Bodkin / Patterns

Orange Partridge

Wet Fly · Trout · Grayling · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard wet fly / spider hook, 14-16
  • Thread Orange (Pearsall's Gossamer 6a) 8/0

Materials

  • Silk Pearsall's Gossamer orange, waxed (full body)
  • Body The waxed orange silk (add a whisker of hare for a thorax if desired) (shank)
  • Rib Fine gold or copper wire (optional) (3-4 turns)
  • Hackle Brown-mottled feather from a partridge back or neck (1-2 turns)

How to tie it

  1. Lay the waxed orange silk from behind the eye to above the barb and back to the two-thirds mark. The silk is the body.
  2. If ribbing, tie in fine gold wire at the tail and spiral it forward in 3-4 open turns for a little flash and durability, then tie off.
  3. Optionally pinch a tiny amount of hare's fur onto the silk at the front to build a subtle thorax.
  4. Tie in a mottled brown partridge back feather by the tip at the two-thirds mark, concave side toward you.
  5. Take one to two turns of hackle, secure, stroke the fibres rearward, form a small head, whip finish and varnish.

Tying videos

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