Black and Peacock Spider

Black and Peacock Spider

contributed by John Hay

Download recipe (PDF)

Materials

HookDaiichi 1710, Size #12 to #16 2xl
BeadCyclops - Black, Chartreuse or Red. Size to match hook
ThreadBlack, 6/0 or 8/0
TailClump of fibres from base of a hackle feather
BodyPeacock herl. Two or three strands depending size of hook.
RibFine gold wire or Krystal flash. Colour to match a colour of bead
Hackleideally a black hen feather, but a cock hackle seems work just as well.

Notes

A small soft-hackle wet fly, usually size 12 to 16, with a bead head that gets it down in the water column. John Hay fishes it on a floating line with a long leader, where it can represent small leeches or nymphs. He has taken fish on it in Britain, Iceland, Argentina and BC.

Published in March 2026 (Vol 59 No 3), page 13.