One of the soft hackles that I fish the most is the Partridge and Yellow. The fly is an ancient Scottish Border pattern that has been tied for close to two centuries. Any fly that has been around that long has survived for one reason, it catches fish. The original was tied with a body made from yellow silk floss. I have found the floss to not be very durable. After catching a dozen fish or so, the floss body is usually pretty beat up from the trout's teeth. As a result, I began tying them with a lean lightly dubbed body. In addition to adding durability, I can add other colors to the dubbing to more closely match the subtle hues of a particular insect (I like to add a bit of orange to any partridge and yellows that I plan to fish as sulfur imitations).
My recipe is:
Hook: Tiemco 102Y or 103BL (the barbless version of the 102Y) size 15
Thread: yellow 6/0
Body: Yellow dry fly dubbing
Hackle: Two turns of natural Hungarian Partridge tied in by the tip
I put the hook in the vise and lay on a thread base. I dub a lean body and leave room for the soft hackle. I tie in a natural Hungarian Partridge hackle from the back of the Partridge's neck by the tip. I make two wraps of the hackle and tie it off. I make a whip finish.
I have found this fly to be productive all year but it is particularly effective during the Sulphur hatch in May and June. It seems to imitate emerging sulfurs and drowned insects as well. My favorite time to use it is before a sulfur hatch. I fish it like any other soft hackle. I use a medium action nine foot four weight rod and a floating line. I tie on a seven and one half foot 4X leader and five feet of 5X tippet and then tie on the fly with an improved clinch knot. To fish it, I stand facing down stream. I choose riffle water with a broken surface. I cast down stream at a forty five degree angle to the bank. I strip the fly to sink it in the film. I let it swing in the current. I do not mend the belly out of the line. I keep my rod tip low. I cast three times to the left and three times to the right and then take one step down stream. This is a searching pattern. I methodically cover large stretches of water. If I begin catching fish I slow down.
If you have never fished this pattern, tie a few and give them a try over the next couple of months. You might be pleasantly surprised.
John Berry
