Partidge&Yellow

Partridge & Yellow

by Kuba Chruszczewski

      One of the simplest wingless wet flies—easy to tie and yet extremely effective. Because—as is often the case with such simple designs—it imitates everything and nothing. Depending on the conditions, the season, the time of day, and how it’s presented, it can be used to imitate various insects at different stages of their life cycle. I most often use the #14-12 size P&Y when a small, yellow caddis(Yellow Sally). Throughout the spring, it works well as an imitation of various light-colored mayflies, until the large Mayflies appear, at which point a #6 imitation on the hook can be extremely effective when worked just below the surface.

  If we have a P&Y set in sizes #14–6 in our tackle box—supplemented by a few less popular but equally effective varieties, such as P&Orange and P&Green—then no situation at the fishing spot will catch us off guard.

1. The hook is in the vise. I tie on a yellow thread, which this time will serve as the leader, the body material, and the wrap.

2. After shaping the spindle-shaped body, it’s time for the hackle. I attach an ash-gray, black-striped neck or breast feather from a partridge to the hook, tying it by the thicker end of the shaft. I had previously removed the barbs from one side.

3. I pull the thread to the left, grasp the tip of the feather with tweezers (note: the material is quite delicate), and make one and a half—at most two—coils of the blackberry, working toward the hook point.

4. I attach the wound feather and carefully rewind the coiled blackberry threads toward the hook eye, taking care not to distort the rays. I shape the head and coat it with clear shellac. The Partridge & Yellow is ready.

5. Another, slightly more elaborate version of the P&Y—the body is wrapped with a gold wire, and beneath the black fly is a thorax made of dubbing, such as hare hair.

6. Partridge & Green

7. Partridge & Orange

8. The Partridge Family &…

One of the simplest wet wingless flies—simple, yet extremely effective. Because—as is often the case with this type of simple structure—it imitates everything and nothing. Depending on conditions, the time of year, and the time of day, the way it’s presented can be used to imitate a variety of insects in various stages of development. I often use P & Y in sizes # 14–12 to imitate a small yellow needle fly (Yellow Sally). Throughout the spring, it works as an imitation of various brightly colored mayflies, until the season of large yellow mayflies arrives.  Ephemera danica and E. vulgata, when using a # 6 lure on a hook, which can be extremely effective when fished just below the surface.

       If your box set includes P & Y in sizes # 14–6, along with a few less popular but equally effective varieties—P & Orange and P & Green—you’ll be prepared for any situation on the fishery.