Part of the Partridge Series

Part of the partridge series of soft hackle wet flies, the Partridge and Green is perhaps my favourite.  I haven’t yet tried the Partridge and Green in stillwater yet but will do so this coming season. Out of the partridge series of soft hackle wet flies, the Partridge and Green to me anyway, is the one that looks most natural. With its green thread body and rabbit thorax combined with the grey partridge hackle, it will hopefully appeal to caddis hunting trout. Fished static it may also be taken for a drowned insect such as an olive or terrestrial fly. I could also fish it in or on the water surface to suggest an emerging insect too.

I tied the pattern by catching in some 8/0 green thread and taking it down the shank to form the thorax. I returned the thread to where I wanted to begin the thorax in open turns. This gave me a gently ribbed abdomen which I quite liked. I dubbed the thorax using natural rabbit dubbing but you could also use some other suitably coloured fine dubbing such as one of the micro dubbing products which are available. Once tied in by the tip I wrapped the grey partridge hackle and whip finished the fly.

Being in the grip of the severe snow and ice weather front known as The Beast from The East, I am really looking forward to the long, warm summer evenings to come when I can fish the Partridge and Green to caddis hunting trout.

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