Going old school - a Partridge and Hare's Ear wet fly
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2023
- A truly historic pattern, that has been around at least since Izaac Walton first published the Compleat Angler in 1653. This version is from David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies" published in 2020.
Hook: #6-12 wet fly
Thread: Rusty orange
Rib: Small gold wire
Body: Hare's mask dubbing
Hackle: Partridge
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Valla's "Tying and Fishing Bucktails..." 2016, amzn.to/3Jg2Mys
Valla's "Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3DmYOjJ
Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Hughes, "Nymphs for Streams and Stillwaters," amzn.to/3HC2jpc
Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by. - Sport
Matt, the reason the old wet flies didn't have a long body was that the tiers were holding the hook in their hand to tie it.
This is a great note George! Thank you!! That makes total sense. I love learning these things from viewers around here. :-)
@Savage Flies if at any of the fly shows that John Shaner is at, he can tell you more on this. He's big into the old spider flies. You normally find him at the hardy booth. He does a great presentation on them too!
Matt, you are humble and absolutely the best dressed fly fishing channel host!
Hahaha! If I can't be the best fly fisherman on CZcams, I can at least be the best dressed. :-)
I can remember in my earlier years of fly fishing I watched a elderly gentleman fishing a queen of the water catching one fish after another as smoke from his pipe circled his head
Great memory Daniel! The Queen of the Water... what a fly!
You should hit a homerun with that wet Matt😊 My personal best brown came a #12 Grouse and Orange. Orange thread body with a hare's ear thorax to prop up the hackle. It made 3 reel screaming 😱 runs , called the wife over to net it. Lost it at the net😢 I used a dry fly hook, standard length shank. It hit as I picked up the line during what I think is called a water haul just after I let it dangle. 😮 hey, where' the bow tie! Yup fishing or swinging wets is fun. Sort of in-between dry and nymph fishing. Maybe you should've fished a dry with a small wet dropper. I gave up on fishing multi fly rigs, 🪰 🪰 🪰, too many knots and tangles. 😅 Have a great weekend, heat wave up here.
Great note Joe! This pattern did fairly well for me on the Gunpowder this past weekend. I forced myself to fish all wets. I took ONE fly box, nothing but patterns like this and a few winged wets in it. I was going to make it work or take another skunk. And believe me, it was hard... watching the bugs in the air and seeing rises all around me! But I stuck with it and landed a handful. Nothing huge, but that's okay. I'll get there. :-)
@@SavageFlies A few in the hand is better than none. See ya tomorrow bud.👍
Fantastic pattern. The spider look is always a performer. Myself, I probably spend 70% of my time swinging soft hackles and emergers. You just can't go wrong, especially on those windy days. Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for sharing.
Appreciate it Layton! Just reading the comments, I think I was in the minority by fishing dry flies 90% of the time! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Morning Matt. Nice to hear you had fun at the ranch. Meaning fishing. Have a great day.
Hahaha! Appreciate it Nich! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Good morning Matt. ☕️time. I like tying wet flies like the one this morning. With little to no moving water I haven’t had an opportunity to fish any yet but I have some ready if the opportunity arises. There is a couple creeks where I’m headed fishing/camping for the next couple weeks so maybe it’s time. Peter’s channel is quite good and I watch it often. He explains things well. Take care Matt and have a great weekend.
Appreciate it John! Good luck camping. I've got another trip to the Savage coming up this weekend, and then a trip to PA next month, and then my next big trip will be a week in the Adirondacks in September. That's going to be a fun one!
Another nice one Matt, simple and I'll be effective. It's nice fishing when the fish are rising but I think I've read somewhere that 90% of fish's feeding is underwater so wet flies make a whole lot of sense to me. Keep the good stuff coming buddy.
Yep Dave, I've read that same fact many times. It's just hard not to fish dries when you see the bugs in the air and the fish eating on top!
Hard to beat the soft hackles. Easy ties and fun to fish.
Yes!! I'm getting over my stubborn dry fly habit and had a pretty good time fishing these wets this weekend. :-)
That will definitely fish. Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day my friend.
Gidday Matt. Nice easy looking fly. Thankyou.
Appreciate it Ken! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
I love the look of, and tying, wet flies. I have been trying to improve my wet fly fishing on the local MD waters as well. Thank you for sharing this pattern.
You bet Brian! Good luck to you my friend. :-)
Heh Matt, about 3 years ago I tried tying/fishing a few wet flies. Watched a couple of video's for some tips and such. Anyway I've been fishing wet/tying wet flies about 75-80% of the time and had pretty good luck with the trout. Great video Sir!
Sort of like a partridge and orange but a cool variation. My first wet flies were 60 years ago were a Black Gnat, March Brown, and Light Cahill. Tied by Dick Rader of Easton PA. He showed me how to swing them on Shohola Creek on a 3 fly dropper setup. I caught so many trout and I was hooked on swinging wets!
Great story Glenn! I've got some March Brown wets in my box but you reminded me that I definitely need some black gnats. I see that pattern in almost every book so you know it's stood the test of time!
Good looking fly Matt, have a great weekend.
Appreciate it Phil! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
The Partridge series of flies have always been fish catchers. When I first started flyfishing, my casting left a lot to desire and used wet flies to cover my lousy casting. Always like to watch your videos even though I don't tout fish much. Oh, was up in Maryland and fished the Gunpowder. Low and slow, one small fish all day.
I'm with you there Ed. I got six with this thing on the Gunpowder this past Saturday. Nothing huge, but it was enough action to keep me out there for several hours. :-)
Good morning Matt, nice simple pattern!! I agree Peter Charles has a great channel, been following him for several years. He is fantastic at answering your questions and helping you out. There is something for everyone. It is great to see tyer promote/ referencing other tyers with great content!! Have a great weekend and tight lines !!
Appreciate it Ken! And I totally agree about Peter's channel. He's one of the first channels I go to for actually learning tactics. :-)
Matt, don't worry about having an oh sh# what was I thinking moment..... it happens to everyone. Swinging traditional wet flies is my starting point on most days. If fishing tandem flies it's a dry and a wet or a wet and a bead head nymph. For our midwest rivers my favorite go to old school wet fly is the Carey Special. Traditional Tiemco or Mustad wet hook in sz 8 to 14, hare's mask or squirrel dubbing body, peacock herl thorax, hackle fiber tail, swept back 3-turn hackle no longer than the hook and tied with rusty/copper or mahagony thread. Leave a long thread tag, wax it, double it, twist up and use as the rib. Thank You for keeping the traditional flies alive and on the menu. Take Care
Great note Gary! I had a good day fishing wets only this past weekend here on the Gunpowder. Next weekend I'm trying the same thing on the Savage, but I might fish some small soft hackles under an elk hair caddis. Thanks for the tips! And BTW, I've tied the Carey Special, and probably fished it a few times but I can't recall having had much luck with it. I may need to give it another try. :-)
Nice looking simple pattern. Thanks for sharing this tutorial Sir Matt
Appreciate it Marshall! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Matt, I have used these flies with good success, in different colors and smaller hook sizes. Thanks for tying an old favorite!!
You bet Bob! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Hey Matt,,I’ve been swinging wets for over 50 years in the waters of Massachusetts and have caught dozens of fish when others are throwing dry and scratching their heads. The short body comes from the UK where the tying of Spiders is still very popular. I usually fish two wets in size 12 down and across and it never fails. My favorite fly during the Sulpher hatch is a Burlap wet.
Great note Mike! I've tied a burlap nymph and streamer, but now I'm going to add a smaller burlap wet to my box. :-)
Nice fly and tie. I generally start with nymphs and go to drys later in the day. Spinners when it gets late and just enjoying the river at dusk. I’ve had a handful of days when nothing seemed interested but all is good. Better than work or watching the news eh. Warmest regards my friend
Yes indeed Mark! Any day on the water is a good day. It's just more fun when the fish cooperate. :-)
Great classic fly. Thanks Matt
Appreciate it Chad! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Nice soft hackle Matt used them a lot very effective tks 😊
Appreciate it Burt! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Matt your rockin' the suit buddy! Great vid as always.
Appreciate it man! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Love tying and swinging soft hackles! It amazes how successful soft hackles can be and how many people underestimate using them in all sorts of situations for various species. Very effective stripping them in still water too. Thanks for the video.
Great note Stephen! I have to confess that I've been one to underestimate them for years. But I'm working to change that and elevate my overall fishing game. :-)
I love these, especially for grayling but I’ve caught other things with this. The variation I learned is Tenkara-style with Shetland Spindrift yarn (so no need for wire) and the partridge.
Great note! I appreciate the tips my friend. :-)
Gorgeous looking fly, Matt
I love fishing this type of fly
I don't fish them enough, my favorite is the snipe and purple. The feather comes from under the wing, kind of gray in color. I didn't have any snipe feathers, so the next best thing I could think of was a dove feather
It worked great on a size 14
Thanks for the video, Matt and I hope you have a great weekend
Great note Dave! I saw several patterns with a snipe feather for a hackle and was wondering what I could substitute for it. If I recall correctly, a dove is pretty similar to a partridge as well.
Good to see and hear. I fish what are called old style wet flies as well as nymphs-at least most of the time. I prefer the wets. Rather than just swinging them. I cast a little upstream, let them drift parallel to the shore, then let them swing. It's a wonderful way of fishing and the takes are mostly very definite.Once in a while I get a fish on the drift. Very keen anglers fish wet flies upstream-takes a lot of concentration and much short casting! Good luck and you will have a great time. :-)
Fishing wets upstream will be a goal of mine after I get a bit more practice fishing wets in general. But I can imagine you've got to be pretty accurate with your casts and very aware of your position and shadows and such. I'll get there. :-)
@@SavageFlies I thin the hardest part is retrieving line and keeping a perfect drift. I'm great at it-it works though. Slower currents are easier of course. :-)
Cut my fly fishing teeth on spring creeks. There is always a wet fly selection in my day box. In situations like you described, I will often use a dry dropper with a wet on the drop. When you see those light rises this can really work!
Great tip George! That's something we don't see a lot of people recommend-- a standard, light weight wet fly as a dropper. But why not? Partridge hackle is so thin, it doesn't always have to be swing. It'll have movement in practically still water.
Lovely fly and the dubbed bidy is brilliant, weel tied, thank you so much for showing this.
Appreciate it! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Matt I live the wet flues they are easy to tie with very simple materials on hand. I have tied many of them in different colors (earth tone colors) my favorite is using pea cock herls with copper wire and partridge hackles (any colors) it can be wet or dry flies.
Don’t be too tough on yourself. We all get stubborn and think we can make the fish take the fly. Nice fly. ThxMatt. Have a fabulous weekend.
Hahaha! Appreciate it Clyde! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Matt thanks! Want to see & hear how fishing with these wets goes in your waters.
Thanks Charles! It did well for me this past weekend. I got a handful of fish with this thing. Nothing huge, but I'll take small fish over no fish any day. :-)
Matt love this pattern. I too want to get better swinging wet flies.
Yep Brian! I tied another wet for tomorrow's video. A Dave Hughes' flymph that I'll give a try on the Savage this weekend. :-)
Great job always enjoy your videos
Appreciate it! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
I love the Partridge & Hare’s Ear. It’s so effective. Other wet fly favorites are Partridge & Orange or Partridge & Chartreuse, & of course, The Professor. Try those & still get skunked by trout? Soothe your self-esteem & morale with a short pond trip for bass or panfish with those same flies. :-)
Hahaha! Great idea Bob! I was able to redeem myself this past weekend on the Gunpowder. Albeit only slightly. Half a dozen fish with this thing in about four hours. Nothing huge but it was enough action to keep me interested for a while. :-)
Since we’re in sulfer hatch season, a sulfer wet fly works really great. Sean Holtzinger has a really good wet fly pattern he recently posted on his site. I have tied several sulfer patterns I tied and they all work, but Sean’s fly works pretty good and is not that difficult to tie for the beginning fly tyer.
Thanks Ed! I too watch Sean's channel so will have to check this one out. :-)
Partridge and "anything" makes for a great wet fly. I usually tie a wire body, but I will have to start using dubbed bodies more often. Thanks for sharing, Matt. Have a great weekend.
Appreciate it Todd! And yes, those really old school North Country spiders seem to be the same as this but with a super thin thread body. (Or gossamer silk if I recall.)
99% of my flyfishing is nymphs and wet flies, mostly patterns I made up. I've had many days of more fun on the water than what I deserve, give it a shot Matt, you'll never regret it. By the way, nice fly, it will catch you some fish.
Thanks Jim! I took it out this past weekend on the Gunpowder here in Maryland and it turned out great. No huge fish, but enough small ones for me to get some good practice in. :-)
I use wet flies often and find I catch more fish. A yellow pattern works well here for brook trout. When lake fishing I will add weight. I do enjoy the dry fly and watching them being taken but if I don't get any hits on the dry I switch to the pattern you just tied. After watching numerous fly tying channel's I like yours the best and how you go through the steps and history.
Forgot to mention my top producer is using peacock hurl, 3 to 4 strands for the body with gold or silver wire, sometimes flash with partridge for hackle or coke de Leon.
Well thank you my friend, I appreciate the kind words! There are lots of great channels out there but I'm kind of a history nerd so I love telling the background on anything I can find out there. Have a great week my friend!
@Savage Flies I have watched numerous channels as well. Yours for me is a good one with the history and where it's from, plus you go over materials used and step by step instructions and show mistakes, and how the fly is still fishable. Bonus on how close you zoom in to tying. So many channels just have music, run through it and fly has to be perfect. So good job on everything you do and I do like when you show fishing some of the flies you tie.
I tie a very simple pattern. it's usually; on a caddis hook or similar. A body of anything. but hare's ear/rabbit is terrific. Ribbed with gold or copper wire, and no tail. The wing is simply once0folded mallard flank feather or similar Longer than the shank. No Hackle. They are virtually tiny streamers-size 14 and 12. They were a treat. :-)
Outstanding note Terry! I'm trying this. I've been tying all kinds of experiments to fill up my fly box. I did one almost like you describe here but with mink. The guard hairs actually made a pretty cool looking wing.
I haven't see this fly for years and years. I am trying like crazy and will give it a shshothis weekend. Thanks, ,Matt. I agree with @ruebdogg1, nice presentation with you and the flies.
Well thank you Howard! I appreciate the kind words my friend. :-)
I almost always have a soft hackle or other emerger behind my dry fly when fish are rising. And I probably catch 3/4 of my fish on the emerger.
Great note Matt! I'm trying this tactic next weekend on the Savage. A small, slender Partridge and Orange would weigh next to nothing and could easily be hung off a #14 elk hair caddis. I'm definitely fishing this combo next weekend. :-)
Thank ‘s Matt. I think everything will eat this fly.
Appreciate it Arthur! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Let us know how swinging wets on the Savage goes Mike!
This is the ONLY fly I fish. During a hatch I put on a little KINK and fish it as a cripple.
Try tying a Partridge and Hare's Ear in black hare they killed it the last time I was out.
👍💪
Isn't this a soft hackle fly?
Yes indeed Jack. All the Partridge "and something" flies are technically soft hackles. As are most sunken flies tied with soft hen feathers instead of stiff rooster hackle. And I guess most upland game birds make for soft hackles as well.
I don't know how you land any fish without any Barb