seen this pattern and just got some natural partridge feathers. this is a size 12 wet/nymph hook… I followed the recipe but instead of mole used olive/brown nymph dubbing and instead of silk used light yellow 6/0 thread. heres the recipe and the one I made. it really don’t seem like much? fish like this? I made one so far and am gonna make more in olive thread and black thread bodies maybe even peacock body? love that peacock!!! lol. critique it and let me know whats wrong and I will make it better and make more.http://www.flyfishohio.com/Partidge_&_Yellow.htm
Fishi,
Your fly looks pretty good, except that it may be overhackled. With the Partridge and (insert color here) flies, they are very sparsely hackled. Yes, fish love those flies. I always have a selection of Partridge and (color) in my box in sizes from 8 to 18. Having some in green, orange and red, along with the yellow you should be set. Oops, forgot about the peacock herl body with a partridge hackle. That works well too.
REE
Very nice tie. I’ll echo what REE said… less is more when it comes to this fly. One wrap around the hook is all that I use. My arsenal of this fly is similar to REE’s. Very productive fly.
Joe
This summer I was in a fly shop in Idaho, and the owner was tying these as fast as he could put them out for his guides on the upper Columbia river, and he was just using Light Cahill thread and a couple of turns of peacock for a thorax. One thing that makes a nice appearance is to strip off the fibers on one side of the hackle, then wrap that side next to the hook, it “sparsens” the appearance. This is only practical for the larger feathers, though, as the stems get too flimsy to do it on smaller feathers.
Fishaholic -
Yep - these can be deadly in the right situation, in a variety of colors and sizes.
Nice tie. I agree with those who have commented that it, perhaps, has more hackle than some fish would like. I tie mine with a bit shorter hackle, but some might think it too short.
Hope you get a chance to try it soon, and have success with it.
John
Probably a little heavy on the hackle … isn’t the “correct” number 17?
The fish won’t mind, I certainly don’t, it’s a great fly!! Don’t forget the blue!!!
Where it written that the hackle on a soft hackle fly has to be sparse?
I tie hundreds for a local fly shop and I use 2 1/2 wraps and customers tell me have a 100 fish day using my flies.
Just because that’s the way you tye them doesn’t mean it is in the traditional North Country way for tying spiders.
Fish those actually look pretty good for your first try. Try making the head just a little bit smaller, and the body a little shorter. Using a smaller thread like 8/0 will help the head. The length of hackle is more your preference. I do think a sparce hackle helps the fly sink faster, and after all they are insects and only have six legs. Here is one tied the way I like them 
click on the photo after it comes up for a closer look 
Tye one using silk, wet them both, and the colors won’t even be close. Silk let’s the hook color bleed through making the yellow turn a mahogony brown. Still it’ll take fish. The translucence of silk makes those flies a lot different wet than dry.
I tie partridge and orange. Some wind up with twice as much hackle as others do, some hackle lengths are longer some not so long. Some bodys are longer some shorter. I make them with big heads and small heads as is my whim. Bottom line. THE FISH DON’T CARE. It seems they can’t read english so are unable to check which fly is correct and which is not so they just eat them willy nilly. Silly I know but there you have it. Now if you are in a contest with judges that’s alltogether different because they can read moldy old books that have limits to what you can and cannot tie.
Bubba … I did not know that about the silk in water color thing. Thanks.
Hi Fishaholic,
That’s a good looking fly, and it will most definately catch fish! Traditionally, these flies are tied with one turn of hackle, and some people will even strip one side and then just do one turn of hackle!
I don’t have a photo of a partridge and yellow, but here’s a olive partridge and dark orange (actually, I think it’s called “rust brown”, but it looks sort of orangeish to me):
I’ve also added some dubbing to this one, and again, the dubbing is not to cover the body, but it adds “fuzz”. This should trap air bubbles, and keep the fly in or near the surface (where they are very effective). The peacock herl throrax (or a dubbed one) is optional on these flies, so tie some with and some without the thorax. Also, some patterns will call for the peacock herl to be tied in front of the hackle as the head.
However, Stewart (a Scottish author of the 1850s), recommended quite full hackles, and he wrapped his hackle half way down the body. He argued that it’s best to tie them fuller than ideal because after a dozen or so fish, the hackle will be chewed down to “about right”!
The body is traditionally tied to end at just above the hook point, or as far as half-way between the point and the barb. However, there are regional styles in the UK which are far shorter than this. Check out Donald’s web site for an excellent resource on spiders and regional styles of the UK.
http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/
Another really good pattern is a slim dubbed body of hare’s ear and partridge. In this one a peacock head can be very useful, and this produces a good general caddis unweighted nymph pattern.
- Jeff
heres a partridge and orange I just made for my 1st fly swap I joined on another forum. what ya guys think? 1st one I ever tied. I will make more up and then see how this swap thing worx. might have to join more often.
ok i will try to trip a side of hackle next time. I only use 2 turns.
What do I think? I think you should send me a dozen to try out. Until then, I’ll reserve judgment. My motto is “Judge not till they be fished.” Bring them to the Fly Tying marathon next week.
Joe
Sorry to sound so snottsey … operative word I was getting at is, TRADITIONAL. It was said tongue in cheek … actually tongue sticking out.
Spring can’t get here quick enough!!!
This spring try those for the jack steelhead that line up behind the spawning pairs. I use them in size 8 and with the heavier amount of hackle and thicker bodies, orange or yellow body with peacock thorax and do real well on smaller steelhead. It’s a great way to fish steelhead without fishing to the actual spawners (not that there is any reproduction in the Rocky R.). Those fish will just keep lining up behind that pair as long as you don’t disturb the pair.
aye yi yi!
nice fly.
Very nice:D
Let a fish chomp on it a couple of times, that will thin the hackle out LOL
I have tied Olive with heavy hackle and I think it imitated a scud. I don’t think there is really any WRONG way to tie a fly. I tied some GAWD AWEFUL flies in my early days, but they caught fish.