Partridge and Touch-Dubbed Orange

[tie2fish]

Here's another combination of traditional materials for which I as a novice historian do not know the pattern name. Proper identification is solicited.

Hook: "Standard" heavy wire wet fly hook, Size #14
Thread: Pearsall's Gossamer, #19 hot orange
Hackle: English Partridge
Body: Thread wraps lightly touch-dubbed with hare's ear

[narcodog]

Bill, did you tye the hackle in by the tip and strip one side?

[William Anderson]

Bill, your tying is impeccable as usual and it's hard to go wrong with such a nicely marked P&O. It's unlikely that at some point someone didn't touch dub with a bit of hare and gave it a new name.

[tie2fish]

Thanks, William; that's what I thought about this combination ... somebody along the line must have done this. Perhaps it simply didn't catch fish and thus did not survive over time?

Yes, Bob -- I did tie in by the tip, but did not strip the barbs from one side. This represents exactly two turns of full hackle from near the outer end of a feather from between the "shoulders".

[DOUGSDEN]

Beautiful Bill! Out of this world gorgeous! I wanna tie like you when I grow up!
Doug

[redietz]

Perhaps it simply didn't catch fish and thus did not survive over time?

It's caught fish for me. I've taught tying classes where the only materials for demonstrating a touch dubbed spider were orange silk, hare's ear, and partridge feathers (I didn't buy the materials.) I've used the resulting flies and they work.

Add tails and a wing, and it's Pritt's March Brown #11.

Change the hackle to woodcock and it's Pritt's March Brown #13.

[UC Steve]

Beautiful nymph. Don't know what the maker named it but it looks like a march brown, though it might cover a spectrum of baetis, among other things. Can't see it rejected for not catching, with those natural colors.

[letumgo]

Bill, you da man! This fly is good on a classic scale.

[tie2fish]

Our eagle-eyed friend Ruard has tactfully made me aware of the fact that I erred in my above recipe description of the hackle source as being "English grouse". As the name of the fly would indicate, the hackle came from an English partridge. I am eating crow today instead of turkey.

[letumgo]

Bill - I've got your back. I edited your post to fix the recipe.

Ruard - Thanks for keeping an eye on Bill. He did that intentionally, to see if we were paying attention. You get top marks.