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.
- Caney Fork River#14-16
- Clinch River#14-16
- Elk River#14-16
- Hiwassee River#14-16
- Watauga River#16-18
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.