After posting the funnel fly I thought that it might be interesting to introduce some popular modern European fly pattens of which I am certain that they’ll be effective for a variety of Australian fish.

This time Pattegrisen, which is Danish for Piglet. The name refers to the pink colour of the original fly, invented in 2006 by Claus Eriksen from the Danish island Fyn. It is mainly used for coastal brown trout, but redfin, zander, asp, and European bass won’t pass a well presented Piglet. 

Materials:

• Hook: traditionally a Partridge CS54. My choice is the Sakuma 430/Varivas 2610 in sizes 6 and 4. 
• Eyes: mono eyes. I use Easy Shrimp Eyes in UV-pink and UV-orange
• Mouth and feelers: mallard flank feather 
• Body: Senyo laser dub in UV-orange (head) and salmon pink
  
• Legs: two spey feathers in salmon pink (I used salmon pink grizzle for this example)
• Back shield: EP-like fibre in salmon or Antron yarn in UV-watermelon 
• Thread: Danville 140D in UV-pink or White
• Rib: 2lbs monofilament
• Weight (optional): short piece of tungsten thread
  

Method:

1. Start by tying in the mouthpart (mallard).
2. Then tie in a small bit of UV-orange dubbing near the bend of the hook.
3. Tie in a small bunch of spey fibres to imitate feelers.
4. Then tie in the shrimp eyes. If you use mono eyes, keep them at an equal angle and distance to guarantee a straight tracking fly. 
   
5. Tie in the monofilament ribbing thread. And use the materials you tie in to make an conical body shape. If you need a fly that runs a little deeper, tie in a short piece of tungsten wire beneath the hook shank in the middle of the shank.
6. Dub the body with the salmon pink body. Give the dubbing (also the head part) a good once-over with a sturdy brush or some Velcro. 
   
7. Choose two spey feathers with hackles of around 1.5 times the length of the hook. Wind the feathers towards the hook eye and try to direct the hackles towards the bend of the hook. In a later stage you can brush them in the right direction. 
   
8. Tie in the shield material and while you do it, keep it under tension. By doing this you will get a more discrete end knot. Use the ribbing thread to secure the shield.
9. Use a dubbing needle and a brush to pick out as much material (dubbing and hackle) as possible. Brush it towards the bend of the hook. 

A well tied Pattegrisen will have a wonderful pulsating action. It is one of the best attractor flies for seatrout. UV-material, a smooth movement and the suggestion of transparency are the main triggers. 

I would easily tie one on when fishing for bream, Aussie bass, flathead and tropical species like flats queenfish and threadfin salmon.

Fish the fly very slowly with minuscule jerks of the line. Or fish it with smooth strips to imitate baitfish. 

Whiting spey saddles are hard to find. You can use marabou or large schlappen saddles as an alternative, or large CDC-feathers for smaller variations. If you die your own material, Veniard Coral is the right colour.

~ Jeroen Schoondergang
(extracted and reposted with Jeroen’s permission)