Ah, the orange partridge! Probably the most famous of all the north country exports. I certainly hold it dear as it brought me my first ever river trout.....and has extricated me from many a tight corner since.
Controversy surrounds the correct colour of silk to use: the pattern is commonly dressed with #19 hot orange these days - which tends to upset the traditionalists who insist on #6a/b. I've tied on the latter for this thread although I have to admit to harbouring a soft spot for the hot orange which turns a lovely dark mahoghany colour when waxed or wet (a cracking match for my local bwo spinners).
Male grey partridge is a lovely feather to tie with - I fully recommend getting a full skin (Steve Cooper will sort you with a top quality one for around 20 notes). The feathers you need are from the back of the bird's neck, down towards the shoulder blades for larger sizes. I've followed with a few other partridge based patterns which have done well for me in the past. Hope you like them and have some versions of your own to show......
Orange Partridge
Hook: Mustad R50 #14,16
Silk: Pearsalls orange #6a
Hackle: Well marked neck feather from male grey partridge
Yellow Partridge
As above only using yellow silk. A useful pattern in smaller sizes when the pale wateries/spurwings and small yellow stoneflies are on the wing.
Grannom
As above only using olive silk and a light dubbing of short staple hare mask over the upper two thirds of the body.
This is my version of the old 'Green Tail' spider. I don't put too much stock in a bright green 'egg ball' tag personally. The female grannom around these parts show a very dark green egg ball which isn't too distinguishable from the abdomen colour. It certainly isn't fluorescent green! The olive silk when wet isn't quite right...but it's close enough. Fishes well paired with a pupa pattern during the early stages of the hatch.
No Name nymph variant
As yellow partridge, but with a thorax of finely dubbed hare mask over red holo tinsel.
This is basically a spidered version of a copper head nymph I use. It isn't intended to imitate anything, but the extra touch of flash from the red holo makes it surprisingly successful - especially when fished through brisk water at the pool heads.
As Midlander rightly pointed out recently, there aren't many variants possible with trad spider patterns, so I don't expect too much input from other tyers here.....but hey, this is the classics thread and orange partridge is an undisputed classic, so we can't leave it out now can we?!
ATB,
Matt
The Classics: Orange partridge.
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