Wet fly
Black & Peacock Spider
Peacock-herl searching wet
Trout · GraylingSubsurface
Peacock-herl soft-hackle wet; imitates snails, beetles and drowned terrestrials — the classic black searching wet on river and lake.
Fish this when
As a searching fly on river or stillwater whenever beetles or snails are active along the margins, fished on the drop or swung across and down.
Why it works
Peacock herl's natural sheen reads as the dark, rounded silhouette of a beetle or snail under the surface, and the sparse hackle gives it just enough life without committing to any one insect.
Naturals it imitates
snail / beetle / drowned terrestrial
Typical zone & fishable range
usually
Surface
Film
Subsurface
Deep
Setup sensitivity: medium
Quick facts
Tying difficulty
Beginner-friendly