Deer Hair n Grizzle Fly Tied on a Partridge L5A Dry Fly Supreme
Partridge ambassador Allan Liddle discusses a recent favourite fly of his; The Deer Hair n Grizzle Fly tied on a Partridge L5A Superdry Supreme.
Often, as the hatch progresses, Trout can ‘lock onto’ the flat profile you get from a ‘Comparadun’ style dry instead of taking the ‘Emerger’ style with as much confidence as they showed in the early part of the fish ‘action.’
Watching and tracking flies as they drift past and observing the way the fish take these and which ones they have a preference for (emerging or resting ‘dun’) certainly isn’t effort wasted and can pay dividends over rushing in and covering every fish you can see. That said if I do get fish refusing the Emerger style then it’s a simple switch to the flatter profile I opt for first and generally, this does the trick.
Following a session tying Dirty Deer Hair Emergers and to top off the flat profile flies in the dry box, I had a notion to add in a grizzle hackle to these flies to enhance the profile a little as well as help me to see the fly better on the water. The result was the Deer Hair n Grizzle.
Recipe
| Hook: | Partridge L5A Dry Fly Supreme #12 – 16 |
| Thread: | Semperfli 8/0 light olive waxed thread |
| Tail: | Dark Coc-de-leon hackle fibres |
| Abdomen: | Tying Thread |
| Wing: | Natural Roe Deer hair |
| Hackle: | Grizzle cock hackle |
| Thorax: | Sing streand of Peacock Green Ice Dubbing |
I know that it’s certainly not unique or ground-breaking, but for me is a simple and quick pattern to tie that the fish have shown more than a passing interest in this season. I could admit to it being my number one performer this Spring but that would mean admitting to choosing it over the DHE, and anyone that knows me certainly knows that isn’t something I’d take lightly.
But the truth is, this simple little flat profile dry has performed best this year over a wide variety of water types from the fast and rough, through to smooth glides and ‘picky’ fish.
The Coc-de-leon tail works perfectly and the tiny bit of olive pearl flash at the head gives a subtle but attractive additional trigger, something I add to almost all my dries.
So, there it is, the Deer Hair n Grizzle, simple and quick to tie, pretty robust and quick to get back out there once you’ve caught a fish, but nothing overly fancy just a dry that I certainly use a lot with loads of confidence.
Deer Hair n Grizzle Step by Step.
Step One:
Catch in thread and Coc-de-leon fibres and run thread to just in line with the hook point.
Step Two:
Tighten thread by spinning bobbin holder then take two turns of thread directly below the tail fibres to allow them to sit slightly raised. Rib the fly with thread.
Step Three:
Take a bunch of deer hair.
Step Four:
Stack the deer hair to line up tips.
Step Five:
Hold the deer hair tight to the top of the hook shank and secure with several tght thread turns.
Step Six:
Lift the tag ends of the deer hair and trim tight to hook shank.
Step Seven:
Take thread turns below the tag ends leaving them exposed to form a small ‘spur wing’.
Step Eight:
Prep and secure the grizzle hackle directly behind the wing.
Step Nine:
Wind one turn of hackle behind wing then three to four turns in front and tie off hackle.
Step Ten:
Dub on the Ice Dubbing and wind on thorax.
Step Eleven:
Add varnish to thread and whip finish head (this is to prevent varnish being drawn into thorax if you apply too much later).
Step Twelve:
Wind one turn of hackle behind wing then three to four turns in front and tie off hackle.
Finished Deer Hair n Grizzle.
Front View.
Side View.
Underside View.
Alan Willing be tying this fly and many others at Glasgow Angling Centre’s Open Weekend (23rd-25th September).
Allan Liddle
Based in Moray in Scotland's North East, Allan has specialises with the wild trout from the rivers and burns, lochs and lochans throughout Mainland Scotland and the Isles.
A strong passion for fishing simple dries he feels there's nothing better than to see the fish take off the top, but isn't slow to fish a range of different styles when mood or conditions dictate. Although trout is his first love Allan occasionally chases the Salmon, Grayling stocked fish and even dabbles in salt water when the chance arises.
More from Allan:
Tying a new Deer Hair Emerger Variation
This week Allan provides us with a variation on the Deer Hair Emerger pattern, this time incorporating elements from Bob Wyatt's Dirty Duster patterns. Yes, I know, I've posted Deer Hair Emerger flies many times before but to be honest, it's such a simple but...
Reliable Nymph Fly Patterns on the Partridge SLD4
In this blog post, Ambassador Allan Liddle shares some of the flies that he will be demoing at the BFFI in the coming weeks. Nymph fly tying patterns are designed to imitate the immature forms of aquatic insects, such as mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies, which...
The Olive Pete Loch Fly, Tied on a Partridge SLD2
Words and images from PRO-Team member Allan Liddle.Allan Liddle provides us with a recipe and insights for the 'Olive Pete', a great loch fly and searching pattern. One for a bigger wave on our lochs for wild fish or perhaps dead of night surface wake lure style...