Hardy’s Favorite - Variation - Wet Fly

Hardy's Favorite is attributed to JJ Hardy in the 1870s. The recipe according to J. Edson Leonard in his book Flies is as follows.

Tail: Golden Pheasant tippets
Body: Claret silk Floss
Rib: bronze peacock herl
Hackle: brown
Wing: pheasant

The body ribbed with a strand of peacock herl seems to me to make for a short lived fly...maybe a fish or two before that rib is gone. Most of the current tyings of this pattern I see reverse the body and the rib...making the body peacock herl and the rib the floss...this to me makes sense and makes for a more durable fly. If you flatten the floss before winding you fairly closely mimic the result or look as if you ribbed with herl. I personally like the look of the fly ribbed with red floss and that floss corded up before winding. I also saw a tier online use all partridge for tail, hackle and wing...it was beautiful and so I decided here to use partridge for the hackle. My pheasant quills are not great so I went with turkey quills that are speckled brown - label says "mottled oak". They are much easier to tie with and give a similar look. I personally love the fly with just the partridge hackle and no wing.

Tail: Golden Pheasant tippets
Body: Peacock herl
Rib: red floss
Hackle: partridge
Wing: turkey quill

Have fun all!