Umpqua Rodrigues' Spanish Perdigon Fly

Overview

The Spanish Perdigon is a signature pattern from Umpqua tyer Antonio Rodrigues, built on the perdigon style that Spanish competition anglers refined in the early 2000s. Perdigón means shotgun pellet in Spanish, which describes how quickly it drops.

Everything about the fly serves sink rate. A small bead and a slim, varnished body give the water almost nothing to push against, so the fly reaches the bottom of a fast run early in the drift. A hot spot of red adds a trigger point, and the dark, natural body colors read as a variety of small nymphs.

Euro Specs

• Role: Anchor/point fly; size 18 also works as a dropper.

How to Fish It

• Euro nymphing: use it as the anchor fly on a tight-line rig in fast riffles and pocket water.
• Under an indicator: as the point fly, it can replace split shot and keep the rig cleaner.
• Fast, deep water: perdigons excel where lighter, dubbed nymphs can't reach the bottom.
• Year-round: its general nymph profile works through all seasons.

Choosing Color and Size

Black/Red is a dark, high-contrast option for clear water and low light. Dark Olive/Red is a natural olive that matches baetis and other small mayfly nymphs.

Use size 16 for more weight in deeper or faster water and size 18 for clear water, smaller nymphs or as a dropper.