/0 black
Tag: Gold mylar
Abdomen : Peacock herl with Brown rooster hackle
Thorax hackle : Cream rooster
Directions :
- Debarb the hook and mount in the vise. Begin the thread two eyelengths from the eye and wrap to the hook bend in tight, touching turns. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select small piece of gold mylar and tie in at the halfway point on the hook shank. Tie in on the side of the hook, facing you and make thread wraps to trap the mylar to the start of the hook bend. Advance the mylar several turns down the hook bend and continue to wrap back up to the thread. Wrap with slightly overlapping turns, making it as smooth as possible. Tie off with several more thread wraps, going back to the bend. Trim the waste mylar and let the bobbin hang.
- Select a brown rooster hackle with barbs one and one half the size of the hook gape. Remove the barbs from the stem exposing about 1/8 inch. Tie in the hackle with the “shiny” side toward the eye. Wrap the hackle forward in tight, touching turns, making three to five wraps. Secure with thread and trim the waste. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select two or three peacock herls and tie in immediately in front of the brown hackle. Wrap the herl forward to the two thirds mark in tight, touching turns and tie off. Trim the waste and let the bobbin hang.
- Select a cream rooster hackle the same size as the brown hackle, strip in the same manner and tie in the same way. Wrap the hackle in tight, touching turns to within two eyelengths of the eye. Secure with several wraps and trim the waste.
- Complete by forming a small thread head and whip finish.