The Orange Partridge
Don Johnson

Leslie Magee in his book Fly Fishing: The North Country Tradition writes "The earliest known list of Yorkshire Trout Flies is that of William Pilling". Pilling was a cornmiller at Pool-in-Wharfedale and one of the flies on his list dated 1794 is the Orange Partridge. Early recorded lineage of anglers that included this fly on their lists of patterns includes Swarbrick (1807), Jackson (1854), Brumfitt (1872), Pritt (1885) and Edmonds & Lee (1916). Ronalds and Theakston also wrote of this dressing but named it differently; Turkey Brown and Spiral Brown Drake respectively. The fly remains to date, very effective and a must-have for every trout angler.

In this modern era, anglers have a plethora of hook designs to choose from which allow for dressing either close facsimile or severe deviations of the original pattern. Regardless of the chassis, the dressing remains highly rudimentary: Pearsall=s Gossamer orange silk thread and a Partridge hackle. If one chooses to really push the envelope of fanciful tying, a thorax of hare=s mask adds a little portliness to the profile as well as prevents the hackles from lying flat and lifeless along the shank when fished in heavy currents.

Hook choice remains the one variable that allows for adaptation to various conditions. For a small, light wire hook, which will allow for a very shallow presentation in the surface film, there is no better choice than the Daiichi 1480 or the new Alec Jackson Soft Hackle Hook.  These are each 2x short, 1x fine hooks with a Limerick bend; the difference is that the 1480 is bronze and the new Alec Jackson hook is finished with the Daiichi “Crystal Finish”. Also available in the Crystal Finish is the new Alec Jackson North Country hook, which is a 2x short, regular wire hook also with the Limerick bend. Its straight eye provides not only an efficient hooking angle but also allows flies to be tied that more closely mimic those tied by the forefathers of the North Country tradition. In their day, hooks were eyeless and were thus tied to gut before the fly was dressed. The straight eye of these hooks allow the tippet to be connected in the same axis as the patterns of yore and the sexy Limerick bend is pure elegance in steel.

Adaptation is a key to success and the utility of the Orange Partridge dressing is further expanded when tied on larger hooks such as a size 8 or 10 with a configuration similar to the Daiichi 1280. Flies tied on this 2x long, fine-wire dry-fly hook are suitable for shallow presentations in fast water and quite effective when October Caddis or stoneflies are present. For a deeper presentation, dressing the Orange Partridge on heavy-wire hooks, such as the Daiichi 1530, is more advantageous than the prospect of hurling a leader laden with split shot. The ability to get the fly well below the surface allows for the application of the famous ALeisenring Lift@. “The Lift”, as it is sometimes called, is an effective way to induce a take. In this technique, when the sunk fly is nearing the position of a suspected or known fish, the line is tightened. The taut line initiates the ascension of the fly in the water column and if the technique is executed properly the ascent not only imitates that of a natural insect but also occurs directly in front of the target fish.  

The tying sequence for these patterns is very straightforward. Regardless of the hook model used, attach the working thread (Pearsall=s Gossamer silk thread) at a point on the hook one or two hook-eye lengths behind the eye. With tight, contiguous wraps, advance the thread down the shank to a position on the shank of the hook opposite the hook-point. The thread may be tied a little past this point but tradition dictates that it should not extend past a position opposite the barb. Then, also with tight, contiguous wraps, return the thread to the tie-in point. Prepare a brown-phase Partridge feather by holding the feather by the tip and stroking the fibers towards the butt of the quill. Attach the feather by the tip at the joint where the barbule direction deviates so that the convex side of the feather is up or facing the tyer. Take one to one-and-a-half turns of full hackle for a heavily dressed fly. To apply less hackle, strip the left side of the feather prior to tying in the feather. The Aleft@ side is defined as if facing the convex side of the feather with the tip up. For a left-handed tyer, the opposite side should be stripped and it should be noted that this is for hackling techniques where the hackle is wrapped over the top and away from the tyer. After hackling, trim the excess quill, form a small, neat head, whip-finish and cement.

The pattern dressed with a thorax projects a significantly different silhouette than its skinny counterpart. Addition of a thorax occurs just prior to the hackling procedure by twisting spikey hare=s mask dubbing to the thread and applying a few turns while taking care so as to not crowd the hook-eye. An iteration of the benchmark pattern tied on light or standard wire hooks is what I have come to call the Improved Partridge & Orange, as if the original needed improvement. The two minor deviations to the recipe! include a Ashellback@, which is made by pulling the tag end of the thread (left over from the original tie-in of the thread) over the body and the inclusion of a small number of Antron fibers just ahead of the thorax and aft of the hackle. The former helps to keep the thread wraps from working down around the bend of the hook after the repeated punishment of a trout=s teeth. The latter adds a subtle glimmer of refraction and/or reflection that possibly replicates a bubble or surface disturbance associated with an emerging or crippled insect. The location on the hook of the Antron is at the same place a budding or mangled set of wings would be on the natural so it stands to reason this may in fact be more than just hypothesis.

The Orange Partridge has also been proven quite effective when using any of the specialty, curved-shank hooks similar to the Daiichi 1130 scud hook or the Daiichi 1250 Dennis Brown glass bead hook. Use of these irons changes the fly=s posture on or in the water in comparison with a standard hook and makes for a highly virtuous pattern impossible for even the most erudite trout to resist.

So, in the quest for productive flies, don=t overlook this venerable old standard even if it is dressed on a chassis with a much shorter and less intriguing history. It has stood the test of time and is well worth the minimal effort expended in its manufacture.

The Classic Orange Partridge 

Hook: Daiichi 1480, size 12-14; Alec Jackson Soft Hackle or North Country hook, sizes 13-17
Body: Pearsall=s Gossamer silk, Gold (GT6A) for traditional patterns; Hot Orange (GT19) for a more modern dressing.
Hackle: Partridge, brown phase

Step 1: Start the thread at a point just behind the hook-eye, trim tag end and wrap the silk down the hook-shank to a point opposite the point of the hook then wrap back to the tie-in point.
Step 2: Prepare a hackle as described, tie it in by the tip and take one to one-and-a-half turns around the shank. Tie off and trim the excess quill.
Step 3: Form a small, neat head, whip-finish and cement.

Johnson's Improved Partridge & Orange

Hook: Daiichi 1480 sizes 12-16; Alec Jackson Soft Hackle or North Country hook sizes 13-17; Daiichi 1182 or 1550 sizes 12-16
Body: Pearsall=s Gossamer silk, Gold (GT6A) for a subdued pattern; Hot Orange (GT19) for a darker dressing.
Thorax: Natural hare=s mask behind 4 to 6 fibers of clear Antron
Hackle: Partridge, brown phase

Step 1: Start the thread at a point just behind the hook-eye and wrap the silk down the hook-shank while binding down the tag end of the silk thread. Stop at a point opposite the point of the hook, wrap back to the tie-in point then pull the tag end over the abdomen and tie down. Trim excess.
Step 2: Add a small ball of hare=s mask dubbing at about the 1/3rd point behind the eye of the hook and then tie in the Antron fibers just in front of the dubbing.
Step 3: Prepare a hackle as previously described, tie it in by the tip and take one to one-and-a-half turns around the shank. Tie off and trim the excess quill.
Step 4: Form a small, neat head, whip-finish and cement.

 

Article	089
Created	3-17-2005
Author	Don Johnson
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