The fly box · No. 24 of 36
Perdigón
Small, slim mayfly nymphs and midge pupae; in truth a shape and a sink rate more than a species.
- Kind
- Nymph
- Hook sizes
- 14–18
- Season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- For
- Trout and grayling
- At the vice
- A moderate tie
The dressing
| Hook | Barbless jig hook, sizes 14–18 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Olive, 8/0 or finer, used flat |
| Tail | Four to six Coq de León fibres, about a shank long |
| Body | Olive thread built into a slim taper, coated with UV resin |
| Rib | Fine pearl tinsel or a single strand of contrasting thread, open turns |
| Hackle | None |
| Wing | Wing case of black nail varnish or a marker spot on top, behind the bead, under the final coat of resin |
| Also | Slotted tungsten bead, 2.5–3.5 mm, in silver, copper or black; optional hot-spot collar of fluorescent orange thread |
Tying it
- Fit the slotted bead and lay a flat thread base to the bend.
- Tie in the Coq de León fibres as a slightly splayed tail.
- Tie in the rib and wind the thread forward into a smooth, slim taper that thickens towards the bead.
- Wind the rib in four or five open turns and tie off behind the bead.
- Add two turns of orange thread as a collar if you want a hot spot, then whip finish.
- Mark the wing case on top with black varnish and let it dry.
- Coat the whole body thinly with UV resin, turning the fly as you cure it.
Fishing it
This is a fly for tight-line nymphing with a long rod and a long, fine leader. Lob it upstream into fast runs and narrow slots between boulders, let it sink, then lead it downstream with the rod tip a little ahead of the fly and the line held off the water. A tippet of 6X (0.13 mm) helps it reach depth; 5X (0.15 mm) is kinder where fish run large. Watch the coloured section of leader and lift at any hesitation. In winter it is one of the best ways down to grayling.
Where it comes from
Spanish competition river anglers developed these flies for fast, clear mountain streams, where a nymph has only a second or two to reach the fish. The name means a pellet of shot. A heavy tungsten bead, a thread body with nothing to catch the current and a hard coat of resin make a fly that drops through the water like a small stone.