Copper and Partridge
“Goodness gracious, someone pinch me, George has tied a “traditional” fly ?”
Well, yeah, I have finally decided that you traditional guys should
be given a shot here in one of my contributions to the “Fly of the Week.”
After all, you have persevered through many of my, shall we say,
un-orthodox ties over the last couple of years.
Besides, I have a traditional side too. I also like to catch fish. And this
very simple tie is a sure ticket to fish catching nirvana.
Like many “soft hackle” flies, it’s beauty lies in it’s absolute simplicity.
It is composed of only two materials, plus a few wraps of thread, and
a little dab or two of glue.
This fly should be somewhat easy for tiers of all abilities, but take care,
for to tie it well requires a certain amount of precision and attention to detail.
I came across this pattern in a book entitled Flies for Fish and
Fisherman by Helen Shaw, (published by Stackpole Books,
P.O. Box 1831, Harrisburg, Pa. 17105.) I include this information
as this is a great book for any serious wet fly fisherman. The book
begins with the very basics of employing various materials, and builds
on each one in a progression of difficulty which is easily executed with a bit of
patience. For example her first chapter, or “Fly Form” as she calls
them, deals with peacock herl as the primary ingredient. Progressing
from the simplest of flies she takes this material up through wings,
tails, throats, overwinging and etc. She also gives the materials list
to tie about 42 flies in this one material. She also covers quill, tinsel,
chenille and other body materials in a like fashion, as well as how to
select wing slips, tie them in, and all of the other operations necessary
to tie some very productive, and beautiful patterns.
So much for the commercial for the book. If you don’t have it,
you should! Enough said.
Materials
Hook: Mustad 3906B size 8 to 16 (or other wet fly hook).
Thread: Orange or Yellow 8/0.
Body: Fine Copper Wire.
Hackle: Partridge (brown shown).
Originally published November 6, 2000 on Fly Anglers Online by George E. Emanuel.