What's This Hackle?

[Steve Walker]

Quick easy question - a friend of mine was bemoaning that his favourite fly had got bent out of shape and he hadn't seen any more for sale, so I offered to make some more for him. This is the beastie - it has a very long, very soft hackle/wing, but I don't recognise the material.

Also, does anyone know the pattern? I'm sure I can reverse engineer it from the sample, but it wouldn't do any harm to know what I was making!

[Ephemerella]

If the hook is #16 or less I would say it's the brown hackle from the nape of an English or Grey partridge Perdix perdix.

[g bigtrout]

Looks all the world like a Dove Bug with brown partridge tied on top to me

[midlander]

The hackle is Partridge and the horns are cock pheasant. The pattern is probably a Dick Walker sedge pupae pattern although it might be Goddard or Price. Can't quite remember. From the 70's though.

[Steve Walker]

I'd say that the hook is a #14, maybe a #12.

[neil thomas]

Hi Steve,
The hackle looks like brown partridge as previous posts.
(buy from cookshill.co.uk as he skins them himself from handpicking the best capes!)
I's say the wing looks like natural cock pheasant tail fibres to me.

Happy tying,
Neil.

[mdo12345]

Any thoughts on what that body material is? It looks like a great nymph pattern.

[silversedge]

Looks like amber ostrich herl.

[midlander]

I've had a dig around. I'm 99.9% certain it's a Walkers Longhorns Nymph. I found the picture in Goddard's tout flies of stillwater. Not sure of the dressing though. I'm guessing..

Thread: Black.
Body: orange ostrich herl.
Thorax: brown " "
Rib: silver or gold oval,
Horns: Cock Pheasant centre tail fibres x 2.
Hackle: Grey (male) partridge, from the middle of the back.

Hope that helps.

[arkle]

It's the later version of Walker's "Longhorn" pupae, the earlier one had either amber or sea-green ostrich at the rear half with dk. brown ost. in front. The later versions reverted to seal's fur as it was more durable and didn't loose its colour so quickly. The fly shown may not have a seal's fur body but another form of dubbing. When the pattern first appeared, there was very little choice in who supplied materials & it looks a bit fine for Veniard's seal which was slightly coarser in texture. The hackle is undoubtedly a brown partridge neck feather.