Dry FliesPeacock Despair
Jack Sutton's Peacock Despair, first tied in the 1930s, pairs a peacock herl body with a scarlet nylon yarn tag and knotted pheasant tail legs under a badger hackle and Hungarian partridge wing. It has long been a favored pattern for large brook trout in Quebec and Labrador.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
A scarlet nylon yarn tag and rib set off the iridescent peacock herl body, and knotted pheasant tail barbs, two to a side, imitate long trailing legs. A badger hackle is wound through the body area, and a Hungarian partridge breast feather forms the wing, tied as a pair on the larger sizes (#2-8) and a single feather on the smaller ones (#10-12). The mix of dark peacock, scarlet accent, and mottled partridge creates a buggy, high-contrast silhouette suited to general mayfly and caddis activity, tied across hook sizes from a 2 down to a 12 depending on conditions.
Where to Buy This Fly
We only link to fly shops we trust. Some links are referral links, which may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Materials
- Hook:
- Eagle Claw 1197B #2-12
- Thread:
- Benecchi 12/0, black
- Tag/rib:
- Nylon yarn, scarlet (the original pattern calls for scarlet floss)
- Body:
- Peacock herl
- Wing:
- Hungarian partridge breast feather - pair for #2-8, single feather for #10-12
- Legs:
- Pheasant tail barbs, two on each side - knotted
- Hackle:
- Badger
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Caddis tumble through fast riffles after being dislodged from rocks, wings pinned and unable to gain altitude. The current carries these stunned insects into slower pools where waiting fish capitalize on their disorientation and reduced mobility.
Where Trout Eat It: Excels in tailouts, seams, and foam lines of freestone streams. The durable herl body withstands pocket water turbulence while maintaining attractive buggy appearance.
How to Fish It: Cast upstream and dead drift through likely holding water. Peacock herl's natural iridescence creates color shifts in varied light that trigger strikes from opportunistic feeders. Dead drift matches the helpless floating behavior that triggers surface feeds.
Best Water: Focus on runs, pools, riffles where trout hold and actively feed.
Strike Type: Look for confident swirls or splashy takes as fish key on the peacock herl's iridescence. Trout often commit aggressively to the buggy silhouette in varied light.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 4X-5X tippet. Durable construction supports extended use as searching pattern through full-day prospecting sessions.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during hatches April through June and activity July through August when water temperatures range 50-65°F. All-day reliability makes it productive choice during varied feeding periods.
Pro Tips: Peacock herl creates natural iridescence that shifts color in varied light conditions, triggering strikes without exact imitation. The inherent buggy appearance suggests multiple insect types, making size selection more critical than color matching.
Entomology
Caddis tumble through fast riffles after being dislodged from rocks, wings pinned and unable to gain altitude. The current carries these stunned insects into slower pools where waiting fish capitalize on their disorientation and reduced mobility.
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Common Name
- Caddisfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult
