FLYMPH FORUM

Flushed Partridge
Hook - Daiichi 1740 Turned Up Eye Wet/Nymph Hook (Size 14 / 2X long / 2X heavy TUE nymph hook)
Thread - Coats & Clark Machine Embroidery Thread (High Gloss Hot Pink)
Hackle - Hungarian Partridge (Natural)
Tag/Rib - Fine Stainless Steel Wire (Silver)
Abdomen - Tying thread
Thorax - Mike Valla's Wool Tups Blend

This fly was an excuse to use some new thread I found at Walmart. In their sewing section, they had a set of Coats & Clark machine embroidery thread. It has a high gloss to it, similar to a floss body. I bought several colors of thread to play with. It looks like nice thread. Has anyone else tried this thread?

Wouldn't it be fun to try this catch a grayling on a "flushed partridge"?

I really like this hook. The 2X long shank leaves plenty of room for a slender body, while allowing the use of smaller hook size. The 2X heavy shank will hopefully add a bit more weight to help the fly sink easily, and perhaps fish a bit deeper.

Have I used the thread- no.
Looks good though, durable and kind of slick looking. Nice pattern for a casting for recovery donation.
So, what are your intended targets? Steelhead fly?
Where are you getting your stainless wire? Are you buying a "fly tying" product, or using a wire from the craft section of a department store?
My own experience with stainless wires is they tend to be stiff with a lot of memory, rather springy and hellish stuff to "helicopter" off, but equal hell on scissors.
However, a good cheap supply of small gauge stainless wire is of the evil bay, sold as coil wire for "E" cigarettes.

Jeff - I did not have a particular species in mind when I tied this pattern. I just needed an excuse to try out the new thread. I have been on a Tenkara fly kick for the last several months and I was looking for some heavy sewing thread to work with. When I saw this embroidery thread, it looked like a nice material. I ended up tying a more traditional style, because thes other materials were already within easy reach on my tying table.

The thread was originally bought for tying attractor Tenkara patterns. I wanted some high viz colors, for some searching patterns. I will sometimes fish hiviz patterns, to see if I an draw out a curious fish, or three. You'd be surprised how often a bright pattern will work sometimes.

At this time of year, my local streams are really empty. Very few fish, and the ones that are left are quite small. Course fish will often be temped by a wee fly in bright colors. I could have used this fly yesterday, for the bluegill I saw lurking near one rock outcropping.

I was hoping to see a few large channel catfish in the stream, but they seem to have either been fished out over the past month, or they've migrated back out into the lake, due to warm water temps.

In September, as temperatures cool and the days grow longer, the steelhead will come back into the stream. The earliest I e seen a steelhead is third week in August. So it won't be too long now. Boy this summer has gone by quickly!

I have not used that particular color, but I use C&C all the time. Very durable.

That pink thread would make for some nice hot-spot additions to regular patterns, like I did with the fluorescent orange thread on the purple bodied soft hackles in here somewhere.
Or sub it for the red floss of a Royal Coachman.

Shades of POP?

The new mascot for T-Mobile? I haven't seen this high gloss thread but it looks like a beautiful body material. The tuppish thorax is stellar.

Ray,
Yeeoow! It is gorgeous! What a great design! This has Big Bluegill written all over it! And, you are right...a grayling delight!
Poet D.

Fancy!

Thanks for humoring me guys!