Menu Close

Partridge and Peacock

The Partridge and Peacock is a traditional soft hackle fly, that I have modified to meet my needs when fishing for shad on the Econlockhatchee River. During years when the Econ has high flow relative to the St. Johns River, the shad can make their way up the Econ in considerable numbers, and when the water levels are right, they can even make their way to the section of river above Snowhill Road, and beyond.

Don’t let the dark bottom of the pools deceive you, the water in this section of river can be very clear. You will also often find schools of shad sitting above white sandy bottom in very shallow water where you can sight fish for them. So swinging a big, flashy fly will inevitably spook them. In these conditions, longer leaders with finer tipits are required, and attached to that, a smaller fly that looks natural and buggy. Everything in the river eats a soft hackle, and the Partridge and Peacock is my go-to fly when the shad get spooky.

Partridge and Peacock:

Hook: Size 10 Nymph Hook
Thread: 8/0 Dark Brown Uni-Thread
Body: Ice Dub- UV Peacock Eye
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge
Wing (Optional): Mallard Flank (not shown)
Eyes: Black Bead Chain

4 Comments

  1. Angel N

    Good article! May you please provide me your email address? I am thinking of fishing for shad soon and would appreciate your help. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon.

Leave a Reply to Angel N Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *