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F&F Fly Pattern Archive

French Partridge Mayfly

Well, everyone ought to have a Mayfly in his box, and this is one of these patterns which is a dream to tie and easy to fish. It is a good general Mayfly, and half a dozen in your box will work their weight when that time of the year comes round.

Pattern

Hook: Ashima F15 size 12
Silk: yellow
Tail: three strands of pheasant tail fibre tied long
Abdomen: ordinary raffia
Rib: fine gold wire
Palmer hackle: olive cock
Hackle: single French Partridge feather tied in by the tip and allowed two turns.

Tying

Start the silk at the eye and take it in loose turns to the tail, where you tie in the pheasant tail fibres, and let them be long!

Tear off a thin strip of raffia and wet it with your tongue to keep it flat. Tie this in together with the rib, making sure that the butts of both reach forward almost to the head. Take the silk up to the head.

Wrap the raffia evenly up the body to the silk and secure it there with two or three turns. Tie in a shortish fibred olive cock hackle and wind it in loose turns to the tail. Use the rib to secure the hackle and take that to the silk - tying off again with two or three turn. Trim off the surplus olive feather.
Finally tie in a French Partridge feather by the tip, give it two turn, tie in, trim and finish.

Fishing

Cast to a rising fish!! There will be plenty of them, so just keep at it. Make sure you have a few spares as once they hit the flies, they keep going for quite a time.

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David Westwood of NorScFly ties exclusively for private clients. All patterns for all gamefish, including magazine flies, and repeats of that last fly you have left. Contact him at Davidflies@btinternet.com