Snipe and Purple
The Snipe and Purple is a revered North Country wet fly that imitates dark-bodied emerging midges and small flies with extraordinary subtlety. Its purple silk body has an iridescent sheen under water, and the snipe hackle pulses with each current variation. Sylvester Nemes considered it one of the most effective patterns for finicky fish on slow, clear water. Fish it upstream dead-drift or on a slow swing.
- Type
- wet fly (Midge)
- Hook sizes
- #12–16
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Wet fly hook #12–16
- thread: Purple 10/0
- body: Purple silk or tying thread
- hackle: Snipe outside covert, 1–2 turns
Tying steps
- Mount a size 12–16 wet fly hook; start purple thread.
- Wind purple silk or floss smoothly from the bend to the 3/4 mark.
- Select an outside covert feather from a common snipe; strip the base fibers.
- Tie in by the tip; make only 1–2 loose turns of hackle.
- Sweep fibers back; tie off and trim.
- Build a tiny head; whip finish with 3 turns and apply cement.
- Apply the smallest possible drop of lacquer to the completed thread head using a pin.
- Inspect the hackle from the side — the fibers should sweep rearward at 45 degrees and be very sparse.
- Confirm the hackle fibers are not twisted — dampen them with water and straighten with a dubbing needle before the lacquer head cures completely.