Thursday, October 27, 2016

North Country Flies and a Few Variations

The soft-hackle, there are probably more patterns tied using this style than any other type of fly, with the exception of the nymph. And in this group of soft-hackle flies is the North Country Fly. Many North Country flies are also referred to as "spiders", and I really don't know the difference between them. One thing I do know is their simplicity and their fish taking capabilities. The fly featured here is the Partridge and Orange, with two variations. The material list is but two items...Pearsall's Silk thread and partridge hackle. The variations have peacock and golden badger hackle.


The Partridge and Orange...the original pattern. Two materials.


The Partridge and Orange with Peacock....this pattern I tie with a peacock thorax. This fly accounts for a great deal of trout.


The Golden Badger and Orange....this pattern uses a golden badger feather for the hackle...the natural badger barring gives the fly a blended thorax.


Connecticut's first snowfall...beautiful.







27 comments:

  1. I've always been intrigued with those spiders. I've no doubt that they would catch fish anywhere. No snow here yet except in the mountains. 80 degrees today and tomorrow so it might be time to get out for a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Levett
      Thanks
      Howard I love these flies...such a joy to tie.
      This snow didn't last but it looked good when it was falling.

      Delete
  2. Beautiful soft hackles, Alan. As you know I love those flies too, and you're right, they surely do produce. A good day for tying today with the needed snow and rain coming down. Regards, Sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam produce they do...yesterday I had 8 hookups on the partridge and orange. This snow/rain will help us in the northeast.

      Delete
  3. Glad to hear you had the great day. This is much needed with what we are getting tonight. Hopefully the precipitation pattern is changing in our favor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we are now in for some typical fall precipitation...fingers crossed buddy.

      Delete
  4. Oh... nice and sparse. Love the soft hackles. Proven killers.

    Enjoy the blog, too. Great photographs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. spike
      Thanks
      Yes sir, I believe it's the sparseness of the fly that gives it that lifelike motion that fish can't resist.

      Delete
  5. I hope this finds you and yours doing well. May we display your header on our new site directory? As it is now, the site title (linked back to its home page) is listed, and we think displaying the header will attract more attention. In any event, we hope you will come by and see what is going on at SiteHoundSniffs.com.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alan - very nice ties! Getting to be time to start putting the grouse and flash back into the box! Nice to see the rivers coming up a bit after the rain/snow yesterday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark Wittman
      Thanks
      Mark I tie a pattern using a holographic thread for the body with starling or partridge. That extra flash sometimes wakes them up.
      We had a nice rainfall yesterday, should help.

      Delete
  7. Beautiful ties and flies! Simple yet effective!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TROUT1
      Thanks
      Pete your one who knows something about soft-hackles.

      Delete
  8. I believe the 'North Country' referenced in the name is to the North Country region of England i.e. the Yorkshire Dales etc and the flies popularized there, one of which is the Spider.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George S
      Thanks
      George thanks for that information. Sometimes the internet can be confusing.

      Delete
  9. Coming from the home of north country spiders and being a big fan of tying & using them I have to say Alan you have done a cracking job of yours. Regards George

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George
      Thanks
      OK George we now have an angler/tyer with home field advantage.

      Delete
    2. Alan, any help you need just give me a shout, I live smack bang in the centre of North Country Spiders territory, The North Yorkshire Dales. I have had a fascination of spider fishing & tying since a very early age and fish them as often as I can. If you can get them two books I would highly recommend would be: The North Country Fly by Robert Smith & A guide to north country flies & how to tie them by Mike Harding.
      Regards
      George

      Delete
    3. George I'll keep that in mind. I have Roger Smiths book and I think it's great. I love the history of these simple flies.

      Delete
    4. The Yorkshire Dales are beautiful. I live in the US, but my father is English and I have been to the North Country many times. Great to see such a diverse group of anglers on this blog.

      Delete
    5. I love that diversity....all comments are really appreciated.

      Delete
  10. Alan, always love to see your spiders,really like the one with the peacock. I wil be spending this winter reorganizing my wet fly box,haven'tdoneit for a few yrs. your posts are getting me motivated to do it. Not sure I'm glad to see snow are you still using the Allen hook for your soft hackles? Thanks for the post..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brad Basehore
      Thanks
      Brad I have fished both variations of the P&O, and the added peacock has worked better. The snow is now a memory, perhaps a little more for Thanksgiving and hunting. I really like those Allen hooks.

      Delete
  11. I'm a fan of the North Country Spiders. What worked 150 years ago in the streams in Yorkshire, England, certainly works today, most likely anywhere. I sometimes fish a Partridge and Orange as a point fly and a Snipe and Purple on a short dropper. I had a great evenings fishing a few years ago when the trout at a small stocked lake were taking termites. The fish were savagely taking the Snipe and Purple, so it must have looked like a convincing termite.
    I might have a go at fishing just the North Country spiders this season just to see how the fish like them.
    Cheers,
    Steve.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve Hynes
      Thanks
      Steve they still do the job as they were crafted to do a long tie ago. I really like the simplicity of their construction. I'm going to tie a few of those snipe and purple as soon as my purple silk arrives.

      Fishing only spiders for a season, now there's an idea.

      Delete