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Perdigon Nymph
Perdigon Purple Hot Spot
Tying Instructions
1. Slip on a tungsten bead that is one size larger than indicated on the sizing chart. This is a size 16 C200BL Competition hook. Size chart indicates a 5/64 bead, I’m using a 3/32. The reason is that the larger bead represents the mayfly nymph head with wingcase that is much larger than the body.
2. Wrap about 4-5 times leadfree wire and push the wire into the bead cavity. You don’t want to extend the wire much more since you want a thin body profile.
3. Attach your thread just behind the wire wraps. Thread color can vary as it is an underbody as well as a hot spot. You might use an olive color for the underbody and a pink or red hot spot thread.
4. Wrap the thread over the wire wraps to secure and build a slight taper from the wire wraps to the hook shank. Bring the thread to the bend of the hook where you want to attach the tail fibers.
5. Clip 5-6 hackle fibers from a tailing feather. I’m using CDL Dark Pardo which has some nice speckling and stiff barbs. Keep the tips even and attach the bundle to the top of the hook shank at the bend of the hook. Adjust the length so that the tail is just somewhat longer than the hook shank. Secure the tag ends up to the wire wraps and clip off the ends.
6. Attach an extra small strand of silver wire for a rib to the bottom of the hook shank and secure to the bend of the hook.
7. Next attach a piece of Magnum flashabou to the side of the hook shank and secure with thread wraps to the bend of the hook as well. You could use Krystalflash or regular flashabou.
8. Wrap the flashabou with overlapping wraps to just behind the bead and secure with a few thread wraps.
9. Wrap the silver wire forward with some spaced spirol wraps. Six to seven spirol wraps give a nice look to this mayfly nymph. Trim off the tag ends of the wire and the flashabou.
10. Wrap a collar just behind the bead for a “Hot Spot” and Whip Finish.
11. Apply a thin layer of UV fly finish to the entire body of the fly behind the bead.
12. Use a bodkin to even out the finish.
13. Using a UV lamp, harden the finish with about ten seconds of light exposure.
14. Using Black Nail polish or a product by Loon called Hard Head, place a dab on the top of both the bead and the hot spot. This represents the wingcase of the pattern.
15. The finished Perdigon Nymph. Streamline and heavy to sink to the bottom of a fast current.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | Competition 200BL #14-16 |
| Thread and Hot Spot | Veevus 12/0 Fl. Orange |
| Head | 3/32, Tungsten Copper |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Purple Holographic Magnum Flashabou coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Dark Pardo |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |
| Ribbing | Extra Small Silver Wire |
Spanish Team – 2020
Perdigon Nymphs were developed by Spanish anglers fishing the fast streams of the Pyrenees. They are a simple pattern to tie and extremely effective since they get down into the depths of a fast moving stream with their streamline profile.
Streamline profile
You first notice that this pattern has no fibers protruding from the body that usually represent life producing aspects to a pattern. However, protruding fibers also provide drag to the fly and we want this fly to get down fast! The only fibers on a Perdigon Nymph is the Coq De Leon tailing fibers which also happened to originate in the Pyrenees.
Jig Hooks preferred
The first Perdigon Nymphs were tied onto a competition style hook with a barbless wide-gape point but soon were tied onto jig style hooks since the inverted presentation decreased possible snagging on the bottom. The name, Perdigon, means Lead Pellets or lead ammunition in Spanish. I don’t know if the Spaniards actually adapted their lead pellets to a hook but tungsten beads, either countersunk or slotted are the preferred method today. These beads get the flies quickly to the bottom where the fish lie within the slower currents of the stream.
2 Fly Rig
The Spanish anglers often fish the Perdigon Nymph with one fly on the rig and utilize short casting drifts. However, here within the Sierra, anglers often use a two fly rig or a dry-dropper combination. Colors and size of the flies are determined by the stream and the mayflies that are present at that time. Early in the season you might have discolored water and dark colors such as black, brown-olive, UV Purple, with red or orange hot spots will be effective. As the stream becomes clearer, copper or black nickel beads have a good attraction.
During the early season, Mayflies will be in the larger sizes such as #12-14 and natural colors such as olive, cream, or ginger work well. At the end of the season, mayflies are much smaller in the #16 to #18 size, maybe in the #20’s. These flies should be darker such as dark olive and olive with vivid hot spots.
UV Resin and Body Quill
Experiment with Pearl Flashabou and vary the thread underbody color. The UV Resin coating over the body will highlight the various shades you can develop by changing the underbody coloration. Another new material worth using is the Veevus Body Quill which comes in a wide range of colors. Coating the Body Quill with UV resin brings out a depth to the coloration of the pattern that offers a sense of translucency.
Variations
Perdigon Quill & Fushia Jig
| Hook | Firehole 551 #16-18 |
| Thread and Collar | Veevus 12/0 Black |
| Head | Tungsten Slot Bead, 5/64, Black Nickle |
| Body | Stripped Peacock Quill coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Dark Pardo |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |
| Hot Spot | Krystal Flash, Alaskan Fushia |
Perdigon Pearl Peacock & Yellow Jig
| Hook | Firehole 551 #16-18 |
| Thread and Hot Spot | Veevus 12/0 Yellow |
| Head | Tungsten Slot Bead, 5/64, Silver |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Dyed Pearl Flashabou, Peacock coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Medium Dun |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |
| Ribbing | Veevus Black GSP Thread 100D |
Perdigon Pearl Black & Red Jig
| Hook | Firehole 551 #16-18 |
| Thread and Collar | Veevus 12/0 Black |
| Head | Tungsten Slot Bead, 5/64, Silver |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Dyed Pearl Flashabou, Black coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Light Pardo |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |
| Hot Spot | Flashabou, Red |
Spanish Bullet Quill Jig
| Hook | Firehole 551 #16-18 |
| Thread | Veevus 12/0 Black |
| Head | Tungsten Slot Bead, 5/64, Copper |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Stripped Peacock Quill coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Medium Pardo |
| Thorax | Veevus 12/0 Black |
| Collar Hot Spot | Uni-Thread 8/0, Orange |
Olive Hot Spot Jig
| Hook | Firehole 551 #16-18 |
| Thread | Veevus 12/0 Olive |
| Head | Tungsten Slot Bead, 5/64, Silver |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Veevus 12/0 Olive coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Dun |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |
| Ribbing | Dark Brown Uni-Thread 6/0 |
| Hot Spot | Uni-Thread 8/0, Orange |
Brown Quill Hot Spot
| Hook | Competition 200BL #14-16 |
| Thread and Hot Spot | Veevus 12/0 Fl. Orange |
| Head | 3/32, Tungsten Copper |
| Weight | .015 leadfree wire |
| Body | Veevus Brown Quill coated with Loon UV Fly Finish, Thin |
| Tail | CDL Tailing Medium Pardo |
| Wingcase | Hard Head Black |