No photograph
nymph
Soft Hackle Carrot
- Sizes
- #12–#18
- Imitates
- caddis pupa · mayfly nymph · impressionistic
- Origin
- Devin Olsen (adapted from Czech team patterns)
A hare's-ear-bodied nymph with a fluorescent-orange Glo Brite rib, CDC hackle, and a shrimp-pink ice-dub collar. Impressionistic — looks like nothing and everything at once.
Recipe
This is one dressing. Tie it in other colors to match the hatch in front of you.
- HookDohiku 644 / HDJ / 301 / 302SP — size 14 · Dohiku
- BeadCopper or Gold Slotted Tungsten
- ThreadVeevus 16/0 — Dark Tan · Semperfli
- TailCoq de Leon — 3-4 fibers
- BodyHare's Ear / Squirrel dubbing
- RibGlo Brite #7 or Fl. Orange Veevus in a dubbing loop
- HackleNatural CDC
- CollarDarker hare's ear OR UV Shrimp Pink Ice Dub
- Rib 2Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0 — Brown (counter-rib)
Workbench
Variants
Swipe to see In box and Add
| Size | Bead | Body | In box | Add to box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 | — | — | — | — |
| #14 | — | — | — | — |
| #16 | — | — | — | — |
| #18 | — | — | — | — |
At the vise
Tying notes are not on file for this pattern.
Tying video
Fishing now on
Rivers whose hatch chart names this pattern this month. Names and sizes only.
Not named on this month's hatch charts.
On the water
The CDC collar breathes on the drift — don't crowd it with too many wraps. Glo Brite #7 (golden olive) is the classic rib; try #5 for hotter water.
History
The Soft Hackle Carrot is a pattern many anglers from the Czech national team swear by as their favorite nymph. Devin Olsen adapted it for American water. The hare's-ear dubbing and pulsing CDC hackle moderate the sink rate and give the fly a lifelike motion in the water, while the fluorescent-orange Glo Brite rib sets it apart from everything else in the drift. The 'carrot' name comes from the orange-ribbed, tapered silhouette — this is a caddis-water pattern, a PMD-window pattern, and a warm-month confidence fly in one.