Wet fly
A drowned bee riding the soft current
A soft-hackle bee wet fly in peacock, cream and mottled tan, size 12, for trout along warm summer banks.
A soft-hackle bee wet fly with a tented mottled wing over a green peacock body. Black hen tail, speckled partridge hackle and a fuzzy cream thorax flecked with pink finish it on a gold wet-fly hook.
- Imitates
- Terrestrial bee fall
- When
- typically warm summer afternoons near flowering banks
- Hook
- size 12
- Tippet
- 4Xrule of three
- Size 12 soft-hackle wet fly
- Peacock herl body with green shine
- Tented mottled turkey quill wing
- Cream thorax flecked with pink
- Speckled partridge hackle moves underwater
On the water
Peacock herl glows green and blue under a tall tented wing of mottled turkey quill. A wisp of black hen trails behind. Up front, a fuzzy cream thorax carries pink flecks like pollen dust, and partridge fibers sweep back over the gold hook bend.
Bees tumble off clover and willow on hot afternoons and sink just under the film. Swing this one slowly through glides beside the bank, or dead-drift it a few inches down and let the partridge breathe. A gentle twitch at the end of the drift is often all it needs.
Turkey quill wings ask for a pinch wrap. Hold the matched slip tight on top of the hook, bring the thread up loosely between your fingers, then pull straight down so the fibers stack instead of rolling off to the side.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 4Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Tie on 5X tippet with a loop knot so the partridge hackle can pulse freely.
- Fish it in the top foot of water; add a small shot a foot up only in faster seams.
- Swing across and down, then lift slowly at the end of the drift.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Terrestrial bee falltypically warm summer afternoons near flowering banks
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow glides, flats and soft seams under grassy or flowering banks
- Also fishes
- Also swings well as a general soft hackle in riffle tailouts and drifts nicely near weed edges on still lakes in midsummer.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 8 steps
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- Daiichi 1550 wet flysize 12
- Thread
- Black 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailBlack hen hackle fibers
- BodyPeacock herl
- WingMottled turkey quill
- HackleHungarian partridge
- ThoraxCream and pink blended rabbit dubbing
- HeadBlack thread
Details
- Imitates
- Bee
- Colors
- Peacock green, Black, Mottled tan, Cream, Pink, Gold
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (8)
- Mount the hook and start the black thread behind the eye, wrapping a thin base back to the point above the barb.
- Tie in a small bunch of black hen fibers as a tail, about half a shank length beyond the bend.
- Tie in three peacock herls by their tips at the tail and bring the thread forward to the two-thirds point.
- Twist the herls around the thread lightly and wrap them forward in touching turns to build a full body; tie off and trim.
- Cut a turkey quill slip about a hook gap wide, fold or pair it, and pinch-wrap it on top so it tents over the body to the end of the tail.
- Tie in a Hungarian partridge feather by the tip and take two turns, stroking the fibers back so they reach the hook point.
- Dub a tapered ball of the cream and pink blend for the thorax, slightly fatter than the body.
- Build a small, neat black thread head, whip finish and add a drop of head cement.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: black hen fibers extending about half a shank length past the bend.
- Body: peacock herl covers the rear two thirds of the shank.
- Wing: turkey quill reaches the end of the tail and sits low in a tent over the body.
- Hackle: partridge fibers reach roughly to the hook point.
- Thorax: occupies the front third, about one and a half times the body diameter.
Tips (4)
- Twist peacock herl around the thread before wrapping; it doubles the body's life against trout teeth.
- Pick out the cream thorax with a dubbing needle so the pink flecks show and the ball looks soft.
- Strip the fluffy base fibers off the partridge before tying in so the collar stays sparse.
- Coat the turkey slip lightly with flexible cement first to stop it splitting.
Common mistakes (4)
- Wing rolls to the side: use a firm pinch wrap and pull the thread straight down.
- Hackle too thick: two turns of partridge is plenty; more hides the herl and stiffens the fly.
- Crowded eye: leave a hook-eye width of bare shank before dubbing the thorax.
- Bulky tail: use only a few hen fibers so the wing still sits low.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 12 · Materials only · 12 flies
$54.25
$4.52 a fly
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$11.95
- Peacock herl$5.95
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$4.50
- Hungarian partridge$11.95
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · Materials only · 48 flies
$97.42
$2.03 a fly
Bought separately $102.55 · you save $5.13
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$23.90
- Peacock herl$11.90
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$9
- Hungarian partridge$23.90
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · Materials only · 144 flies
$234.39
$1.63 a fly
Bought separately $266.35 · you save $31.96
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$71.70
- Peacock herl$23.80
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$22.50
- Hungarian partridge$71.70
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 12 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$204.25
$17.02 a fly
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$11.95
- Peacock herl$5.95
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$4.50
- Hungarian partridge$11.95
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$239.92
$5 a fly
Bought separately $252.55 · you save $12.63
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$13
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$23.90
- Peacock herl$11.90
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$9
- Hungarian partridge$23.90
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$366.39
$2.54 a fly
Bought separately $416.35 · you save $49.96
Includes Daiichi 1550 wet fly · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 1550 wet fly$35
Thread & wire
- Black 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Black hen hackle fibers$71.70
- Peacock herl$23.80
- Other material: Mottled turkey quill$22.50
- Hungarian partridge$71.70
- Cream and pink blended rabbit dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
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Where this came from
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fly pattern · made
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- bee
- wet fly
- soft hackle
- terrestrial
- peacock herl
- turkey quill
- partridge
- trout
- summer
- pollen